The Hosta (also known as Plantain Lily) is one of the most unique, useful, and colorful shade plants used in the landscape today. This deciduous perennial can add a splash of foliar color and bloom where many other plants cannot survive or perform well. Not only do hostas have attractive foliage, but they also send out long upright plumes of flowers in shades of lavender, pink and white every summer.

Native to northeast Asia, hostas have come a long way in foliage varieties in the last 20 years, thanks to a rabid interest among hybridizers to create and introduce new varieties. Today, hostas can be found in a multitude of color variations to please even the most discriminating gardener's palette.

Most hostas are broken down into three distinct color categories that include shades of blue, green and variegated. Some varieties have puckered leaf surfaces that interest to the overall plant, while the variegated forms can be striped with shades of white and gold. There are also varieties that feature a mixture of both blue and green leaf shades on the same leaf.

Hostas range in size from small miniature varieties that grow 1 ft. high and wide to large varieties that can grow almost 3 ft. tall and 5 ft. wide. The flowers generally stand above the foliage another 12-18 inches and last 4-8 weeks, depending on the variety.

Although there are a few varieties that can tolerate full sun, most hostas are happiest in a morning sun-afternoon shade or full shade location. They do best in moist, rich, well-draining soil. They only require to be fed once in spring and summer to keep them healthy.

You can also grow hostas indoors, but they do have an extensive root system, so use a larger pot than you would normally use (a 12" pot for a medium-size hosta should do). Make sure to use a good, well-draining potting soil and give them at least a few hours of good sunlight though a window each day. They don't need a lot of sun, since they are normally grown in partial shade, but they do need some.

When hostas go dormant in winter, they completely disappear. The foliage will take on a melting appearance after the first couple of frosts, and at that time simply tear the foliage off above the soil. Your hosta will go to sleep and then re-appear the following year when the last frosts of spring are done.

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

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Is your garden just a vast assortment of green mounds and rounded shapes? Does the idea of a garden literally bursting with color and foliage sound appealing to you? A number of plants and grasses put on an incredible display of color each season. What makes plants in a fireworks garden different from other flowering plants is that they hold their blooms upright on long stems above the plant.

The best thing about a well planned fireworks garden is that you can "choreograph" your garden to bloom in sequence so that explosions of color burst throughout the garden the entire growing season. Done correctly you should be able to see color from all parts of the garden.

Start with the backdrop of your yard. Could you use some taller shrubs that might add some visual interest along the fence line? Some great selections to consider include the butterfly bush, chaste tree, crape myrtle, lilac, and taller grasses such as heather reed grass and switch grass.

For bursts of color in the middle of your landscape, look for strategic locations to plant shrubs such as goldenrod, Mexican sage, Russian sage, summersweet, sweet broom or mid-size grasses such as fountain grass or maiden grass.

Now add some life to your foreground plantings and borders with perennials such as coneflower, daylilies, dwarf lily of the Nile, geum, penstemon, sea thrift, statice, yarrow and wispy Mexican feather grass. Shaded areas can come alive with plants such as astilbe, coral bells, pee gee hydrangea and lilac.

The pesky little insect has ruined countless hikes, BBQ's and campouts. This vector has literally killed millions of people throughout history, and still affects millions around the world today. As daunting as this sounds, there are steps you can take to co-exist and stay healthy.

What attracts the mosquito? After 30 million years of evolution, the mosquito has perfected its hunting skills. The mosquito uses three sensors to attract its prey:

• Chemical sensors: Mosquitoes sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to 100 feet away. Unfortunately, we give off these gases as part of our normal breathing.
• Visual sensors: Clothing that contrasts with the background enables the mosquito to "zero in" on you.
• Heat sensors: Mosquitoes detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals very easily.

The best thing you can do to control mosquitoes is to use a mosquito repellant with deet and eliminate standing water around your home. A mosquito can lay up to 250 eggs at one time in still water, and they can hatch as fast as 7 days. Check your gutters frequently for collected water (especially if they sag and aren't level), along with birdbaths, buckets or boggy areas of the garden.

Burning citronella candles, using an electronic bug zapper, or spraying surfaces near entertainment areas with a mosquito barrier spray will also help kill, or at least repel, mosquitoes. We also highly recommend using Mosquito Dunks if you have areas of standing water that you can't drain.

Diligence is your best protection. Stay indoors at dawn and dusk hours, wear pants and long-sleeved shirts if possible, avoid any standing water, and repair broken screens.

Although it can be a constant battle, by incorporating the use of insect repellents and breeding prevention (eliminating standing water), mosquitoes and the diseases they carry can be reduced, making the outdoors more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Is your garden getting you down? Sometimes you just need to give your garden a flash of hot colors. A splash of yellow- and orange-flowering plants may be all you need. While yellow-flowering plants capture the sunshine and add brightness, orange-flowering plants add a zest and warmth to the garden. Yellows and oranges blend surprisingly well with the cool colors of purple and blue--but also with the warm shades of red and peach--and can be enjoyed throughout the season.

Plants with orange flowers are not quite as common as some other colors but there are plenty of yellow flowers to go around. You can use taller shrubs or perennials such as canna, leonotis, Marguerite and bush roses to create a backdrop for shorter plants. You can also use a cat's claw vine, 'Madam Galen' trumpet vine or climbing rose to hide a fence.

In front of those plants you can layer in some perennials such as achillea, anthemis, coreopsis, day lily, geum, heliopsis and rudbeckia. Finally, add some low growing spreaders such as calibrachoa, gazania and nemesia. Do you have shaded areas? No problem. You can brighten up any shade garden with plants like Abutilon, Alstroemeria, Hypericum and Bird of Paradise.

Don't just limit your planting to the ground. Many purple flowering plants look great in containers for patios and decks or in hanging baskets. You can even create a blend of annuals, perennials, and ornamental grasses to make any pot, urn, window box or decorative planter look fantastic all season long.

Many yellow- and orange-flowering perennials such as echinacea, gaillardia, helianthus, lantana and salvia are also wonderful at attracting butterflies and birds, particularly hummingbirds. But most of all they will bring some warmth and brightness into the garden. We invite you to visit the nursery and add some hot flash to your garden today!

What is the difference between a selective and non-selective weed killer?

Answer:
A selective weed killer is a product that is typically used to either prevent or control certain types of weeds without harming grasses or the plants that the chemical is applied on or around and must be applied exactly as directed.

A non-selective weed killer is a product that will damage or kill whatever it is applied to. Once a non-selective product has been applied, its damage cannot be reversed.