Have you ever seen the big tall poles with a propellor on them. They produce energy and for most people who put them in they produce more energy then they use and they start getting a check from the electic company instead of a bill. Problem is for most people the amountof money they are saving is not even close to the cost of the generator. (Est. $10-20,000_ With a bill of $500 dollars a month it would pay for itself in four years and then your electric is essentially free. I don't know about electric heat, but I would imagine you may still need more power than a single wind generator can produce. If you plan on staying in your house for a while it may be a worth while investment. In my case (or my fathers case) it would take too many years for the generator to pay for itself than is worth while for us and we don't have that kind of money upfront. It is easier to pay for the electric bill each month which is a smaller cost than the wind generator even though the long term costs are higher.

lavender_lass: Wow, another person with such an expansive garden! Unfortunately, I can't make out much detail in the first two photos (think it's the resolution of my screen) but I can definitely the beauty in the bee balm. What's next to the bee balm a columbine (and if so, which)? Ingrid_vc: I totally forgot to mention the sea lavender too. I've intentionally walked away from it at the garden center thinking I'd never know how to use it but your photos illustrate their beautify wonderfully. I've never actually seen them so tall. How are they as cut flowers? They're really quite gorgeous. campanula: You make me want everything you've listed. Do you have any photos you can share? I'll bet your garden is wonderful. I love looking at grasses in the gardens of others but don't have enough space to allow them to become the plant they want to be. Years ago I planted one and it spread so fast and so large that when I went to remove it, I nearly needed a forklift. I'm in Southern Calfiornia where many uses grasses to accent the front of their houses as they're quite drought hardy and they look amazing. I, on the other hand, wouldn't have room for all the roses and other flowers I need in the garden if I were to grow them. Please do post some photos, if you have a chance, as I know we'd all like to see those beautifies if you have them growing in your garden. Thanks for the great recommendations.

Check out my blog....I have researched what herbs/flowers would be good companions or insect repellers for various vegetables. www.howmygardengrows.wordpress.com There is a blog there on compantion planting. Let me know what you think...if you have found any other good matches.

PK, I pulled it up as soon as I saw the first leaves emerge. When I pull up an invasive, I don't merely tug and yank, I get my hand weeder (or shovel) and go down deep to get the roots. Merely pulling the plant up usually leaves too much root behind. Even in places where I could not get rid of every bit of root, I just made sure that I cut off every leaf that sprouted, which insured the death of the plant trying to emerge. Diligently removing emerging foliage on pesky invasives (such as alstromeria) worked well for me because the little brittle roots were impossible to dig up. Molly