Petunias, Wave Petunias especially, have a special place in my heart ... right on the thin line between Love and Hate.

Each year, I'm determined to have success with these plants that are described by www.backyardgardener.com as "the most profuse flowering of any annual. Few other annuals produce so many of such large flowers." HA! Not in my personal experience. And I know I'm not the only one out there.
Just last week, a coworker asked me how to get more blooms out of her petunias. Just like mine, her's looked great when she planted them in May, and now, after a recent thunderstorm, they're just drooping and hanging there looking drab.
I agreed with her, because my wave petunias are the same way. They looked fabulous all thru June and now, after the 4th of July, they're getting stringy and the blooms are fewer. It happens every year. Last year, upon some advice from HGTV, I cut them back 50% before going on vacation. By the time I got home, they were supposed to be full of blooms. However, it took nearly a month for them to bloom again!
And it's not just the waves, the upstanding petunia plants look awful as well. They're tall, stringy and hardly bloom. I've cut them back and deadheaded them, but nothing seems to work.
But I've seen beautiful flowing waves of petunias in professional landscapes. Every summer at the shore, by the outlet stores, are huge islands of purple, pink and blue waves, looking absolutely gorgeous! Even the hanging baskets in downtown Pottstown flowered consistently all summer last year. What's the secret?

In an effort to find out, I, obviously, turned to the Internet. And here's what I found ... www.wave-rave.com, a web site totally devoted to the Wave Petunia. It even has a fan club and urges you to join -- can you believe that?
Anyway, it's also full of information about all the different varieties of Petunias, not just the wave. There's a very informative FAQ section. Which brings me to the obvious -- what is the solution to all our petunia problems. Are you ready for this?
According to wave-rave.com, petunias like lots of water and do not like to dry out. They are also "heavy feeders" and need to be fertilized every 10-14 days in the ground, less in pots and hanging baskets. They never, I repeat, never need to be deadheaded (which goes against everything I've been told for the last five years) and should not be cut back under any circumstances.

So I'm off to Lowe's to get some fertilizer and will be testing this information over the next month. Either way, I'll be sure to share the results.

Ahh zucchini, one of the easiest, no fuss plants in the vegetable garden. Just plant it, water it and harvest its bounty. It doesn't get any easier than this.
Zucchini is a small summer squash. It can be yellow, green or light green, and generally has a similar shape to a ridged cucumber, though a few cultivars are available that produce round or bottle-shaped fruit. Mature zucchini can grow to be 3-ft. in length, but are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat. So it's best to pick the zucchini before it reaches 12 inches and the seeds are soft and immature. Zucchini with the flowers attached are a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and are especially sought by many people.
Unlike cucumber, zucchini are usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as souffles. It's most popular incarnation is in zucchini bread.
Our zucchini plants are doing gangbusters this year, with each producing at least a dozen so far. Making zucchini bread has become a ritual of summer in our household. I even have a recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread that was sent in to The Mercury for an EATS contest many, many years ago, and it still brings compliments every time I share it. Of course, there's really only so many you can make, freeze and share with friends and neighbors.
So here's a couple of zucchini recipes that you might want to try for something different. I don't remember where I got them, so if you recognize either one, remember, the best compliment your recipe can get is to be passed on to others!

ZUCCHINI SOUP
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
8 ozs. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
Combine zucchini and broth in a saucepan. Cook until zucchini is tender. Combine zucchini, cooking liquid, cream cheese, salt, black pepper and garlic salt in blender container.Blend until smooth. Serve hot or cold.Yields 4 servings.Can be doubled, but this is a very rich soup, so you really don't need more than one serving per person.

ZUCCHINI "CRAB" CAKES (sometimes called Faux Crab Cakes)
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsps. butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup mincedonion
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegeatble oil for frying
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion and seasoning. Mix well. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides. Enjoy!

Up next: Why I Love/Hate Petunias!

In between storms this weekend, I did manage to spend some time gardening. And I'm pleased to say -- AGAIN -- that my Planting Season 2008 is finally over. Yes, I know I've said it before, but this time... I MEAN IT!

