I remember reading in a publication somewhere long ago that the most important color in the garden was green. I remember because, at that moment, the brakes in my mind came to a screeching halt, and I thought: What!?! This was early in my horticulture enthusiasm when I only thought about Bold Color All the Time. Around my three Hybrid Tea roses ('Tiffany,' 'Double Delight' and 'Chryslur Imperial',) I planted hot pink begonias and periwinkles in straight rows like small soldiers on the march. My design capabilities were limited, and green foliage was simply a means to an end; literally the stick with leaves which held up the "perfect" rose. In my defense, this was before I had any shade, and before I learned how great green looks in the garden; how soothing it is; how it helps one's vision move from one part of the garden to the other....

Head on over to my friend, Brit' Girl Sarah's, website and check out the gasoline (or petrol) sign she saw while in Enid, Oklahoma. I laughed so hard I thought I would . . . . Well, you get the idea. It was funny.

While thunder rumbled around us (not too close,) and the skies went from cloudy to clear to cloudy again, HH, ASW and I cleared brush on the 6.5 acres of our property other than garden. Many of our trees have an unfortunate growth habit. Their branches grow downward as if the leaves are trying to touch the soil. Sumac, poison ivy, Virginia creeper, and other weedy brethren grow upward. If left unchecked, it creates a tangled web of thorny vegetation which is snake heaven. Copperheads are common in our part of the state, and we don't like giving them any natural cover close to the house. One vine we encountered had prickly, cactus-like stickers while another resembled a grapevine with wicked reflexed thorns. I'm not a native plant expert, so I can't tell you their names. However, either one will pierce leather gloves if you don't handle them right. Above,...

Serendipity, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is "the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for;" A better definition is unexpected delight. We plan for success. When we want to make the sunny border pop, we choose classic, color combinations like purple and yellow, opposites on the color wheel. A 'Little Rainbow' daylily, and a 'Carefree Sunshine' rose planted in front of purple coneflowers, dwarf zebra grass, and 'Mellow Yellow' spirea is a wonderful combination. Add some trailing lilac verbena, and you've created some serious pizazz. But, then there are moments . . . moments which take your breath away, and you finally understand why the Greeks believed their gods were jealous of men. You pause in the weeding, or mulching, or watering to sit for a moment and just gaze at beauty you never considered. You look up to heaven and murmur a quiet...