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...

Ten daylilies for ten dollars or less. Each. You didn't think this was one of those crazy ads at the back of a gardening magazine did you? "Grow luscious peaches on your garden deck for only pennies a day!!! But, wait, wait, there's more!" No, it's not that kind of post, but because I felt responsible for leading you into temptation, I'll show you some beauties you can grow and enjoy without endangering your retirement. All prices shown are for double fans as listed in the Eureka Daylily 2008 Reference Guide, the price bible for daylilydom. What is a fan? When you dig a daylily clump and begin to separate it into sections, each section resembles a lady's fan. Daylilies are generally sold as double fans unless you are purchasing a very new cultivar. In no particular order, let's begin. Each is listed by cultivar name, hybridizer and year of...

While her "Red Dirtness" was gone on vacation, we set up a little hacienda in the unmulched areas of her garden. On the left, check out her Lewis & Clark meadow that she planted last fall. She didn't mulch it because she was trying to give the prairie seeds a chance. When she wasn't looking we moved in. Now, we're poised for a complete takover. As to the other areas, we think she ran out of chopped leaves, shredded pine bark and pecan hulls just in time. Don't you? It's getting pretty crowded in here, but we always have room for another Nutsedge, Bermuda grass or other seedlings of the grassy persuasion. We'll also share space with our friend, Bindweed, who we can count on to strangle others while she covers lots of ground. However, if you're one of those fancy-pants, grasses like 'Overdam' here on the right, clear out....

Some of you may have noticed my blog was down last night and today. If you stopped by, you saw three error messages instead of my red dirt road. It was my fault. I was trying something new in my sidebar, and I accidentally inserted code where it shouldn't go. This is a photo of 'Midnight Madness' which is how I felt last night; pretty, but crazy. After I threw a hissy fit, I decided to email my friend who knows a lot more about how blogs work than I ever will. Kathy from Blogging Art and Practice, also known as the Cold Climate Gardener, worked hard today and helped me back online. She also enlisted Linda's assistance from Times to Come. (Thank you too, Linda.) Kathy is my blog coach, which is cool because not only does she help me fix my blog issues, but she also teaches me...