After a particularly big blow-out of weather yesterday afternoon, I got out there, moved a couple of hostas and planted the rest of the "clearance" items I bought at Lowe's last week. It's done. It's over. I feel a little like Frodo after he threw the ring into the fires of Mount Doom ...

Now, on to more pressing matters ... the vegetable garden. So far, this season is holding a lot of promise, but that's about it. I mean, I have lots and lots of green tomatoes on the vine, but I've only harvested 3 red ones. My cherry tomatoes are finally turning and I'm up to about a dozen picked so far.

You might remember back in June (June 4, to be exact) I planted two tomato and four pepper plants in Earthboxes, shown here.

According to www.earthbox.com: "The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. Our maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden-with less fertilizer, less water and virtually no effort."
The EarthBox is a resin planter box. Inside is a plastic screen and a small bag of accessories. Remove the fill tube from the accessory bag and press it thru the support. After packing the two rear corner cutouts in the screen with moist potting mix, you must pour water thru the fill tube until it runs out the overflow hole. This is the way you'll water your plants after planting.

The EarthBox promises that if you follow their instructions, you'll have the best yield ever! Well, here's how my plants look now.

They certainly are growing, but so far, the yield hasn't been the best ever. But like I said above, both tomato plants are bursting with green veggies. I'm sure that they'll all turn red at the same time -- like they seem to do every year. If you grow tomatoes at home, you know what I mean. It's like we wait and wait and wait for those fresh tomatoes, only to be overcome with them all at once!

Yes, despite my best efforts, I still end up throwing away spoiled tomatoes. And don't even get me started on the cherry tomatoes. I know one year we stopped counting at 200 because it was getting ridiculous!

Anyway, soon we'll be making fresh bruschetta, and nothing beats a fresh Lebanon, tomato and mayo sandwich on sourdough toast. In the meantime, we can take solace in the abundance of cucumbers! We did so well with this vegetable last year that we planted six vines this year.

I chose a new spot for the cucumber vines -- the new "cutting" garden that I constructed this past spring. I thought the vines would look nice creeping up the side of the shed behind the various wildflowers and "cutting" flowers that I was hoping would come up from the seeds I scattered. Anyway, check it out -- before and after -- not too shabby, huh? More on the cutting garden on another day ...

Back to the veggies -- anyone having any luck with green peppers yet? Here's our peppers when they were planted in the EarthBox on June 4. A nice neat little row of green seedlings.

They sure have grown well (the peppers are the box on the right in the above photo with the tomato plants), but, like the tomatoes, while they have a lot of little peppers on them (one plant has a dozen), nothing is getting real big. I took one off over the weekend just to see if it was ready, and it was OK, but I would like to see them get bigger. Especially the orange-gold ones that I haven't tried before.

So, the jury's still out on the effectiveness of the EarthBoxes. The plants are doing very well, but I'm still waiting for the "best yield ever!"

Coming up tomorrow, the wonderful zucchini. We're having a great season with these. But what happens when you're sick of making bread -- I'll share some recipes that my family's enjoying this year.

Ok, I admit it -- I'm a sucker for Salvia! This maintenance-free plant gets me every time. I've always had some variety in my garden and this year is no different.

There are over 900 varieties on record of Salvia, and it's available as both perennial and annual.

Perennial salvia, also known as sage (pictured above), is available in several cultivars, grown for the summer show of violet-purple spikes of bloom on plants that reach 2 to 3 feet tall. The cultivar "May Night" is distinguished by having dark violet-blue flower spikes on a more dwarf plant, reaching about 18 to 24 inches tall. I happen to have three of these and have transplanted them a few times over the years. They always come back bigger and better than before. If it gets too tall, cut it back in midsummer. The plant will come back bushier with more blooms in the fall. It likes full sun to partial shade.

The annual salvias come in different colors such as red, lavendar, coral and even white. It also comes in different sizes and leaf shapes. This hardy plant often reseeds itself. As seen here, it's coming up all over my garden path even though I haven't planted any new annual salvias in over three years.

My favorite annual specimens are the Lady in Red and the Coral Nymph, which is a salmon and white bicolor on compact plants. These uniform heat and drought-tolerant plants reach 2-ft. tall and bloom prolifically.

