Trends: Perennial gardens
A flower with staying power... As I've perused the Internet, I've discovered that industry/media people occasionally quote snippets from my seminars, e-mails and columns — suggesting to their readers that I might be an authority on matters of the garden. Here's a confession: I am, in fact, a thief. Indeed, I follow my wife around the garden center and about the trade show walkways, stopping to note what she stops to note. Then I transfer said notes to my talks, virtual musings and magazine missives.

She does the heavy lifting; I get the credit. There, I said it.

I would also like to say this: I don't care how good a gardener you are, my wife is better. She knows more about flowers and decoratives and complementary elements than anyone I've met — even those in the business. Not only that... My wife is the perennial queen of the perennial garden. She has them spaced throughout our front yard — on the curb, along a sidewalk, as an island in the heart of the landscape — and they all look like they came straight out of a "Best of... " magazine. Our city doesn't give a "Yard of the Month" award, yet she has been told by city officials on two occasions that they wish there was such an honor, just so they could bestow it on the lovely Mrs. Y's handiwork.

While you aren't likely to help your favorite customer better my wife in the perennial garden department, you can help her craft something special. There are a number of resources that contain great ideas — and scenes depicting how to transfer the idea to the garden. I recently ran across The Helpful Gardener's Web site, which devotes a segment to the art of the perennial garden. The page focuses on design considerations and plants for the specific climate and sun/shade situation, and it includes links to other resources that are perennially perennial.

No, my wife's e-mail address isn't listed. But it probably should be.

Puzzling pictures
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!... One of the pictures below is a puzzle. Select the correct one and then piece the product together again. Should you be caught or killed in the course of this mission, the agency will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

"Are you ready for Guerilla gardening?"
Check the *BLOG*

Pick 'n Click
Instant tea, instant rice, instant product information... If you are searching for garden/gift items — and who reading this page isn't? — you'll find this list of links to the suppliers particularly helpful. Simply click the company for e-reader service.

Achla Designs Allsop, Inc. Alpine Corporation Amturf Enterprises Anamese Garden & Home Aquascape, Inc. Bamboo Accents BC Landscape & Nursery Association Benchmaster by Structural Plastics Bird Brain, Inc. Carson Industries Clean Air Gardening Collier Metal Specialties, Inc. Color Wheel Country Originals, Inc. Danove Corporation Dekorra Products DeWitt Co., Inc. Discount Pond Supplies, Inc. Dorothy Biddle Service EasyPro Pond Products EbioExpress International Echo Valley Ecological Laboratories, Inc. Fabriscape Featherock, Inc. Firestone Specialty Products Friendship's Garden, Inc. Garden Market EXPO/CANGC Gardenware Gifts That Bloom Good Directions, Inc.

Hines Pottery Imperial Ponds Jamaica Cottage Shop Lawngrips Listo Products Maine Bucket Company, Inc. Melrose International Michael Gordon LTD National Lawn & Garden Show Novelty Manufacturing Co. Organics 101 Par A Sol Poly-Tex, Inc. Principle Plastics Red Carpet Studios Riverside Enterprises SATO Labeling Solutions America, Inc. Savio Engineering, Inc. Sherman Nursery Company Silcast, Inc. Sonne-Gro Company Texas Nursery & Landscape Association Thayer Birding Software Vitamin Institute Walter E. Clark & Son Waterscapes Aquatic Plant Nursery West County Gardener Winston Company Woodstock Percussion, Inc. Woodstream

 

"Are you ready for Guerilla gardening?"
Check the *BLOG*

Oh, yeah, the riddle answer...
SWIMS

 
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