Summer arrived right on time. Memorial Day snuck in a little early this year but Spring got the memo and left just in time for white shoes and colorful gardens (but not together!).

With the new season comes the obvious need for gardens filled with vibrant flowers and appropriately placed greenery. To someone like me, this is all overwhelming. I unfortunately can only identify a couple plants – hostas, iris (who are beautiful but have taken over my mini garden between the neighbor’s driveway and mind) and ivy. That leaves a couple hundred million plants that I could have purchased last summer and this year pull it from the ground thinking it is a week. Aargh! I need help! (And, having seen a few other gardens with a fine batch of ’stuff’ growing in it, I don’t think I’m alone.)

So, this week’s TIP TUESDAY question is for all you gardening girlfriends:

What gardening tips do you have? How can we have a nice yard and garden without too much time and frustration?

Last year I bought a few perennials and the women in front of me complimented my flowers. I admitted that they would probably last a season and that I would pull them the following year, thinking they were a weed. They told me their trick was to put a rock by each perennial. It would stay there over the winter and be a great reminder of the plant that should be there.

So, PLEASE what are your tips? Do you pull weeds then treat the ground before adding mulch? DO you have any secrets for a window box that blooms all summer? Help beautify our neighborhoods by sharing your gardening secrets with your girlfriends. (And, we know we can trust our girlfriends!)