So if you're looking for something that needs no tending to at all, go for the Salvias, in any variety. You can't go wrong.

Enjoy this photo of my first Sunflower of the season. It just opened yesterday right in the middle of my new cutting garden. Everything's coming up really nicely and will be ready to make some nice arrangements for in the house.

Next up, the veggie garden update -- how's your veggie garden growing? Another look at those Earth Boxes, which are doing very well, by the way. And how about a couple of zucchini recipes, now that we are getting swamped with them?

How are you doing out there? Managing to stay cool despite the HIGH temperatures? I know I am -- by staying indoors, TGFAC -- Thank God for Air Conditioning!!

Needless to say, this past weekend was a total bust for gardening. While I did manage to get outside twice to water, early in the morning before the humidity set in, I did not get anything else done. You know it's bad when you're standing still holding a hose and you can feel sweat running down your back and it's not even 10 a.m. yet!

So, my new pond plants still need to be rinsed of all dirt and repotted with gravel before being placed in their new water home. I did manage to get some of those new Lowe's purchases planted last week before the supreme heat wave, but a few others still remain on the table.

I got up early Saturday with the best intentions, but by 9:15 a.m. decided it would be much better for me to spend 2 1/2 hours at the local theater watching "The Dark Knight." And it was a good choice! By the time I got home around 1 p.m., the thermometer said 96 degrees and that was in the shade. So we sat in the air-conditioned sunroom and enjoyed the pond and the beautiful flowers in 72-degree comfort.

And the same was repeated on Sunday, only the movie was "Mamma Mia." Not such a good choice.

Had the climate been more formidable, I would've told you all about cutting back spent plants and transplanting older hostas to make room for the new ones I bought. Oh well, today begins another week ...

For now, how about a little on Lace Cap Hydrangeas? We were given a lace cap hydrangea last year by a neighbor at our shore home. Since I have eight at home, we decided to plant it there.

Unlike the typical hydrangea that has the common name of "snowball bush," lace cap hydrangeas have a distinctly different bloom. The "lace cap" refers to a flower that has very small bud-like blooms, generally in the center, in combination with larger showy florets on the outside, pictured here.

This shrub can grow three to six feet in height. It is a rounded shrub with many unbranched stems coming from the ground. It is cold hardy to Zone 6, but generally needs protection (i.e. mulch) in our area if you want it to bloom and grow to its full potential. This Hydrangea blooms in late June, July or August, depending upon the cultivar. The relatively flat-topped flowers range in color from white, to pink, to blue.

Most Hydrangeas are natural woodland plants and like some shade. Morning or late afternoon sun is OK, but the flowers can burn if exposed to mid-day sun. If a Hydrangea has been planted in a poor location is usually easy to move; it has a relatively small compact root ball. Hydrangeas will grow in almost any soil, but will do better if the soil retains moisture. They should be watered frequently enough that the soil does not completely dry out. Mine drooped each afternoon during this heat wave, and needed to be watered every evening.

This week, a vegetable garden update (remember those Earth Boxes?), balloon flowers, phlox, coneflowers (pictured at the top) and I hope to get to those Salvias!

As they say, TGIF! And during our latest heat wave, wouldn't you like to trade places with this parrot? I know I would. This tropical marguerita-loving guy is the latest addition to my backyard oasis and just in time for the real heat!
As some of you might remember, awhile back I blogged about the sad death of my beloved rope light Flamingos. They used to stand as party-guards around my pond in the summer.

For those of you who haven’t yet taken the rope light plung, rope lights, unlike regular party lights (i.e. Christmas lights), only have so many hours of use and then they’re done. You can’t just change a bad bulb. And only if it were just one. My experience usually entails a whole section of lights going out at once.

Anyway, after about five years of summer use, and cleverly disguising burned out lights by hiding them behind smaller plants, my Flamingos had too many lights out this year, and I had to say good-bye.

I strung up some different party lights (seen in the photo behind the Flamingos), but it just hasn’t been the same. However, I’m happy to report that thanks to a new shop on the back bay of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, I have a whole new flock of Flamingos!

