llswink @Annie Thornton: FIRST, let me tell you that I grew Deer Grass in my SoCal gardens and LOVED it. It is truly little or no care grass, and the look is stunning too! SECOND, Thank you for the link to the Regional Garden Guides! I have moved to the deep south and now I'm clueless about what to grow in my gardens here. This will be very helpful. :)

mcgilla I keep noticing that most of the articles cover plants that will not survive in the coastal south - where we garden. Thanks for this one!

djbittle Hummingbird magnets!

salex They are indeed hummingbird magnets! I planted some at my previous home, in clay soil, and had to amend it with sand and gravel to provide adequate drainage. In the sandy soil at my current home, it has become naturalized and every spring it pops up somewhere new! I love it... especially with Rocky Mountain penstemon with its intense purple spring flowers.

Benjamin Vogt I've never had to stake my plants (6 years now), and in clay have had no runners or self sowing. It's true that wind can sometimes take them down for you in winter, especially the shorter Baptisia minor.

hammerhugger I have had to stake mine while they are young. Might be difference in soils. In Iowa we have very rich soil. The "Prairie Blues" Baptisia I have that I ordered online came with a stake.

donsgirldiane How much space did you give the bamboo. I am wondering with the depth of the space will this particular bamboo grow to full height and density. What is the minimum depth needed to obtain Height and density? I'm thinking of combining Karr with Robert Young but my space is
9" in depth and about 20' in length. I have a concrete patio and the boo will be between the patio along the fence.

Janelle Bosek Excellent article...we love our bamboo forest but it's currently at the very back of our property. We want to use it as a screen closer to the main house but have heard horror stories about how invasive it is. We're definitely going to use the clumping variety with (probably) a fully enclosed barrier system. But there is NO substitute for the sound of the wind blowing through bamboo...

Jeffrey Elliott love this entry door. Love to get this door for my home.Live in Missouri.

Elizabeth Henderson Perfect for Front door- dual full pain lights if we have room.

mmers I think one of the main things I learned when I started gardening was to plant according to my zone. You might have little micro-climates in your garden where you can push the zone, but generally you're taking a chance with that. Those perennials you buy that are a couple of zones higher than yours can end up being very expensive annuals (I can say that with complete authority.....). And there are some plants that 'should' be ok for my garden but I've never had any success with them - something I learned after 2 or 3 attempts. I also have had to look at how much natural water we have - I live in a semi-arid climate and don't have a pond so those plants that need to be kept constantly moist are just nothing I'd buy. We have rain barrels but nothing is going to stay reliably moist in my garden.

One of the main pleasures for me IS finding out what has come up in the spring and I look at those areas where something didn't make it as a spot where I can try something new. And there's never a shortage of plants to try at the nurseries!

Ameyc2 - do you mean just the plain edge you posted? I love that look and just use an old garden edger to achieve it - it's sort of a half moon shaped thing. I personally am not crazy about any other kind of edging.

thedarlingsbecca I agree with see what is growing well in your town or neighborhood. Notice direction it is facing and in sun, shade or partial. Check with friends and family and trade or beg for plants when they are thinning them out. They will know conditions under which they thrived. Once your plants need dividing, give some to other people. My sis-in-law and daughter and I always transfer parts of favorite plants to one or more of our gardens when one of us moves. A few years later, the original owner receives pieces of her old favorites back and is delighted to add them to those at her current home. Also, don't try to be unique! If it isn't around you, forget it! Pay a little extra to buy from a real nursery/gardening place. Your plants will be far healthier.

hnolker best thing I ever installed! of all the materials we have used over the years from vinyl through tile to oak floors, this is holding up well. our kitchen is on a slab. we didn't want to use engineered wood or vinyl again. having 2 large bernese mountain dogs, we already knew hard wood doesn't hold up. the cork is self healing and very comfortable under foot providing a slight cushion effect. ceramic tiles are hard on your joints and you tend to be stuck with them for a very long time. We also have radiant floor heat (hydronic) and the cork is fine. Dogs spinning wheels left a few indentations that have disappeared.

D B I recently finished installing and "finishing" about 1000 sf of cork glue down. I love it! We are pretty careful with it because it's not indestructible though. I have put felt under all chair legs and our sofa. It makes sliding furniture around super simple and it doesnt leave any marks. We have my mom's old dining table which is really heavy...probably 250 lbs. It's on rubber caster wheels and I left it sit on the floor for a couple days without thinking about the dimples. I was bummed when I moved it that it did indeed leave very noticeable dimples, but after a couple weeks the cork "healed" itself and the dimples are gone. As far as what to seal it with...check out WS2K 2 part water based poly from Loba. It's a German product. It goes on very nicely. I went over the floor between coats with a floor polisher with a sanding screen 180 grit. Be careful not to go too hard because you can blow thru the coloration on the cork. If you do though, I found that Berol art markers work perfectly to touch it up before you recoat. I'm pretty picky and I have learned thru trial and error what works.