Oh, The Places I'd Go

Easy-growing flower garden that won't break the bank:

< - Fringed Shasta Daisy 'Aglaia'

They say youth is wasted on the young, but I don't know if that's true. Most of the youngsters I see are having a swingin' time and that's 'cause none of them are fretting about how to pay the mortgage.

< - Lavender 'Purple Bouquet'

What I am pretty sure about is that money is wasted on the rich. There are numerous species on the endangered list in my little town. None are as threatened as one defenseless group.... people who work for a living.

< - Lavender 'Hidcote Pink'

At first I was thrilled that so many millionaires were migrating to this area. Especially because they were bidding like crazy on my crappy house!

< - Echinacea 'White Swan' and 'Magnus' Mix

Then I discovered it was because they planned to tear it down and build what they call 'a nice vacation home.' (That hurt.)

< - Russian Sage

We attended a flower garden class put on by the County Extension Agent. He had this brilliant idea of asking us to go around the room, introduce ourselves and explain what we wanted to learn...

< - Fragrant Daylilies

The first gal announced they'd recently built a second home here and her husband had given her $40,000 to 'spruce up the yard.' You can imagine how quickly the rest of us clammed up after that.

< - Japanese Iris

If you have $40,000 to spend on high altitude landscaping, purchase multiples - seven one gallon containers of each of these flowering perennial varieties... And hire someone like me to do the hard labor. (Someone like me, not actually me. I've got plenty to do in my own yard.)

These beauties are all drought-tolerant, easy growers, ecstatically happy with the alkaline, clay soil conditions that plague us gardeners in Park City, Utah. Most improve clay soil, over time.

Use the remainder of your budget - $39,000 - on the most amazing vacation you could ever dream up. Because, really, in the grand scheme of things, can't you find better ways to spend that dough?

In the words of Dr. Seuss: Oh, the places, I'd go...