It’s called Tropical Island Delight, and the good news is that if you’re not planning a vacation to Rehoboth Beach anytime soon, you can visit online at www.tropicalislanddelight.com!

The store specializes in accents and accessories to help make your home or landscape get that "Tropical" vacation feeling. Or, as described on their web site, "Parrotphernalia for Parrotheads! Palm Trees, Lighted Yard Art, Parrot Gifts, Auto Tags, Garden Flags and lot's more. Items in the Tropical Theme."

They also carry a variety of beach towels, doormats, signs, decals, slates and other assorted "Tropical" items (like the boat-bound floating parrot above). So pay them a visit, and get Tricked Out for the Tropics in your oasis. It'll feel even more like a vacation getaway, and won't cost you any gas!

That reminds me, this weekend will be the perfect time to get out my 7-ft. rope light Palm Tree. See you in the Tropics!

As promises, today I'm blogging about the new plants I got on vacation. In Delaware, where my family vacations, THE place to go for plants is off the beaten path just outside Millsboro. East Coast Perennials (sorry, I couldn't find a web address, but you can Google it for directions) has it all. From shrubbery to tropicals if you can't find it there, they'll be happy to order it for you.

So no vacation, for me, is complete without at least one stop there to see what's new. About mid-way thru last week, on a cloudy day, we decided to take a short trip to East Coast Perennials, not with any intention to buy, mind you, just looking.

Well, you know how that goes ... it wasn't long before I found a new type of Hosta that I hadn't seen before. Sheltered under a scrim in the "shade plants" area was the Cherry Berry Hosta.

Hosta Cherry Berry immediately caught my eye because it has red stems (for purple blooms) and bright red seed pods. It is also one of the smaller hostas. It has untraditionally long and thin leaves, yellow trimmed with green. I'm told the yellow will later turn to white in the fall. And unlike other shade-loving hostas, I was told by the helpful staff that Cherry Berry grows best when it is planted in an area that receives some direct sunlight.

I'm still trying to choose the right spot.

The other plant I had to have was a Papyrus for the pond. I had a dwarf papyrus when I first started ponding, with my smaller pond. It is only an annual in our zone (6), so it doesn't survive the winter. Lately around here, I haven't been able to find a nice papyrus for under$16, but they were on sale at East Coast Perennials for the bargain price of $4.50!! And that was for the giant size!

The Papyrus is described as a bog plant (which means it likes mostly still water), so I'll be putting it in a corner of the pond that doesn't get a lot of water flow. An interesting aspect of this plant is that if the top of a stalk falls in the water, a new plant will grow. It is almost as if the roots of these plants are on the top. It's spindly spikes will add a nice contrast to the broad leaves of my Black Taro and Cannas. It's height will add architectural interest to any landscape.

After getting these plants back to our vacation place, I put them on the deck and made sure to keep them well watered. It wasn't until the next morning that I noticed a special little visitor on one of the papyrus' leaves. If you look very closely here, you should be able to see a tiny little lime green praying mantis. I tried many times to get a better shot, but because it's so small and thin, the camera couldn't figure out what I wanted it to focus on ... by the afternoon the praying mantis was gone. Or at least we thought ... when I went to load the plants for the trip home, something caught the corner of my eye. It was the tiny mantis jumping onto the backseat, thoroughly confused by all the commotion.

Not wanting to confuse it anymore by taking it 150 miles away from its home, I ushered it out of the car and into our flowerbed. See you next trip little guy!!

Coming up ... Tropical Island Delights, balloon flowers and the lacecap hydrangea.

