Morning and Evening

Another one of chance recommendations was to plant the morning glory and moonflower in the same pot to have white flowers all day long. It's working particularly well and I would recommend it to anybody.

e. pallidia and memories of Lady Bird

While searching for information on Lady Bird Johnson, I came upon this phenomenal looking Echinacea. It's these kind of images that forced me to track these types of plants down. I have the perfect spot for it and I found it at American Beauties Native Plants and I'll be buying it this fall.

Lady Bird

The best thing to come out of the Johnson administration was Lady Bird Johnson. She was a complete class act in the White House. And when she left, wildflowers in Texas and beyond had a savior. She led the passage of legislation to plant wildflowers in the medians of highways all over Texas. And then state-by-state she led the campaign to roll out to other states.

And it's the wildflowers that she will be remembered. To the right you will see her Center for Wildflowers. I had never seen us beautiful image before. I would like to think one day when I can travel I would like to check it out. Anyway as I write this I'm getting a warm and fuzzy feelings over what this one woman accomplished in her life. Goodbye Lady Bird!

$11.99 on eBay!

I have mentioned before my passion for antique watering cans. This fountain showed up under vintage watering cans but it had been made from scratch. I have seen this same type of thing in garden gift shops for about 60 bucks. But the husband of the seller built this from actual piping and faucet pieces. So I expect it to last for a very long time. So try eBay for the garden and see what you can can get for $11.99!

Managing sun and shade

I've struggled with the front garden bed to strike a balance with the shade and sun on opposite ends of the front garden. This year I'm experimenting with contrasting colors of sun and shade Coleus with the punches of Coconut Cooler Vinca and white Accent Impatiens to help the whole thing explode with color. Still on bedrest and only allowed to spend one hour up, I directed Mum in about 15 minutes where to place it all for best effect. Quick work to deliver a fast impact.

Master Gardener Hotline

One of the most valuable things you can do for your garden is to use the resources of the Johnson County Master Gardener's Hotline. Trained MGs can answer your questions. If they don't know the answer, they'll get back to you in a short period of time. The volunteers are backed by k-state research and extension.

You can call 913-715-7050 or write to garden.help@jocogov.org. The questions run the gamut from what does the term perennial mean to what is the best pH for blueberries. I cannot stress enough how accurate the answer to your question will be. You can get an answer Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 pm. The Master Gardeners can have a huge impact on creating the garden of your dreams.