Something to think about during this 'make-new-beds or restore-the-old-one season'... Hope you enjoy and don't get the urge to stone me :-)

Hey! Maggie, can you write my monthly notes? Great stuff as usual, full of interesting snippets.

Good article, Maggie. Enjoyed the photos as well. Gives me goal. I'm one of those who has castor beans and cannas while waiting for the treelets to grow.

Thanks Terry - maybe we should connive to post each other's monthly page on the other's site one day. How about April 1, 2001, ok? I always return to your new pages more than once. There's always sooo much good garden to visit with you there.

Glad to hear that Caro - Infecting others with my happy madness is a favorite pursuit! I still use the big tropicals in the long border even now, because I still keep changing my mind or wanting to try something else in the middle. Argh. But I think the latest is going to be the winner. This spring I put in a purple leaf plum, dead center, that seems to be just what it needed. My aching back sure hopes so! Wouldn't it make a great backdrop for a large flowered clem one day? Do you have one of those 8' foot tall black-leaf cannas from me yet? They make good walls. I should dig some for the swap - they and a hibiscus are over shading a new tall grass that will be glad for full sun next year.

Hmmmm April 1st, does this girl think I'm a fool. J
Found out at last.

Interesting, Maggie. I've been thinking about the purple plum as well. Its about the closest in coloring and size to a Japanese maple, and it should do fine here.

You won't believe this. One of those willows that I bought at The Hood croaked. I've never even heard of a willow dying. It had lots of green leaves one day, and they were all crispy brown the next and the top of the branches were black. The other willow, planted not ten feet away, seems fine. Tres bizarre. Anyway, Neal has issued edict that all future tree purchases must be from Home Depot. He checked and found out that they can order almost any plant, shrub, or tree on my "Good in North Central Texas" list, even if they don't normally have it in stock. Even if they are a little more costly than at The Hood, they have a 1 year guarantee, so in the event of croakdom, a replacement will arrive the next day (for me, anyway, some people might actually have to make a trip to the store J).

Maggie, What is that ferny plant to the right of your Rhodophila?

Glad you can grow Callicarpa. It does well here, too. My husband doesn't like it (is he crazy or what???), so we don't have a plant; but a friend down the street has one that I can look at.

That was a sad story about the garden of the water conservationist. Saying "Nature red in tooth and claw" doesn't quite fit this scenario, but nature is cruel and unyielding.

I enjoyed your article. I appreciated your discussion of native plants as part of your borders.

Carolyn, I got a corkscrew willow at a plant swap, and it died the following year. Not as fast as yours did. I think it took a couple of weeks to die. It's remotely possible that my husband poisoned it. Maybe the willow was sensitive to his thoughts. (For some reason he didn't like it.)

I have a p_ussy willow growing near the spot where the corkscrew willow died, & it's thriving. It's over 10 feet tall - after I cut it back this February to 8 inches! My husband is not too happy about that willow, either.

Hey, Maggie! Your list won't allow me to call Salix discolor by its common name!

So Funny!!! Was wondering why you had the underline in it. I'm loling so big...Talk Latin to me Baby.......

Okay ok, back to behaving ...I've been torturing a corkscrew willow in a clay pot for two years cause I can't figure where to plant it. Have decided if it will survive that, "it'll make it anywhere" else around here ... I hear NYNY. mona behave.

The Comestrl fern is a N Amer native, Dryopteris spp, often called 'Wood Fern'. It tolerates a dry shade pretty well when established, but multiplies best in moist bed with good drainage, otherwise it rots easily. I've even seen it run rampant in full Tex sun next to hot concrete with a sprinkler system!

I have had a pussywillow for 4 yrs., and still waiting for it do something - no height, no catkins. Probably wants more water or lower pH.

Your discriminating husband makes me appreciate the fact that Lars can't tell a petunia from a petunia - cause I just HAVE to try everything - making for muddles in many of the beds! On the other hand, Mr. J's fine eye shows in the design qualities of your garden. I sure enjoyed seeing your new summer additions...
Susan's Garden Site
Oh, and good thing there's not a space in corkscrew. ;-)

Susan, I just looked at your site. I hadn't been able to access it for awhile, but the link above worked just fine. You have done a spectacular job with the landscaping. I've spent about an hour perusing all the maples and other plants. If I could tolerate the lack of sunshine, that would be the greatest place to live. But since I must have sunshine, I'll keep the Seattle area on my list of greatest places to visit!

Thanks for the kind words J