I second the difficulty of getting TRUE colors on dark, vibrant colors. Tulips and irises, in particular. My best luck at being able to keep the color reasonably true and have a well balanced, sharp picture too is to take the pics early morning or late evening. Our flooding, bright sun up here really makes it hard to get anything close to true the rest of the time. Frequently its just a matter of getting a pretty shot whenever I can and hoping the light doesn't kill it too badly. I have one camera that simply gives horrible shots of bright or deep red any time. I do a bit of rationalizing. Since I'm not shooting to help sell the flowers, I don't worry too much about the color being extemely accurate. Most folks just want to see the whole picture, and whether its enjoyable. Not whether its a King George tulip or a Queen Mary based on color. The folks who have the equipment and tech skill to deliver the whole package all the time always get my respect.

Pam, you are now deemed as the official owner of a piece of .... I mean: a vintage item! LOL I'm planning to make a hanging air arrangment something like what is in the photo on the link directly below using a couple of bird cages, egg baskets, and wire chickens I bought from Rozanne. http://mykotori.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/tumblr_kx26r9ihfj1qzcp6io1_500.jpg I bought the skythe from Rozanne also. Some of the old tools have such a graceful shape. My grandmother used to sit on the ground and use grass clippers like the ones in the picture to edge the lawn. I love the shapes of the old spoons, and love to imagine who and how these old things were used ... Also want to do this with an old rake head ... http://www.diyideas.com/images/img_garden-display3_ss_lg.jpg Patty discovered a site that has lots of ideas, Pinterest, from which the two links came. This is not Pinterest's home page, but a page of garden idea clippings or pins, as they call them, from one person. Here is a link that might be useful: How Does Your Garden Grow on Pinterest ...

Here are some thoughts from the southern fringe of the Hill Country, AKA Canyon Lake. Water and electricity are expensive but to well heeled folk moving here it doesn't seem to be an issue to scrap bare the native vegatation and transpose what ever city concept of plants they choose to use. They bring in "top soil" (with weeds:( and want their city lawn grasses. I guess what I am saying is many new folks moving in and think they want what they had from where ever they came from to grow here. Some even succeed to a degree but many learn over a few years not to try and subjugate Mother Nature and learn to adapt often after they have destroyed their ecosystem. On the other hand there is a groundswell of people moving in that appreciate Mother Nature and try to adapt to their environmnent and utilize the local plants to make their landscapes an extentsion of the surrounding area. Getting involved with the Master Gardner program will be a big plus. It is what I did when I came to Texas from Hawaii 11 years ago. I would also look at the Master Naturalist program to further educate you about the local flora and fauna. Deer will be an issue so learning about the basics of plants that are deer resistant (there is not such a thing as deerproof IMO:). Many folks will do raised beds to adapt to the area instead of trying to punch holes in the limestone rock. I would expect you to do just fine with finding work after a period of adjustment and real Hill Country living. Welcome to the Hill Country and enjoy the majestic beauty that abounds here and look to educate those behind you how to help keep Austin weird and the Hill Country, the Hill Country. An Eagles song says a lot for how I feel about the Hill Country or any place we humans call Paradise. The song is Paradise Lost. I love the Hill Country and try to help other keep it that way as a horticulturist and garden center manager. Mulch of choice local when possible, red cedar if not. I am of the camp that termites are not an issue except those that build on the ground. I am on pier and beam so I would see tunnels before any damage would be done. Not much leaves my property unless I can't figure out a way to reuse it some way. Welcome and Happy Growing David

Barb, if y'all like antiquing and poking around hand made things, old farm equipment, etc., then the Fredericksburg trade days are great. They only have it one weekend a month. You can get their schedule at the link below. And here's the chamber of commerce site. It's a really good one for finding stuff to do and the calendar of events, etc. http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/ Hope you share some pics, if you get to go. Here is a link that might be useful: Trade Days