This year (for 2009) we put something new in motion: Fran’s Fav’s

Every year I will pick 5 of my favorite STEPABLES® to feature in photographs and articles here on the site, but also in magazines and TV shows throughout the country.

This little idea is very exciting to be because I am asked to speak all over the country and the number one thing people ask me about is which plant is my favorite. Well, they all are!!!

My plants are like children to me. I don’t have a favorite–no way. They all have certain, lovely qualities that bring them to my program. Each one solves a particular problem in the landscape. All of them have different characteristics; different attributes that make them special. So special in fact, they are given the honor of becoming a STEPABLE®.

For those of you that read my blog, you know my daughter Rachel is my garden tour buddy. She has quite a wonderment about flowers and I hope that someday she will decide to get dirty with me out in the garden instead of just saving all of the slugs from total annihilation in my yard.

However, I have not introduced you to my son Mitchell. He has been, and continues to be my all time hero. His heart is bigger than any that I’ve ever known. He will do marvelous things in this world I think. I am not sure what yet, but there is definitely something big for him on the horizon.

Now, for those of you that don’t know me very well, I have one wicked back. Twenty years of manual labor has made me pretty gimpy and I have postponed major back surgery for years..why? Well, simply because I am chicken. Something about my spine turning to metal makes me a little uncomfortable…and again…chicken. I am hopeful that I can continue to strengthen my body, shape up the old bones back to a viable state and conquer the onslaught of old age…but in the meantime I have my boy to rely on.

Mitchman saves my hide day in and day out. I am an incredibly stubborn girl. Anyone who knows me will say I am wildly tenacious at the very least. I continually put myself in places and positions I have no business being part of. Mitchell is always saving me from myself and has actually mastered the art of telling his obstinate mother she is whacked out of her mind and to move over so he can do the heavy work. Quite the undertaking I assure you.

Mitch is a delight to work with and puts in a days work comparable to any employee I have ever had. That young man never shirks a task and it doesn’t matter if it’s the dishes or the garbage, he generally will have a smile and a hug for me at some point during the deed.

For the past 4 years Mitchell has helped me build my booths for our annual trade show. He has done everything from spray painting flooring, happy guys and wheelbarrows to planting STEPABLES® so tight to enable thousands of people to walk on them over a 3 day period. We are usually the first people in the show to set up and the last to leave. It is tremendously grueling work.

So, I thought this year would be really cool to give him the opportunity to see what it was like to get the real scoop on what people actually think about STEPABLES®–rather than just building an amazing display and never hearing the kudos that go along with it.

I have to tell you that was an incredibly cool moment for me. It wasn’t the feeling of passing of the torch off to the next generation or anything like that. It was just a sense of watching my son coming into manhood and being so very proud of whom he has become. Mitchell has such a capacity to learn. We’ve always called him the Renaissance man because he can learn anything. He gets his hands into all kinds of things no one would expect and then masters them completely. From his ability to melt your heart with the way he plays his viola, to the cool vibes he gives off when he is jammin on his guitar, this young man does it all.

What’s fun is that he really gets the marketing aspect of my business. He understands at 15 what most business owners never master in a lifetime. He truly amazes me.

So… it was so much fun watching him react one on one with people. He had never really heard the oou’s and ahhh’s from actual customers. He had never heard the giggles and the statements like “You can’t really walk on these can you!??” He had never seen them as I have, spontaneously strip off their shoes and socks to run through the plants. I just think it was cool that he got to see “the experience” that is STEPABLES®.

I think that he really got something out of the event. I hope he was able to feel that personal satisfaction that comes from making a product that you can be proud of. Manual labor is very satisfying work. I’ve done it my whole life. However, having a great conversation with someone about what you made/created is the real treat in life. You know you’ve built something amazing…but when you hear it from someone else—that it was indeed an excellent effort and a job well done–well then, that just makes it worth the effort. That is what any person really wants to hear at the end of the day I think.

Well Mitch…Great job! Well done. You are undoubtedly the hardest worker I have ever met and your efforts, along with your smile never go unnoticed. You can have a job in my company any day. You’ve certainly earned it!

