Fall Equinox in the Garden

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It's here - the Fall Equinox ushers in day and night in equal measure.

The breezy, 85-degree day today was the ideal setting for dividing perennials, planting bulbs and cleaning up beds.

FLOWER BED DESIGN
I thought we would be buying a bunch of plants to make the back bed look better next summer.

After reading Roy Diblick's book, I had a plan of attack. Many of the plants we already have were crying out to be moved and, or. divided, so now the bed is filling up with perennials we know will thrive there. I'm using Diblick's design ideas to hopefully have a prettier display next year.

PRE-AND-POST-GARDENING CARE
Vaseline came out with a new set of products called Vaseline® Clinical Therapy™ that work well for after-the-garden hands, legs and arms. They seem to know that we gardeners actually work like farmers and need extra strength skin care.

(Most mornings, I put the lavender scented regular Vaseline in the plastic box on my feet before my socks and then my waterproof gardening shoes. You can't beat their products for basic skin care.)

The company sent samples to garden writers to try. They are nicely scented products that worked well for me. There are free coupons and free sample offers on their website (click on the blue Vaseline) above. Unscented Clinical Therapy products are also available if you prefer, and they work just as well.
At Amazon you can purchase the products or just read all the rave reviews.

LADYBUG PROJECT
The Associated Press article about lady bugs is now posted onto the website of the
Christian Science Monitor . Can you think of a better way to have fun teaching environmental preservation to kids than to take them lady bug hunting?

The Lost Ladybug Project is looking for people to help by photographing and reporting ladybug sightings.

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