Garden Siren Call

It turns out: Bleach can be used on flowers in vases, but not in pots (of course!) The flowers on our deck were planted in early May and came from very good stock. Hence, they were pricey as well as pretty from the get-go. Yet I wondered: Why weren't they growing or blossoming more quickly? They had been in pots for about 7 weeks, tended with care. Late one sunny afternoon I decided a light mist of water might help increase the humidity level around the pots. I grabbed the mister, and started in on the plants, which include geraniums, mini-petunias, dahlias, salvia and more. As I returned the mister to storage, I stared in horror at the label on the bottle and then yelled to my husband Steve, "I JUST SPRAYED BLEACH ON THE DECK FLOWERS!!!!!" Ohmigoodness! This could be a terrible! I gathered up the right mister as quickly as I could and raced out to the five pots, misting like crazy. Then I went out to pick up a watering can, filled it with fresh water, a...

Raised garden bed designated for daylilies (and an annual grass, center.) It was several years ago when I designated a raised garden bed for daylilies. Daylilies were one of my favorite perennial flowers, with delicate blooms in a variety of tropical colors, just right for my Caribbean-influenced tastes. The current collection is not just one lonely color. For example, I attended a gardening symposium in Moline and purchased an unusual daylily from a vendor. Called "Wild Horses," it is a creamy yellow hue with a black-and-purple halo. Stunning! It continues to bloom in two spots -- a garden in front of our home, and in the designated daylily bed. This specified area has grown to be most irritating. I think I weed it several times a year, much more often than other parts of the yard. Last fall, for example, I cleaned it out, pulled a bunch of grass, and divided some of the plants. I repeated this about three times in three months after the weather warmed this year. ...