Okay everyone…go get dirty out there…and try ripping your kids off the video games long enough to share a moment in the dirt with them. You may find you have more in common than you thought!

Fran

www.stepables.com

I have had a fortunate life. I have been hit hard a few times in my life, but I have always been able to brush myself off and get back up. But it is the Best Days that I think keeps a person going in this world. You hang on, knowing at some point, some day, a bright shining moment will happen. I have seen a few of those Best Days come and go. Numero uno was definitely the day my kids were born…hands down. My wedding day ranks number two (my ex husband had something to do with that). We threw one heck of a party. The day I got the keys to my current house would be third. Craig had something to do with that one. Without his belief in me, I would be nowhere. There is nothing so satisfying like knowing you can make it back from anywhere. That is a strength I hope I can carry with me the rest of my life.

Today was one of my Best Days.

I flew to Macomb Michigan (near Detroit) to present a giant check to the winner of our display contest. This year Denewith’s Greenhouses won our Definitive Display contest and our first “Steppy” Award. Their display was inventive, fun, well placed, well merchandised and was a first class act all the way. We deliberated for a long time over all of the entries, but Denewith's by far hit the majority of our point struture and made a display worth being proud of.

I met some amazing people today. People who believed the same way I do; that if we just reach out to others they will reach back. Denewith’s Greenhouse did just that. They understood the message I was trying to send out to my growers, retailers and customers. Step Forward, Give Back. They built the cutest STEPABLES® display. It was awesome; but what was amazing is the entire staff really put their heart and sole into it as their matriarch is a cancer survivor and they wanted their charity to be the Komen Race For the Cure®. Not only did we present the Race For the Cure® with $5,000, but Denewith’s also raised $1,100 on their own to give as well. Wow! They got so inspired they did their own fundraising campaign too! That was so cool.

Tracy Denise was the lady with the mission. What a talent! She and her staff built the display and gave it their own special touches that definitely put them over the top for Best Display.

What an amazing group of people! What an amazing day! It took us a while to set everyone up for the photos. The heat and humidity in those greenhouses would melt anyone and we were all pretty drenched by the time we were done with the presentation, but everyone had smiles the whole time.

Maureen Meldrum was present from the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure®. I loved her!!! She was great! She was a lovely person with an awesome attitude and it was a privilege to meet her. And she is an avid gardener too! A great personality and good taste all in one…can’t beat that!

At some point or another we even had the entire Denewith’s family and staff there. It was a very special moment I will never forget.

Thank you to all the staff at Denewith’s. Thank you to Maureen and the Detroit Race for the Cure®. You have helped me grow my heart bigger today. You given me another Best Day to hold and cherish forever.
Life is good!

Go get dirty everyone!

Fran

www.stepables.com

Most of you don’t know my history, but I have been growing plants for almost twenty years. I love the industry I have chosen. I love horticulture. There is something so amazing about growing plants. The best part for me is propagating plants. There is something so cool about being able to take a stick and make a plant! It’s something you would think only the big man above would have the ability to do.

I’ve often thought of God as a painter (with one heck of a sense of humor), and the flowers and sea creatures were his finger paintings. There are so many way cool colors both on the ground and in the sea. Haven’t you ever noticed the crazy colors and bizarre shapes of fish? I wish I could have a big enough tank for every kind of fish and coral I could find.

But then again…I wish I had that kind of room in my garden too!
Now notice the bizarre shapes and colors of flowers! Dab a bit of blue here, a little yellow there and smear the rest! Then ta-da! A masterpiece on every stem!
Somebody up there sure has a lot of fun splashing colors together!

I think down deep I really wanted to be an artist…I have no talent whatsoever in this regard. I took some drawing classes in college. I was decent, but horticulture came calling and I guess I turned in the charcoal for a pair of pruning shears.
That’s okay…I wanted to train wild animals too…but got bit by a lion and that thwarted that career move too!