OK, I'm back from vacation, and I'm always amazed at how much my garden seems to grow while I'm away.
I spend time every day tending to various aspects of my garden. I'm happy to do it. It's very therapeutic and I enjoy seeing the plants grow and bloom or produce veggies. But sometimes it's like watching paint dry ...
Before I go on vacation, I always trim things up, make sure the last plants are planted, finally finish mulching and water and fertilize everything again.
Although every vacation is a great getaway, there's no place like home, and I look forward to seeing what's been happening in the garden. And I'm never disappointed. Everything seems to have grown a lot this time ... the pond's overcome with water hyacinths and lillypads. (I'm happy to report that the waterfall's just fine.)
My dad's on "pond watch" while I'm away, feeding the fish, and making sure things runs smoothly. So he couldn't help himself and already cleaned the new waterfall filter twice. "You can't believe how much easier it is than the old filter," he told me over the phone. "Dad, the new filter's not supposed to need cleaning for a couple of weeks," I said.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to see how difficult it was and it's not at all!" he gleamed.
The ornamental grass has gotten taller. New spikes are coming out of the top of the ravena grasses. The butterfly bushes are starting to bloom. The hydrangeas are blooming. The annual salvias have returned among the stones in the path. I haven't planted annual salvias in at least three years, but they must re-seed themselves and keep coming back each year. I even have petunias coming up through the bricks in the patio. They must have re-seeded out of the planter pots I had there last year. That's the "cool" thing about a mild winter ... sometimes annuals come back.
And it's time to prune my wave petunias, a chore that I don't look forward too. Everything I read says that it's perfectly fine to cut them back. It promotes more blooms. But that hasn't exactly been my luck over the years. They are definitely getting too leggy now, but I know once I cut them back it'll be weeks before they bloom again. I just can't win with them!
On a brighter note, the first veggies have been harvested out of the garden ... we have a few cherry tomatoes, the first Early Girl tomato, four zucchini and six cucumbers! Yes, I love to have fresh vegetables in the summer. Soon we'll be making our own bruschetta and cucumber salad. I already made some zucchini bread, and we recently dined on zucchini "crab" cakes.
Before leaving on vacation, I declared that my 2008 Planting Season was officially over ... I spoke too soon. I bought a few new plants on vacation, and yesterday I had to stop at Lowe's to get gravel for a new pond plant I bought ... and there by the check out stood racks of plants marked "Clearance." Well, you know, I couldn't pass that by without a look. So I got some elephant ears ($1.99), a lonely lime green hosta ($1.49), lantana ($2.49) and a few more geraniums (all under $1), because, you know, I can't pass up a bargain.
Remember, there's still a lot of good stock out there, just be sure to check the roots before buying. And when planting these late buys, definitely break up the root ball so the roots don't continue growing in the shape of the pot they've been kept in.
So now that I'm back, there's lots to share ... I tell you about the new plants I got at Rehoboth Beach, plus the unexpected visitor on one of them, my lillies, salvias, ferns, hostas, the parrot boat and, best of all, the triumphant return of Flamingos to my nighttime landscape!

Yes, I finally did it ... those of you who have been reading this blog know that I've been psyching myself up to install a new waterfall on my pond for about 2 months now. Well, I can finally say it's complete.

The waterfall ... I feel as if this should be accompanied by music, scary, horror music, something that might suggest --- Stephen King's The Waterfall! It will frighten you beyond belief!

I guess I can say now that it wasn't that bad ... although the wounds are still fresh. I should start from the beginning.

Yesterday started out with lots of promise (heck, any day I don't have to get up and go to work already has a huge "thumbs up" from me), my dad came up early and we prepared to start the waterfall project. (pictured here is the old waterfall, looking pretty pathetic)


First off, we had to get some new 1-inch piping to go from the pump to the waterfall. We started at Lowe's, but they were all out. So we went off to March Lumber in Limerick, where we've bought supplies before. Along the way on Ridge Pike we came across the new Towne & Country store and my dad remembered a friend telling him that they carried at lot of pond equipment. So we decided to stop there. And I'm glad we did.

They have a large pond set up that's worth the trip. They also had an ample supply of pond plants and equipment. They used to have lots of fish too, but fish-buying season is dwindling and so is their supply. If you're in the area, stop by and check it out!

We got our piping (cheaper than Lowe's by the way) and we were off, fooling ourselves by thinking that dismantling the old waterfall would be the "hardest part" of the job.

While dad read the instructions on the new waterfall, I dismantled the old one ... in about 10 minutes. I couldn't wait to get rid of it and the Bioforce filter that was causing me so much trouble (by trouble I mean having to clean it every other day).

