Ok, as promised last week, today I'm writing about Dianthus, a very durable plant for your garden. Dianthus is a beautiful and hardy little flower that's sold in our zone as an annual. However, that's not totally true. I currently have a few Dianthus in my garden that are into their fourth season. While I can not classify it as a perennial, it does come back for a few years. So load up on it this season, and you can count on it coming back big and bright next year.

It comes in many varieties, the ones pictured here are the Sweet William variety featuring clusters of tiny flowers. But you can also get Dianthus with blooms as big as a silver dollar. Lots of pinks, from pale to magenta, solid or spreckled or just plain white. You can get a lot of color from this little plant. And, I've found that if I cut them back after the initial bloom, I can get another bloom before the end of summer. The clump will also spread the second year, and eventually trickle off to nothing over a few years, but at least you get a little more bang for your buck!

After finally getting some rain this weekend, I'm happy to report the Rain Chain I talked about last week is working well!

Now that we've had some rain, it's the perfect time to do that oh-so-fun gardening chore -- WEEDING!! Yes folks, it's time ... after a good rain is the easiest time to get those pesky weeds out. Pull 'em now -- or you'll be sorry later. As you can see, I've got plenty of dandelions sprouting up all over the gardens. (We get our lawn treated every year, so the dandies just pop up in the untreated flower beds!) Anyway, make sure you get that stubborn root or the dandies just come right back.

Here's a cheap little trick: For weeds and invading grass on paths, patios or decks, pour some vinegar on them. It's a lot cheaper than Round Up and it does just as well. You can also put the vinegar in a spray bottle and do it that way. Within days, you'll see the weeds turn brown and die!

Just don't use vinegar on weeds in your beds, because it will taint the soil. Sorry folks, pulling weeds by hand is still the best method. And use a trowel or garden claw for really deep roots. If you don't get the root, it'll just come right back.

Up next: I finally got my own little greenhouse, put it up this past weekend and can't wait to tell you about it!