Having both a salt water aquarium and a garden allows me to seek refuge in different places. My garden is very quiet and I love taking my coffee out and fiddling around with my plants. It is very calming. I definitely need that in my life.
Working in my tank is very different. I always have my music on very loud, and enjoy putting my mind on idle while I am submersed in water, scrubbing away. It is a different kind of relaxation for me, that’s for sure

I see so many similarities between the two eco systems though. To keep either going at peak performance level takes a delicate balance of dedication, patience, passion and instinct. You really have to know when to worry about something, when not to over-react and when to make a quick decision to prevent a disaster. From over fertilizing the plants to adding too much salt too quickly to the tank, each eco-system needs just the right delicate balance and keen awareness to keep them both at a happy level.

I must admit that my tank suffers at the expense of my garden. Isn’t that sad! Maybe someday I will have the time to be able to keep both killer at the same time, but I am lucky right now if I can keep my tank from being totally green with algae! My garden is mainly a summer garden, so it has my full and undivided attention right now. I am hopeful my tank will come back to bragging status come November or so!! Maybe then I’ll have pictures worthy enough of posting on my blog!

Signing off for now!

Go get dirty everyone!

Fran

www.stepables.com

Planting between stones can be the simplest way to give your pathway or patio that “finished” lived in, been there a while look you desire in your garden.

But how do you exactly calculate the number of plants needed for a path?

On our site www.stepables.com, we have added an entirely new section call the STEPscapes Design Center to help homeowners create their own masterpieces on the ground. One feature to help homeowner’ is the plant calculator. It will help you determine exactly how many plants you need for a complete planting of STEPABLES®.

However, calculating an area that has stones running through it is completely different.

I wish there was a simple way to calculate planting cracks…but there is not.

Every stone is different, every garden path ranges in size and all of our STEPABLE® plants have different growth rates.

The first decision you will need to make is to decide how much to budget for this project and how long do you want to stare at bare ground. It really does come down to that.

Big stones and lots of plants = little to no maintenance and a happy face. However, the same big stones with few plants will be something you will need to maintain, weed and watch with disdain as it slowly fills in. You will either spend time weeding, applying herbicides to keep the weeds down or end up spreading bark/mulch.

Any way you slice it, you will need to do know what you are willing to spend verses how much work you will be willing to do afterward to decide how much to allow for the entire project.

Below are a few time saving/money saving tips that I hope will help in you decision making process.

1. Many STEPABLE® plants can be sliced up to fit smaller spots.

For example: Say a plant is roughly 3″. When cutting it almost in half (leaving a bit together as a hinge), you now have a 6″ piece that is a 1.5″ wide. Depending on the size of your opening, you might be able to simply drop it in at this point.

Next: you just need to calculate the crack line. (No I am not laughing as I am writing this.) To get this estimate, you will need to know what stones you are going to use and how big they are. Slate can be as big as 6 feet long and 3-4 feet wide, while brick may only measure 3”x 8”. You will also need to estimate how many total stones you will be using in the area to complete the project.

I usually tell folks to plant 1-2 plants one each side of every stone-depending of course on the size of the stone. Big slate may be up to three, four or five plants.

So let’s go very simple here: if you are figuring 100 stones, times four plants (one for each side) = 400 plants. Now, if you divide your plants, you will only need 200 and if you quarter them you will only need 100.

Note: By dividing/cutting your plants, you run the risk of shocking them or worse, forgetting to water them. You should consider how good of a gardener you are before doing this. Only do this is you are going to monitor the area all of the time and will keep them well watered so the little chunks don’t dry out. Apply a fungicide as well after planting to help thwart off disease due to stress. Be honest. If you don’t have the time to garden, give the plants a break and plant whole. Don’t run the risk of losing your plants to save a few bucks. It’s just not worth it.

2. Another factor is plant growth speed. STEPABLE® growth rates and spacing have been deliberately set for a calculation of filling in roughly within one year. This is in the free and open range-so in cramped quarters; the plants may alter their growth a bit.

Fast growth rate plants fill in quickly. Yeah!!! You can use less of them to fill in your area!!! However, keep in mind that they are fast growers. You will have more maintenance to deal with over your stones, as they will cover the stones faster than the slow plants. You will need to whack them back more often to keep your stone area attractive and useful.

