Are you planning on putting a stone path in your lawn or garden? If so, you've got a great opportunity for some great garden design. Don't just plunk those stones atop your sod! There are many low-growing perennial plants that are just great between stones in a path, and will add more personality to your garden than mere grass.

To help you select the best ground cover, consider:

• The amount of sunlight reaching your path (full sun, partial shade, full shade), because different plants thrive under different conditions.
• The amount of traffic the plants will need to endure. Light traffic means the plants will be stepped on once or twice a week. Moderate traffic is once a day. And heavy traffic is similar to walking on your lawn several times a day.
• The type of soil (poor or rich) and moisture conditions (wet or dry).
• Appearance: plant height, texture and color. If the path is heavily traveled, or people will be running on it, keep the plant height low, or use a plant that bends easily (you don't want people tripping over the plants).

Improve the growing conditions when you carve out the soil for your new stone path. It's difficult to grow anything in a trampled area. The soil gets so compacted that roots cannot deliver water and nutrients to the plant. Add good drainage as well as a layer of topsoil at least 1 in. deep around the stones so your ground cover can thrive.

Finally, help your new ground cover prosper with a weekly soaking (the plants need to stay moist) and a weekly hand weeding. And if you'd like to keep the plants short between the stones, consider plants that tolerate mowing, such as thyme and ajuga.

By: Tamara Galbraith

Summer's in full swing, and your previously glorious flowers are starting to look a little ragged around the edges.

Many plants will benefit--and even rebloom--after a mid-summer session of "deadheading," that is, removing spent flowers and/or stems to promote new growth.

Here's a quick guide of deadheading techniques for different types of flowers:

Pinch off individual dead flowers on balloonflower, bellflower, daylily, delphinium, foxglove, hibiscus, hollyhock. (Also included: some irises that will rebloom in the fall, depending on the variety.)

Do an overall snip of dead blooms (about 2" below the flower) on blanketflower, columbine, globe thistle, goldenrod, geranium, Jacob's ladder, salvia, coreopsis/tickseed.

Cut off the entire spent flower stem to either a side shoot or to the plant's base on baby's breath, bleeding heart, cardinal flower, catmint, coral bells, foamflower, gaura, Jupiter's beard, lavender, lupine, mullein, painted daisy, pincushion flower, coneflower, Shasta daisy, speedwell, spiderwort, Stoke's aster.

(Listening to The Grateful Dead while deadheading is, of course, optional.)

An arrangement of fresh flowers will brighten a room, bringing the beauty of nature indoors. Picking fresh flowers that you have grown yourself is one of the delights of gardening, but whether you are picking your own flowers or buying cut flowers, you will want to do all you can to get the most from your arrangement.

Picking Flowers

When picking flowers from your garden, do so early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Cool them quickly by placing them in a bucket of water left in a cool place for an hour or so. This is especially important in hot summer weather.

Buying Cut Flowers

If you are buying cut flowers, look for bright, fresh-looking flowers that are just starting to open. Avoid flowers that have been standing in the sun or have been exposed to car exhaust fumes. Flowers with yellowing leaves on the stem or those with slimy stems have been in water for quite some time and are unlikely to be very satisfactory. When you get your flowers home, put them straight into a bucket of water without unwrapping them and leave them in a cool place to revive.

Clean Vases

Make sure your vases are perfectly clean. The stains in vases are usually bacteria that will get to work blocking the water uptake to the flower stems. Stains that are difficult to remove with normal cleaning may be removed by filling the vase with water and adding a few drops of household bleach. Allow the vase to soak for a couple of hours; then rinse well.

Clean Water and Preservatives

Clean water is essential for cut flowers. You can change the water in the vase daily or use a floral preservative. Check the vase often to see if it needs filling. Some flowers with woody stems drink a lot of water, especially in the first two or three days after cutting.

Preparing the Flowers

Daffodils, jonquils and tulips should not be placed with other flowers immediately after cutting because their secretions can block the stems of other flowers, causing their vase-mates to collapse. Place them in a separate vase for an hour or two. Then seal the tips of the stems by dipping them in very hot water before adding them to a mixed arrangement.

If flowers develop a bent neck, they probably have an air lock in the stem and are unable to absorb water properly. Recut the stems under water and place them in cool water for a couple of hours.

Most flowers absorb water best if cuts are made between nodes or joints. This is certainly true of carnations and hydrangeas. Never crush the stems, as the damaged tissue will not absorb water well, and the water will become polluted. Sharp, clean cuts are best.

When creating an arrangement from your garden, remember that foliage goes nicely with flowers--try some ferns or other greenery in your arrangement.

How do I get rid of dog urine spots in my lawn?

Answer:
Hmm...let's see...do you own a dog? (More on that later.)

First, check to see if the damage spots are entirely dead. Pull on some of the damaged grass to see if it comes up completely or if it bends. If it's still pliable, it might recover. If it is dry and cracking like straw, then you might have to reseed that area with a seed patch.

Some studies which have been done indicate that the damage is mostly caused by a nitrogen overdose (think fertilizer burn). So, if you see a/your dog urinating on your lawn the most effective way to prevent urine damage is to water heavily to dilute the urine in the area as soon as possible after the dreaded act.

There are a number of animal repellents on the market, which work with varying degrees of success. Apply to existing spots and the perimeter of the lawn, especially in a front yard setting.

Now back to our first question. If the dog belongs to an inconsiderate neighbor who has ignored your pleas for consideration, we recommend a Super Soaker water gun. Simply aim for the perpetrator's head. Since we don't advocate attacking innocent animals, please consider the owner the perpetrator. If the dog is your own, perhaps you could replace the lawn with bark or concrete. (Ok, we're kidding in all of this paragraph--but we do personally understand the problem.)