I am a big believer in indoor plants; in fact if you talk to most interior decorators will tell you that a live plant in the corner can truly be the finishing touch. Artificial plants, just can't do it. It doesn't matter how expensive or fancy your indoor artificial plant is, it can't compare.

The Artificial plant is however wonderful at one thing- collecting dust. Some great corner indoor plants are Shefflera, Bamboo Palm, and most varieties of Dracaena. Your indoor plants can stay inside for two weeks then they should go on vacation for one week to a shady part under a tree or on to the covered shady patio. Before you bring them back inside you ought to apply my garden rebel bug drench to ensure that you don't bring any hitchhikers into the house.

Garden Rebel Bug Drench:

1. 1 gallon of water
2. 2 tables spoons Murphy's oil soap
3. 1 tablespoon Neem
4. 2 table spoons rubbing alcohol.

Mix it all together, then pour the mixture onto soil surface and let it drain.

Once the plant is dry you can bring it into the house and again they can stay inside for two weeks. By rotating, you'll get more longevity out of all indoor plants. For outside in pots, around the patio or pool area, there are a few great plants that will tolerate the sun:

• Blue Daze
• Purslane
• California Daisey
• Bullbine
• Sedem
• Kalancholee
• Canna Lilly
• Blue Plumbago

Here's a great tonic to shine the leaves of your indoor plants. It is like taking your plants to a resort to get a facial. They will feel better, they'll look younger, and the good news is this tonic doesn't cost as much a resort spa.

Shiny Leaf Tonic (Indoor plants)

1. 1 gallon of water
2. ½ teaspoon of baby shampoo
3. ¼ teaspoon on mayonase
4. ¼ vegetable oil

Wow, the heat is on and I don't go anywhere without my hat, unless I forget it like I did one day last week.

So, today we did a totally drought tolerant landscape in Leesberg. It was a midsize home with extremely large beds and the varieties we used were Viburnum suspensum,Ilex shillings, Texas Star Ligustrum, Yucca, Ornamental grass and Bulbine which was in full flower. The landscape is looking real good and we actually had a shower today. All the grass is cut so less work this weekend!

I took my son out to dinner tonight and we had one of those great bonding evenings. We went to Pisces Rising in Mt Dora and got there just as they were opening. Dcota ordered the grouper and I had the salmon and of course we both loved it. We also had the 239 salad which is worth the trip by itself. No dessert for us but I brought back the famous Orange cake for my daughter and she was surprised.

All of the dogs are doing great and yes all are still very spoiled. Rascal, the Jack Russell spent some time barking at me as I swam this evening which was annoying for me but entertaining for him.

Tonight I will be spending some time writing as I am planning a new lecture on a future cruise this winter.

The Golden is sitting here staring at me and that means that she has to go out so until next time...

This weekend has been a whirlwind and it's nice to finally wind down. We attended a fantastic charity event last night and we made some new friends which is always fun. Today I did the national show and next went to the nursery to catch up on some important work. Later this afternoon I begin research for a new positive book that i want to get out and am planning the first lecture on this motivational construct by sometime this winter.It is a long hard process but something I very much want to do as my last book, Lifting the Mind Fog helped so many people.This book will be more self study like and I am really excited as I think it can make a positive impact. Anyhow, I am planning a swim and perhaps the gym so it really won't be all work today! Yesterday I spent time in the yard, as yes there is still plenty more to do so that can all happen next week sometime., For now my Chinese food awaits....