After a little digging, we were ready for the new falls. Leveling a project like this is always fun. Lots of yelling, good thing my neighbors on both sides were throwing parties to drown out the sound, and misunderstood signals from both of us kept the tension mounting. To fully understand this, you have to picture me balancing on a small hillside, facing downward with the waterfalls between my legs, and my father leaning over the retaining wall of the patio trying to guide me into the right spot -- without damaging any of the established plants! I can only imagine what the fish were thinking ...

Next, my sister arrived for some help. "We need sand to level this thing right," my father bellowed. So Kathy was off to Ace to get a bag of sand. "That's it, I need a break!" I screamed and stormed off into the house (air-conditioned, thank God).

Kathy returned (too soon) with the sand, and we were back in business. We got the thing leveled and plugged in the pump to see our beautiful "wall of water." Only we got a trickling back-flow that started pumping all the water out of the pond. @#!!%&* that's not supposed to happen!!!!

So we tried tilting the falls forward -- same result. Great! I waited this long and now it didn't work. Let me back this up 2 months ...

When I bought the waterfall kit at a local pond shop, I specifically asked the pond expert if I needed a stronger pump. Mine's 550 gph (gallons per hour) and I wasn't sure if it had enough power for the waterfall. And let me just tell you, at this particular store, getting advice from the pond expert is not easy. He's only there at specific times and whenever I'm there, he's already got people waiting in line to talk to him. It would be easier getting an audience with the Pope!

Anyway, the pond expert assured me that it would be fine. In fact, the store had a 900 gph pump on sale for $76 (about half price) and I could've purchased it that day ... but the pond expert said, "no, that pump's too big for your pond." (True story)

Well, after many more attempts (including lots of yelling) to get the waterfall to work properly, the only thing I could think of was that we needed more pump power. So off to Lowe's we went ... armed with my $10 coupon for purchases over $50 ... and when we got to the pond area, we found another couple who were having similar problems. We talked it out together and both decided to get the max-flow 1000 gph Tetra waterfall pump. And it was only $74.95 regular price -- way to go Lowe's.

By the time we got home we had already decided that if this didn't work, we'd be taking the whole waterfall kit back to the pond store and telling them where they could put it.

We hooked up the pump, that was half the size of the Titan 550 we had (and supposed to be almost twice as powerful), plugged it in and .... the clouds parted, the sun came out, there was a slight rainbow and ... IT WORKED!!

The wall of water poured out into the pond and it was like heaven. We were all smiles, hugging and congratulating each other, and saying our "thank yous" and "we couldn't have done it without yous" and all the yelling was forgiven. We were a family again and sat sipping iced tea and eating Doritos, toasting our new waterfall!

Oh, and the fish seem to like it too. They swim at the waterfall, like its some kind of jet-propelled exerciser.

We spent the sunset and part of the evening marvelling at our achievement. I added some landscaping and finished planting (I mean it) the few things I had saved for when the waterfall was finished and I think it turned out great. This morning I awoke at 5:30 am and came downstairs and looked outside, hoping everything was all right and the waterfall didn't accidentally pump the pond dry -- it didn't. It was bliss.

And did I mention that per the instructions, the waterfall filter should only need cleaning twice a month ... we'll see.

At least now I can go on vacation this week without saddling my dad with cleaning the old filter daily. Catch you later ...

Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Today is the day we Americans celebrate the birth of our great nation (and, yes, despite the economy, you have to admit, it IS a GREAT nation)!

But here at our house, the Fourth of July has a more sentimental value -- today is the day we celebrate the birthday of our beloved Bailey Lee -- a Yankee Doodle Doggie!

Bailey was born on July 4, 2004, and we rescued her eight weeks later. We were still grieving the death of our first Bichon Frise, Buffy, also a rescue, who died suddenly July 22 off acute liver failure (at the age of only 4). I was devastated. My parents bought Bailey for me, hoping that a new pup would be just what I needed to get on with life.

We noticed the constant scratching immediately. Bailey had little scabs all over her body from her razor sharp nails. So we bought baby undershirts for her to wear to prevent any more wounds.