On the other hand, slow growing plants take more time to fill in. You will need to buy more plants to fill in the same area in the same time frame. However, you will have super low maintenance issues in the long run and a more hassle-free zone.

Tip: If your budget is tight, allow for fewer, but much larger planting pockets in the stone area. This will enable you to still have the look you want, but reduce the need to plant every side of every stone, which will save you money.

3. Stone selection will be extremely important to the success of your plants.

The larger the stone, the more foot traffic the stone will take. The smaller the stone, the more foot traffic the plant will take. The moral of our little story: Choose wisely grasshopper! If you choose poorly, you may end up with an area that is frustrating to walk through, performs poorly, and doesn’t fit your needs.

4. Planting the gaps: How much area do you leave for planting? If you leave a 4” gap between stones, you will be good to go. If it is a preexisting path, then cutting the plant will be necessary.

5. Planting medium: Sometimes you have a choice in this and sometimes you don’t. I recommend a mixture of sand or gravel (which is usually the base for the stones anyway) with any good soil blend that is recommended for your area. You will only need to go 3-4” down, but 6” is usually best. This will allow for great drainage and keep enough moisture for the plants not to dry out.

Tip: If no soil is available and only gravel, try sedums. They are the champions of crummy environments.

So, to recap: Planting your stone area really depends on your budget, the size stones you get, speed of plant growth and the amount of area left for planting after you place your stones. Remember to research your STEPABLE® plants and decide which plant will be take the right amount of foot traffic, the right amount of light to the area and the right amount of water.

Setting stone is one of the best ways to improve your landscape. Planting STEPABLES® correctly between the cracks will create a fabulous “lived in” look to your pathways and patios and give you years of satisfaction.

That’s it! I have to go prune roses.

Now go get dirty!

Fran

www.stepables.com

Well alas; my garden tour day has passed. I was very happy we went when we did, as the forecast called for 75 degrees all weekend and Friday was the only day that was nice. (Sometimes it is very hard to be an Oregonian). However, Friday was insanely sunny and Rach and I had so much fun. We went to breakfast first and then to the plant sale. I found a great deal of funky plants to buy for “testing” and Rach fed the ducks as usual.

Once on the road, Rachel became my copilot and was in charge of the order of our journey. What a crazy day we had. It took us about 4hrs to do the entire tour. We only got lost twice, so I think that we did pretty well. We went to five homes and all were pretty amazing. However, as usual when hanging out with my daughter, the day became pretty twisted in a hurry and a couple of the houses stood out more than the others.

First of all, I must tell you Rachel has quite affection for animals. No…it’s really more like an obsession I think. For example, last weekend while baiting for snails and slugs, she made me save as many snails as possible because she wanted to keep them in her room as pets. Yup…pets.

So, I did what any good parent would have done, I obliged. By the time I was done, she must have has twenty or so collected in her bowl. Eventually she changed her mind and was quite sure she would NOT want them as pets anymore. There were way to gross and slimy!

This is one of hundreds of stories I could tell you of my daughter and her small creatures, so it didn’t surprise me any when I lost her for a little while only to look back and find her trying to catch butterflies in a field.
What was funny was this made the older gentleman who was directly people to the garden very annoyed at us and he insisted she hurry. I tried to explain the snail thing to him so he would understand Rach a bit before snapping at her, but he just shrugged and grumbled.
It worked out well though, that place was my favorite of the bunch. They had a lot of STEPABLES and were thrilled to meet me and show off their garden to us. I was sooo jealous of their garden art.
Every little corner had something super artsy in it. It was inspiring to say the least and made me realize how much more art I need in my own garden.

The next house was cool, but once again I found Rach tracking down animals. To Rachel’s surprise, she learned that not animals like her as much as she likes them. She dropped her head down to look into a birdhouse and WHAM! A bird flew out and rammed her in her chest. I laughed so hard I cried! Rachel was stunned! The bird flew frantically past me and off into a tree. It was definitely not pleased with the amount of people in its garden at all! Poor Rach…she was just couldn’t believe a bird did that to her!

The house did have really nice features besides the birdhouse. In the front yard was the coolest rhododendron I have ever seen. I think we counted 8 different colors mixed together. I have no idea how they did it, but it was a big hit with the crowd.

