Southern Living Garden Shoot.....the Preamble


One of the questions I get asked most frequently is...


"Do you have help?"


And despite willing and well-intentioned friends who kindly offered to


help me get the gardens in shape for the SOUTHERN LIVING shoot this coming week...


the timing just didn't work out...


so, yes. Most of the time I do at least 90% of the...


  clipping and pruning and mulching and mowing and 


 and staging and styling and weeding and 


and designing and planting and placing and


deadheading and fertilizing and staking and


edging and blowing and digging and planting and 


transplanting and dividing and seeding and watering and


fussing and fretting and sweating...


and huffing and puffing and straining until


  (A) my back gives out or 


(B) the heat, humidity and bugs drive me in, or


(C) I throw up my hands in frustration because of said heat, humidity, bugs, and oh yes, SQUIRRELS (seen here gorging on one of my sunflowers today...)


or, as I told my friend Bubba tonight from SOUTHERN LIVING...



 who, eek! will be here tomorrow morning...


when it is as close to perfection as I, and my 90% (and beneficent rain and cool temps from last week)


 can make it. 


The rest, over the next few days of shooting, is up to Mother Nature.


 I hope you enjoy these images...it won't look this good again for quite a while.  


Oh, and I kind of like to take a few pictures too...












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