This season

the emphasis in gardening is on ease, convenience and results. New to

the market are ergonomically designed garden tools with interchangeable

handles, self-service liquid compost carts, pre-mixed soil amendments,

and of course, new dependable and disease-resistant plants.

The list of

what's new this spring goes on and on. You can feel that itch calming

down already, can't you? Or, after reading this, maybe it's the other

way around.

Cool blue new

flowers

The experts

are saying just about everything blue is in this year. If you want explosive,

vibrant blue in your garden or container, Ball Horticultural's Simply

Beautiful brand of annuals has introduced new varieties such the hot new

ornamental millet Simply Beautiful Purple Majesty.

Awarded a 2003

Gold Medal from the All American Selections, this 4 to 5 ft. tall plant

has deep dark purple leaves topped by equally dark plumes and commands

attention in mixed containers giving great height as the center plant,

in mass plantings or as a striking backdrop plant for other colorful varieties.

"Bold

is in this season. So to create a dramatic look, mix blue or purple flowers

with contrasting warmer-toned varieties like Simply Beautiful Whisper

Cranberry Red diascia or Simply Beautiful Fiesta Sparkler Cherry double

impatiens," said Simply Beautiful's marketing manager Jeff Gibson.

"And to really look like a designer, outline a container with Silver

Falls dichondra and watch it cascade over the sides."

Other great

"blue" plants are Simply Beautiful Purple Knight alternanthera,

Simply Beautiful Lavender Improved AngelMist angelonia, Simply Beautiful

Deep Purple Luminaire trailing snapdragons and the Simply Beautiful Grape

Improved Designer Geranium. Check out more new plants at www.simplybeautifulgardens.com.

New stars in

the garden

The stellar

2003 assortment form Star Roses includes Cherry Parfait, an easy to grow

AARS winner with creamy white petals that look like they've been dipped

in red cherries. Passionate Kisses is a fresh, salmon color rose bush

that never stops blooming. Its long stems make it perfect for cutting

to enjoy indoors.

If you want

fragrance, choose the new creamy white Romantica Tchaikovsky or the rugged

Raspberry Rugostar, a disease tolerant shrub with large purply pink blossoms

and compact habit, which make it ideal for naturalizing and cottage borders.

To find out more about these and other fine Star Roses, or to find a garden

center near you that carries Star Roses, visit the new redeveloped web

site at www.starroses.com.

Going underground

The trend this

season is definitely gardening underground, or at least being concerned

about the health of the soil. The Compost Tea Industry Association (www.composttea.org)

reports that there is a "definite increase in interest in taking

better care of the soil."

Healthy soil

produces healthy plants, and to build healthy soil, many gardeners are

turning to compost tea, a liquid extract of compost, teeming with powerful

disease-fighting organisms. It works by stimulating the

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