sometime weeds become nice looking, this is my Cleomi few years back, up from seeds that I never planted

Cleome do self-seed a lot. If people don't mind plucking out the excess, they are lovely. Your whole line of them is exquisite: so "country".

Clint, I'm definitely in the crammer category. Spring drives me a little nuts because some things aren't up yet and I see the bare dirt. I keep wanting to plant something in those spots!

As I age I tend to put down pieces of slate or stone so I have a spot to stand. They blend in well enough and I haven't fallen yet...though that is a fear among many of us.

Anyone grow variegated tall garden phlox 'Nora Leigh? I have had the plant for several years really looked good I would get an occasional solid green stem that I would cut out but not more than one or two in a season. Then last year the whole plant came up solid green there isn't so much as one variegated stem in the plant.

I have one called Shockwave that has only had one variegated stem. If it reverts I'll buy more any way. It has been here for four years, and I love that plant!

Haven't had that problem yet, Holly. Did you cut it off at the base or lift the plant and carve out the stem?

No just cut off at the base, There never was more than one or two solid green stems. It was just such a sudden change one year it was variegated and the next it was green. I was actually trying to remember if I had planted another garden phox in there and it just died and the other one was growing. It was such a complete and sudden change. But I have it growing in a very small bed and I know that there wasn't another phlox put in there.

All my neighbors variegated phlox revert to all green within three years

That sounds about right mine did it last year and that would have been about 3 or 4 years old at the time. I loved the variegated foliage but didn't think the blooms were very noticeable with the foliage. So I wouldn't have called it a fav plant, but it is in a very small bed with trumpet lilies (green foliage) and Purple Emperor sedum. So I had a nice mix the green of the lilies, dark purple stonecrop and the variegated of the phlox. Now the lilies and phlox are both the same green color and I have lost that nice mix of foliage color.

Thanks, Holly. There are some people who lift an entire hosta just to get out a reverting eye so the whole plant won't revert - they are totally devoted and I've never done it. I'll have to check if any phlox reverted. These things do keep us gardeners on our toes.

My variegated phlox did poorly also, but my variegated Heliopolis is really nice every year. I love the contrast it offers amongst the daylilies and other plants.

Clint, I love my hori hori knife to dig up weeds. Almost always gets all the roots.

I'll have to check into that, Susan! I am a slacker when it comes to gardening tools.

I love my hori hori knife so much. Don't know how I weeded without it now.

I use one made by Fiskar which is inexpensive but effective. I call it my stick.

Me, too.

My husband bought my hori hori for me at a benefit for Chadwick Arboretum at Ohio State University, years ago. I think it was before you saw them sold commonly in the USA. Mine has a wood handle and a metal blade, it's a work horse. I look at the orange handle on the Fiskar tools and think it'd be a lot easier to find. I spend some time looking for my hori hori occasionally when I leave it somewhere out of plain sight. I taught the dog to find my ergonomic trowel, maybe it's time for some more nosework so I don't lose my knife. lol

Don't laugh, but my favorite weeding tool is a big long handled slot screwdriver

No laughing here, I use a big screwdriver for plants with taproots as well.