I know we've had this topic in here before, but I thought I'd begin again since this is the season for gardening in this part of the country. What's everyone doing in their gardens these days?

I have a brand new dandelion problem. How do you kill them without killing the annuals?

I'd dig them out Dotsie. That's the safest way.

I got myself some new herbs to add to my herb garden this year. A couple different thymes, french tarragon and Yarrow.

And I planted some Lamb's Ears. I just love those and haven't had any in my yard since we moved here.

I also bought some red impatiens to liven the yard up a bit. I like to do mostly bushes and trees with a splash of red here and there.

I got a new tree this year too. A contorted filbert tree. It's really neat. It's branches are all twisty and turny and it will get edible nuts eventually.

I haven't started the veggies yet.

Two words ... FIRE ANTS.

Any suggestions?

My roses are blooming and our ice plant is blooming, too. I have two beds full of wildflowers that are going crazy. The palo verde is getting ready to bloom, and if you've never seen one in bloom it is a sight to behold! We dig up weeds as we don't like to use pesticides on anything, and fire ants aren't a problem here yet. We do have leaf cutter ants but they're harmless. I read somewhere that sprinkling cornmeal around ant hills will eventually kill them - they carry it into the nest, can't digest it, and die. Whether or not this really works I don't know.

Weeds...this year I am trying the newspaper trick. Put down several layers of newspaper. Weeds can't get thru them. I saw it last year in someone's vegetable garden. It works.

Ants and cornmeal...I think I just read something about that in a tips post here yesterday.

My garden...someone from the city just came yesterday to talk to me. They have a rain garden program here in my town. If you plant an approved rain garden they give you a freeeeee rain barrel and a bit of a break on your water bill. I signed up over the winter and the person came out to check the location and approve it. I can't wait to get started. My rain barrel arrived today! I'm planting astilbe, lobelia cardinalis, some grasses and Queen of the Prairie.

Thus far, a yarrow, herbs, salvia, coreopsis, gallardia, will plant more later, after Easter as we are expecting a near freeze. Wishing for more rain, though, as my rain dance consist of moving the sprinklers every 1/2 hour!

Fire ants, I was told to try corn meal as they will eat it and then explode! May try it and will let ya'll know if successful! Happy gardening!

They have come out with the most beautifl calla lily. Deep purple/black with a fuschia edge. And the leaves are spotted with a purple edge. Check this out:
http://www.terranovanurseries.com/wholesale/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=324

Oh that IS pretty ktri! Thanks for sharing that site, too. I bookmarked it for later.

Oh gosh. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for the info on the fire ants. And let me tell the rest of you to NOT waste your cornmeal. This will NOT kill them. Mrs Madness was so right on the money about the ant hills being like bird poop (they are everywhere). What people don't realize is that if you get one ant hill, there's another one underground a few feet away and they are alive and well. So trying the AWARD/LOGIC is going to be my next move. I can't thank you enough!

It is unbelievable how large some of these ant hills get to be. I saw a "Apartment for Rent" sign outside one of them the other day. OMG...

My concern is my grandbeauty wanting to play in the yard.

And you are right, the best you can hope for is to move them out of YOUR yard and hope the neighbors take care of the problem in theirs as well!

JJ
I feel your pain. As you know I'm on the coast south of you and it's a huge problem here, too. We put poison on mounds and new ones pop up over night. Our property is too big to be able to do what Mrs Madness suggests but I wish we could. I make the mistake of wearing flip flops outside and inevitably step in a mound hidden beneath the grass. I guess if I were you I'd inspect a section of grass really thoroughly and try to keep your little one within that area. Fire ants are truly a curse.