At her first checkup at the vet, she was diagnosed with a severe case of mange. Our vet was appalled that this 8-week-old pup was suffering from a disease that, left untreated, could kill her. Most of the hair on her tail had fallen out after a week, yet this poor little girl was still full of happiness and love.

Because she was so young, a "lyme dip" was prescribed once a week for six weeks. This consisted of mixing the foul-smelling lyme (think sulfur) with a gallon of water and pouring it over the puppy. Then placing the pup in her crate until she dried because the lyme will stain everything it touches (clothes, jewelry, anything metal, etc.). Easier said than done. So the first time we did it, we looked like we were going into the O.R. for surgery (gloves, hair nets, scrubs, etc.). While the actually "dipping" didn't bother her, Bailey did not like being locked in her crate at all and cried the whole time.

After that first time, we would bundle her in a towel and hold her till she dried.

After many weeks, the mange cleared up, but not before the whole family caught it. Yes, although we were told it was not contageous to humans, we all started getting little red bumps under our skin and itched. I had to (bravely) go to the doctor and get a prescription for a cream that wasn't easy to find. Wal-mart had to special order it in the quantity we needed (for 4 adults), and we spent a "stinky" weekend together. You see, once we showered and applied the cream, we were not allowed to shower again for 48 hours! Oh, and I forgot to mention, that our other dogs (our Maltese Oscar and my mom's Maltese Kacie) had to be treated as well because they had been in contact with Bailey. But at least, since they were older, they could take an oral treatment, we didn't have to dip them.

I remember thinking thru all this, what is this dog going to look like ... well not to worry, Bailey turned out just fine -- and, if I can say so, absolutely beautiful! We cherish our girl. She is the the best guard dog. No one gets to close to our house without setting off Bailey's "alarm." And she is also the sweetest little lady. After all we went thru together, I think we needed Bailey (to mend our broken hearts) more than she needed us. I wouldn't trade her for anything.

And I don't think her "little sis" Lexie would either ... So Happy Birthday Bailey, and I hope you have many, many more!!

With the Fourth of July only hours away, gardening season is really "heating" up. Most people see the arrival of this holiday signaling that summer's half over, but for gardeners, after the 4th is with the real magic starts happening!

So with that in mind, I'd like to tell you about my Musa Basjoo ... or Giant Banana Plant! Nothing recreates the feel of a tropical paradise in your backyard like a tropical plant -- pictured here getting some "special" fertilizing from my mom's yorkie/maltese mix Brody.

However, since we live in Zone 6 territory, chances are that a tropical plant won't survive past October. But if you still crave that tropical feeling, there is hope.

The Musa Basjoo is the world's most cold hardy banana tree, and can be grown in all 50 states! It is hardy planted in ground to -3°F and with protective mulching it can survive temperatures reaching down to -20°F.

The plant has long, slender, bright green leaves and features one of the most beautiful flowering stalks of all banana trees. The Musa Basjoo is an ideal landscape plant, adding a tropical splash wherever it appears, even in cold temperate climates. Musa Basjoo also does very well in containers and makes a good interior plant.

In warm weather months it can grow up to 2 feet in a week. It's mature height is 18 feet. It can flower and bear fruits at 10 feet or whenever it has 35 leaves. The bananas are not edible. This handsome broad leaved variety can be grown in almost every state since it can handle temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit if the ground is mulched properly in the very cold months. At 40 degrees it will stop actively growing and at 28 degrees the leaves will die back and the tree can be cut back to a 2'or 3' height.

Gardenweb.com has an entire "banana" forum dedicated to these wonderful plants. Check it out and you'll read about many folks who have tried this plant and are getting humongous results!

I first read about this plant last summer in another newspaper, featuring a man who lived in Manayunk with an 18-foot musa basjoo in his backyard. He said the plant was over 10 years old, dies back to the ground in winter and comes back bigger each summer.

So I decided I'd try it. I Googled it and came up with a small one at Lee's Tropicals in South Carolina with a price tag of $8.99. What the heck, if it didn't survive, I wasn't going to be out much. Another search of the Internet this year produced a nursery called Logee's Tropical Plants (http://www.logees.com/) that currently sells a larger starter plant for $19.95.

