The alternative title could be "How I Got Poison Ivy from Hell." Our log cabin rests on the east side of a gentle hill. HH originally built it that way to take advantage of the lakeside views from our French doors. It also has something to do with keeping us safe from tornadoes, but that I don't really understand so I asked him. "Tornadoes run from southwest to northeast generally in Oklahoma. By being on the east side of the hill, we are down low, and tornadoes skip over us," he says. Umm, O.K. That's why he's the scientific engineering type, and I'm the writer. We have a simple deck in back and then the large garden. Beyond the garden is the spring fed pond/lake. We own a portion of it as does everyone else bordering it in our neighborhood. You can just see it on the right in the...

We have reached that pinnacle of the gardening season when we need to deadhead many of our perennials and shrubs. The spring and summer flush is over, and we're faced with ugliness at the end of the stem. Wait a minute. You say you don't want to? It's too hot outside? You'd rather sip a cold lemonade while lying on a hammock? Better yet, you'll just drop your pruners and head indoors where it's cool. Before you leave, here are five good reasons to stay. Deadheading promotes new growth and more blooms. It tells your plants that just because it's hot and dry is no reason to stop. See the faded pink blooms on the rose above? Newer flowers are crowding in and trying to bloom on top of the faded ones. That's not pretty. Some roses also form rose hips sapping energy from the bush and telling it to...

A few years ago, I visited my friend, Judy Ann's, garden. It was early evening in late June, and the air was filled with the sound of tree frogs singing a chorus. At the back of the border standing tall in the fading sunlight, I saw my first Reckamp daylily. The color was that of a ripe tangerine or an orange dreamsicle, and although the flower was a simple trumpet shape, it glowed as if lit from within. Mouth open, I pointed, and Judy Ann smiled. "Ah, the Reckamp glow," she said, "Brother Reckamp created daylilies that look like no other." Judy Ann is a daylily hybridizer and an avid collector of Reckamp's work. In her garden, she showed me colors and toothy edges which were not only beautiful, but also before their time. I, soon, became a fan of his flowers, but I was even more intrigued by the...

And home of the Brave. We celebrated with lots of yard work in the a.m. Look for the evidence in the background of the photo. Now, it's time to kick back, eat brats, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and corn salad. Ice cream and a red, white & blue compote for dessert. Fireworks will begin at sundown. Happy Independence Day America, and may God bless us all.