Our last house was one that took a while to find. On the private gravel road in, we ran into a very peculiar thing. Up in the distance we saw a pony or so we thought…on the side of the road grazing. We pulled up for a closer look and we could not believe our eyes…it was a miniature donkey! He was so cute!
We sat there staring for the longest time…wondering why there was a miniature donkey is such a strange place. Eventually a school bus came behind us and honked for us to move. I moved the car and thought…why weren’t they are kinda freaked out like we were. It’s a mini-donkey…by the side of a road. I mean it’s not your everyday occurrence ya know!

We eventually said our goodbye to our new little friend and moved on to our last stop. We drove up and parked, and I needed to use the restroom. So I gave Rach my camera and headed for the Port-a-Potty. Unbeknownst to me, the stupid thing wasn’t level and started tipping. Oh my! Not funny at all…but it really was. Rach came running and held it up so it wouldn’t tip, but we laughed ourselves silly all the way home over that thing almost falling down the hill with me in it!

We really did have a great day. We even met up with a very nice lady that was gracious enough to take our photo so we could post it for the blog.

I will very much look forward to next year’s tour and more adventures with Rachel. I can only imagine what trouble we might find next year.

I hope all of you will find the time to go on the garden tours in your area. They are always worth the time and energy and you will certainly come back with great ideas for your own garden.
Now go get dirty!

Fran

>www.stepables.com

Okay…today is one of my favorite days of the year! It’s garden tour day!!!!

Every year the A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village  (Children’s Museum) holds their annual plant sale and garden tour here in Salem Oregon. It’s usually on my birthday weekend (which may be the reason it’s my favoriteJ), but this year it is a few days early.

We have been contributing plants to this sale since it started many years ago and I just love the whole experience. The plant sale has incredible, unusual plants to buy…always something very artsy I can’t pass up and I will generally see some old friends there too. 

I just have the best memories from this event. I used to load up my delivery van and drop off the plants for the sale late on the evening before the big weekend. I was then allowed to mosey through all of the “killer” plants and purchase my favs before anyone else could. I would so score!

Many times my kids would come with me. The sale is at the Mission Mill Museum, which has a great pond with lots of geese and ducks for the kids to feed. I always loaded my purse with change to make sure there was enough coinage to outlast my plant scouting.

Four years ago my daughter Rachel decided she wanted to go with me on the garden tour.

I used to go with my friends, but gladly ditched them for a memorable day with my daughter. Anytime!!

Rach is one hec of a person to hang out with. She is so much fun and now that she is 12, I really enjoy the time I get to hang out with just her. We have great conversations. She loves to go on this thing with me. She tells me its because she sees my STEPABLES all over the place and just digs it (I think it’s the getting out of school part she really likesJ). She often will stand proudly over the plants and point them out to me–many times jumping on them to show off! You should see the gardeners cringe!!!! AHGH! Then she says “It’s okay! They’re STEPABLES!! And then she jumps again to prove her point. Then she tells everyone that her mom is the STEPABLES lady and points at me. What a character she is. This whole thing usually leads to great chats with the people meandering through the garden at that moment. It is really nice to hear directly from people about my product. I always appreciate the conversations and really like meeting people one on one to talk about plants.

Rach is pretty cool…and quite witty too. A couple of years ago I woke up on garden tour day to green hair! I was so mortified. I colored my hair the day before and went swimming at my boyfriend’s house and whamo! Make mental note to self: Blonde hair color + chlorine = green hair the next day. Rach put a great spin on it telling everyone I was going green for the day to celebrate the tour. We just laughed ourselves silly for the whole day. It was quite the conversation piece let me tell you!

So here’s my message for the day:

If you are every lucky enough to have your kids WANT to do something with you, always take the opportunity!!!  I am extremely fortunate that my kids and I get along so well. I think I have the best of both worlds. My daughter loves to go on these garden tours with me and she is really good at remembering the plant names-but hates to get dirty. My son Mitch the other hand, who is 15, doesn’t want to go on the tour with us at all, but will gladly help plant whatever I bought at the sale. He can’t remember a plant name to save his life, but he has been there every step of the way to plant my entire garden. He loves the marketing aspects of STEPABLES and is very intuitive in business-he just doesn’t know it yet . Ahhhh…there may be hope for someone to carry on my legacy yet! Life is good. J       
Now go get dirty!