It arrived within a few days, and I first planted it in a pot. When the weather was warm enough I transplanted it to the ground and it grew to about two feet in heighth. Over last winter I not only mulched it, I surrounded it with burlap to ensure it would come back. And it did. Hopefully when the weather gets warm enough with hot and humid nights (maybe this weekend) my banana plant will indeed grow up to 2 feet per week. Maybe it will even spawn a few "pups," referring to new sprouts, and I'll get a whole grove of banana plants ... I can always dream.

Last Sunday was the day I was supposed to install the new waterfall. Well, you know how that goes ... life gets in the way when you're busy making plans ... and it didn't get done - again!
There were other pond maintenance tasks to be done first and by the time that was over, I was hot, bothered, semi-wet and didn't feel like getting into the whole waterfall thing. So until next weekend ...
First off, the bottom of the pond was covered with "muck" again. Muck is the term coined to describe the various dirt, plant and fish waste that accumulates on the bottom of a backyard pond. I had successfully vacuumed the bottom of the pond about 2 1/2 weeks ago, and it was definitely time to do it again. Nothing is every an easy fix ... and I guess I'll be vacuuming the pond for the rest of the summer.
The Muck-Vac (www.muckvacdirect.com), however, makes this task is tolerable as possible. It does a great job, I didn't get nearly as soaked this time and even the fish are starting to get used to the plastic stranger in their pondIn order to properly vacuum the bottom, it's best to remove the plants. The bottom of my pond is home to a few waterlillies that are having an excellent blooming season. So I thought I'd take a shot of how the waterlilly plant looks outside its natural habitat. Pretty big huh?
Anyway, it doesn't hurt the plant to remove it temporarily, just don't let it dry out. This is also a great opportunity to trim back the leaves, lest they overtake your pond. The waterlilly pads provide shade, which in turn, lowers the temp in your pond, and is also an excellent place for your fish to hide from any predators (like herrings, for instance). It also provides a place for them to hide from you, so that's why I periodically trim them back. I like to see the fish occasionally, no matter how much they don't like being watched.
Lillypads also help keep algae from overtaking your pond, because they don't let as much sunlight in. If you don't have any waterlillies, you might want to invest. I know I got some of mine at Lowe's for as little as $5. They can winter-over in your pond from year to year and don't require a lot of care.
Another good plant that I use in the pond is the water hyacinth, pictured here. They can be bought at a pond store for as little as 3 for $10. Believe me, ONE is all you'll need. This plant is very invasive, and is actually outlawed in natural ponds in many states. A floating plant that rests on top of the water, if left on its own, will continually reproduce and take over the entire surface of a pond, choking out all plant, as well, as fish life. It does have a beautiful bloom though. A large lavendar bloom composed of many smaller flowers, resembling the bloom of a hyacinth, hence the name. However, the bloom only lasts one day, so enjoy it while you can. Once it blooms, the hyacinth plant can be thrown away, as one bloom is all it gets. Yes, it makes me feel bad to just throw away any plant, but at least every two weeks, I have to toss a bunch of these plants, or the pond would be doomed.
Another great pond plant I love is the Canna. I'm sure you've seen Canna before, they are large tropical and subtropical perennial herbs with a rhizomatous rootstock. The broad, flat, alternate leaves, that are such a feature of this plant, grow out of a stem in a long narrow roll and then unfurl. The leaves are typically solid green but some cultivars have brownish, maroon, or even variegated leaves.
The flowers are typically red, orange, or yellow or any combination of those colours. Although gardeners enjoy these odd flowers, nature really intended them to attract bees and hummingbirds for pollination (Wikipedia also states that they can attract bats, thank goodness I haven't noticed that in my garden).
Canna grow from swollen underground stems, correctly known as rhizomes, which store starch, and this is the main attraction of the plant to agriculture, having the largest starch particles of all plant life. Canna are not zoned for our area, so if you want to keep them as a perennial, they can to be dug up (or in my case removed from the pond) and stored indoors in a cool, dry place (the basement is good) until the following spring.
But check out this bloom ... that makes all the trouble worth it.