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Venus Flytraps, Carnivorous Plants and More at Meanplants.com	Ground Covers White Nancy Lamium The Lamium 'White Nancy', Lamium maculatum, has beautiful oval, variegated silvery-white leaves with greenish margins. The short spiked white flowers make it a wonderful ground cover. Plant in a well-drained soil and do not allow it to dry out. Use Lamium in hanging baskets, in mixed containers, trailing over walls or as an edger, but spread must be controlled. 'White Nancy' looks great among Hostas, Ferns, Lungworts (Pulmonaria), bulbs and wildflowers. $13.45 More Information!	Ah, the HoneyCrisp Apple Tree. Is there an apple more juicy or sweet then the HoneyCrisp? The HoneyCrisp has gained a true following, especially with children. With it's sweet honey taste and crisp flesh the HoneyCrisp has quickly become one of America's favorite apples. Not only is the HoneyCrisp an absolutely flavorfull apple but the HoneyCrist can last in common storage for 5-6 months (not that your family will let them last that long). The HoneyCrisp apple is an exceptional apple and a hardy apple tree. The Liriope 'Big Blue', Lirope muscari 'Big Blue', also known as Lirope, is a grass-like foliage set with tall spikes of lavender-blue, hyacinth-like blooms in late summer. The Lirope 'Big Blue' is slow spreading and very easy to care for. It is a very versatile ornamental grass that can be used as a groundcover or garden accent or even in a container. Place in location that is well drained. Big Blue adds texture, vibrance and a naturalizing effect to your garden. The Hibiscus 'Plum Crazy', is one of the Fleming's most colorful varieties of Hibiscus. The plum shaded flowers have a 10" bloom with a plant height of 4'. The dark purple, maple-cut leaves make a great contrast. Named by Dave Fleming himself, 'Plum Crazy' took over 20 years to develop and refine the species and one can see why. It is best to plant this Hibiscus in a full sun area and it will tolerate most soil types. Plum Crazy looks wonderful with grasses, as a background plant or with Hibiscus 'Fantasia' and Hibiscus 'Old Yella'. The Hibiscus can been seen in beautiful photographs of Hawaii, but you don't have to live in Hawaii to grow Plum Crazy.

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 A Gardening Joke

GOD: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill
them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental
with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning
any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, sir -- just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so
they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the
spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You'd better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles
and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about ...

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.