Fran

>www.stepables.com

Will STEPABLES® invade my yard?
Some STEPABLES® are fast growers and are “happy” plants. The “happier” they are, the more they creep. Some people need fast growing plants because their budget is small and they need the plants to fill in fast. “Happy” plants are perfect for this scenario. However, these plants also have a higher maintenance factor due to their speed. This requires a weed eater, mower or edger to keep them in check. If you do not keep them contained…”happy” plants can creep where you may not want them to be.

This is Glechoma ‘Variegata’ and it is VERY happy. I need to cut it way back or I will loose my penstemon and my other smaller perennials. What’s great about STEPABLES® though, is that they root at every leaf node, so I can just pull out what I don’t want and give my plants away to my neighbors. I have lots of folks around me that need a “happy” roaming plant.

How long will STEPABLES® bloom?
Most STEPABLE® plants bloom for about 4-6 weeks. My Veronica Georgia Blue started blooming in February and it’s now May and it’s still going!

Will my kids/family destroy my STEPABLES®?
No, not at all. However, you must pick the right plants for high foot traffic. Sedum hispanicum will not take intense traffic, but Blue Star Creeper can take it morning, noon and night. Now it won’t look as fluffy as the one you planted next to your azaleas. Why? The Blue Star Creeper next to an azalea can grow up to 3-4 inches high. However, when walked on all of the time, that same plant may be only 1/8” to ¼” high.
This picture shows Blue Star Creeper after more than 500 people had walked on it—in only two days. It is perfectly fine…took the traffic like a champ! These plants will adhere to the conditions you give them if planted correctly. This area was first prepped with a blend of amendments and ¼” minus gravel for drainage and stability.

How fast will STEPABLES® spread?
This depends on the plant. Some are fast and some are slow. Our spacing for each plant is for a fill in of one year. Slow plants will need to be spaced more closely together, about 4” apart to be filled in completely in one year’s time. Fast plants can be planted much farther, say 12” apart for a one year fill in rate.

Are STEPABLES® toxic to animals?
In all of my years growing these plants, I have never seen an animal keel over in my nursery from eating plants. However…if you have a little muncher, I would be cautious and pass.
I have had people ask about plant toxicity for dog, cats, finches, rabbits, turtles, horses, deer and pot belly pigs, not to mention children. I very much understand people’s quest to find out this important answer. However, I must say that I will not be the one to do the testing. I simply cannot see putting 150 different plants on the ground to see if, or how much an animal-or child for that matter, needs to ingest in order to become ill. I simply cannot do that in good conscience.

Again…if you have a little muncher…pass. It’s just not worth the risk. However, if you really want to try it out, I would give just few plants a go, just to see if there is much interest. There are many resources to find out which plants are toxic to animals; however they don’t list how much of the plant was ingested to make the animal sick.
If any of you have experience with these any of these scenarios, please pass it along to me. I would love to be able to say what plant would be great for a turtle to eat!

Will my STEPABLES® come back every year?
All of our plants are considered perennials, which mean they come back year after year-provided that they have been planted in the correct zone, taken care of correctly, remained healthy and Mother Nature has smiled on your garden and not reeked havoc from too little/too much water, too cold or too hot or anything else extreme.

If I plant STEPABLES®, can I throw out my lawnmower?
Absolutely…or give it away to some poor soul who hasn’t found the path to freedom using STEPABLES®.

Will planting STEPABLES® save the earth?
It certainly will help quite a bit. Planting STEPABLES® instead of grass means you will not be mowing. This means you will be cutting down on those nasty emissions lawn mowers give off.
Also, by planting STEPABLES® you will be conserving water, since many of these plants need little water once established.
By planting STEPABLES® your need for herbicides will be greatly reduced as they spread and crowd out weeds.
No mowing, no herbicides, low maintenance, low water…I think the earth would be very happy to have a lot more STEPABLES® planted! Don’t you?