Today was a great day as I spent time on a commercial project as well as some estimates in the davenport area, where we recently started exploring. Anyhow, it was fun as always to meet the interesting folks that i come in contact with on a daily basis. But on the way back to the nursery, I decided to go by a friends house as I was planning to do a landscape along his fence. On my way there I saw a Mc Donalds and the truck automatically pulled into the establishment. I walked in and boldly ordered an Orange Arctic shake. It was large, the biggest they had. Just imagine a melted cremesickle, with the perfect consistency. It was the ultimate comfort food. What must it be like to have one everyday? All of these thoughts ran through my mind. When I got home I felt so guilty that I got ready for the gym, and talked my wife into going back again for her second time of the day so i could have company. Oh, it was a good workout and my wife even makes sure that I do the routines nice and slow so I can't get away with anything! Afterwards, I came home and did 21 laps in the pool. So hopefully I burned off just a little of that shake, but I'm telling you that shake should win some kind of award!
Tomorrow I am wondering if my truck is going to automatically pull into a Wendy's for a large chocolate Frosty......

Today i did all the trimming of the topiaries which was no easy task but I still love them more than anything. Tomorrow I will be planting my new yellow Poinciana tree which is a true tropical but it is going in the sunken garden so hopefully it will be it's own micro-climate or it might just be wishful thinking. I can let you know what happens next winter. The garden really really looks good now, we have a medium sized pot luck party at my house for my book club. My wife and I love parties and entertaining and we have some amazing friends, we have never has a pot luck when everyone brings a different dish, but when i was a kid we had them all the time and I suggested this and all were very excited. It's coming up early next week. Tomorrow night is another small casual bar-b que at our house with just 2 couples and we expect to do a lot of laughing. My wife I think is going to do cornish game hens, special Indian Lo Mein and lots of veggie side dishes. I can't wait to see my friend Harry who has been friends with so many of the well known political figures of our last 30 plus years. I am always amazed how how many he says really had integrity! He ran campaigns for some of the biggest and always has these funny, dramatic stories.For years he has made these beautiful wooden art pieces for our kids and we are always so impressed with the skill and time he puts into each piece.


On the exercise front, I was supposed to swim and go to the gym. The family went grocery shopping and my daughter and I had big intentions of working out. Well, it rained a little and the pool was cold, then We decided that we were sore and felt we shouldn't overdo it. Basically we just wanted to stay home, play with the dogs and eat bryers ice cream! We had far more fun staying home.

Tomorrow it is cut the grass time, I did a little last night and it was a cool beautiful evening so at least I have a little head start. I expect it will be hot tomorrow so I will definitely do my pool laps tomorrow, unless of course I decide to be lazy again......

Today was a big estimate day I was mostly in Debarry and Orange city and made a lot of new friends. The soil in these areas are very sandy and so dry, many of the lawns are drying up. If this is happening in your yard then please check the sprinklers as they tend to get off track with age, and debris and mower tires and sometimes a car tire!

I went swimming today and did 20 long laps with my daughter, it was great and i have been doing this daily. I also went to the gym, wow i can't believe it. I still haven't cleaned the boat so i can't go boating, i just can't get motivated to clean it. These temperatures are unreal! I am taking lots of water on the jobs.

You should see my yard it is looking real good, not perfect , but it never is and if i ever get it perfect it will only last 5 minutes anyway. The fruit trees all have new growth and i know it is all due to my tonics.

The dogs are all fine and no we are not getting anymore, one more and we could do a reality show as no one would believe it but you know each one is just perfect for our family and you can not believe how they all love each other so much. I always say they are the best free entertainment!

The heat is on! Is your lawn prepared?

We’re having an early summer heat wave right after coming off some of the coldest temperatures in the winter in decades. So this gardening business can sometimes be quite frustrating. The number one thing you can do for your yard is to take the time to tweak your sprinkler system.

I am finding that many of my own customers think that their sprinkler system is perfectly fine, when in fact there are dry areas that die every single year. Many people think that they have certain bad spots in the yard that have been poisoned by construction debris when in fact all they really need to do is add an additional sprinkler.

If you do not do this yourself, I recommend that you can call an experienced sprinkler professional and stress to them that you want 100% coverage. Also, make sure that you ask them to check the inner nozzles of the sprinklers especially in dry areas sometimes changing out a simple nozzle is all that is needed and it a very inexpensive solution.