Now go get dirty!

Fran

>www.stepables.com

Why do we love gardening?

What is it that draws me to the dirt when my family is inside playing Rockband?
Well, for one thing, as much as I am a massive music lover, I have zero hand-eye coordination. Besides, I can’t sing and have no musical talent whatsoever- so tapping my fingers is as good as it gets for me. Plus I don’t dedicate the non-stop time to learn how to play Iron Man, so my kids mop the floor with me every time I play!

Alas, my passion lies in the garden, not sitting in front of a big inanimate square box. I am the happiest when I am playing in the dirt, surrounded by my plants. I do believe there is no better way to start the morning than with a good cup of coffee in hand, meandering through my garden.

We (the general gardening geeks) are freaks of nature! But that’s okay. If you are one of those freaks…you are amongst friends.

I happen to believe there is no better profession and no better hobby than gardening– except maybe spending the afternoon in my salt water aquarium-which is simply under water gardening!

We garden because we love it. We garden because some of us happen to love a good, honest hard day’s work, which turns into an amazing masterpiece when we are done at the end of the day.

So cheers! Here’s a hearty AMEN to you all who love playing in the dirt, bending over tirelessly until your poor back looks like a question mark, and to those who manage to get dirtier than me! You are my heroes! Keep up the hoeing, shoveling, digging, and amending out there…I will be here in the Great Northwest…wanting and waiting to get out in my garden, but being halted BY THE SNOW IN APRIL!!!!!! AGH!!!!

Rockband…here I come!

Fran

>www.stepables.com

Plants, Plants, Plants… its spring and the garden centers are loaded with all kinds of goodies to entice you. What to buy, what to buy? Where to put this one and where to put that one? What to move so you can buy that one and what to junk so there is room for this one? Sound familiar???

How does anyone ever make these choices?

Selecting a plant for your garden is indeed a big decision. Many plants become just like extended members of our family. You put them in the soil when they are just a little thing and watch them grow year after year. You nurture them, protect them from the cold and give them medicine when they need it.

Is it any wonder why pondering over the purchase of a plant is such a big decision in one’s life? Will is live? Will it die? Did I pick the right plant for that location? How big will it get? Will it grow too much? When will it flower? Will it play nice with the other plants? Will it attract bees? GOSH! How many questions do you need to ask before you pick the right plant for the right spot?!!!

Well, I can honestly say that by asking all of these questions, your newest member of your family will grow into a big, strong strapping mature plant in no time. On our site at www.stepables.com, we created this really cool questionnaire that helps people figure out what they need to ask before they plant, so they can be successful gardeners with STEPABLES®.

www.stepables.com

Here is a sampling of the questions every gardener needs to ask:

• Where are my STEPABLES® going to be placed in the landscape?
  Will it be around roses, beneath a tree, along a sidewalk or over flower bulbs?
  This is very important stuff here folks! Picking the right plant requires you to survey the area and THINK about ALL of the parameters of that spot.
• How much light does the area get?
• Will the area be automatically watered or will you water it by hand?
• How much foot traffic will the area get?
• Will Fido be prancing on the plants??
• Will Billy or Susie use it as their Hop-Scotch area, or will it be solely for the sheer delight of your own bare feet?

The more questions you ask, the better your plants will perform…and this goes for all plants, not just STEPABLES®. Ask and you shall receive! Plants are no different than your loving little pooch–they simply want to please.

All of this seems insane and it really is when you think about it. We love our plants. We worry over them incessantly. We brave the winter cold to cover them with sacks when a cold snap comes and we await their rebirth (looking for any sign of life) every spring like children waiting for Christmas morning. However, when it comes to purchasing plants, it is an instantaneous, love at first sight, impulsive buy. “I don’t know where I am going to put this…but it’s too pretty to pass up and I just love that color!”

So go ahead…buy that super cool, fuzzy pink thing…just remember; It will only grow if it has a happy home that is just right for it. Do your homework, survey your area and you plants will in kind give you years of unconditional love.

Have an awesome weekend and go get dirty!

Until next time,

Fran

>www.stepables.com