William Cowper once wrote the now famous words, "Variety is the spice of life." This couldn't be truer in the garden. Nothing spices up a garden like plants with cc. Use too many and they'll make you dizzy. But placed in the background or strategically planted in the midst of the garden, variegated foliage can bring out the best in all of your plants.

Variegated plants come in a myriad of shapes and shades. From bold to subtle, there's something for every gardener's personal tastes. Nothing steals the show like a variegated tree. It can be the centerpiece to build your entire garden around.

Many variegated plants make excellent hedges. Instead of hiding in the background, they provide a great starting point to planning a garden. Consider variegated English boxwood, silverberry, euonymus, variegated English holly, variegated kohuhu, variegated mock orange, dappled willow or weigela. Many of these plants also look wonderful when planted individually to bring out a corner or become a focal point on a mound or garden island.

If a hedge is not your cup of tea but you still want to hide some of your fence line, a variegated bower vine or variegated potato vine will do an excellent job. For bursts of color and interest throughout your garden, consider variegated varieties of abelias, daylilies, licorice plants, phlox, mock orange, sage, stonecrop, weigela, New Zealand flax and ornamental grasses.

If your garden has shaded areas, don't worry. There are many great selections for areas with less sunlight. Many popular variegated plants prefer shade or partial shade.

No matter what your garden setting is, variegated plants not only look great but also add interest. We have a large selection of plants with unique foliage and variegated colors. Stop by soon and see the beauty of these plants in person. You wont be able to resist them!

Peonies are grown for their large, showy and fragrant flowers that are produced throughout spring. While most peonies also have very attractive foliage that makes them a useful addition to the landscape all season, it's the blooms they produce that make them so prized by home gardeners.

There is a vast array of peony colors and forms to choose from including single, double, semi-double, Japanese and anemone-type blossoms. In addition to the well-known white, pink and magenta flowers, newly available colors include yellow, cream and red. Tree peonies also have a large selection of blooms and a color range that includes every color of the rainbow except blue.

Most bush peonies grow 2 to 3 feet tall, with a 3-to 4-foot spread when mature. Tree peonies grow to about 4 to 5 feet under normal conditions. Peonies are long-lived (up to a hundred years), but slow-growing at first. They can be used in sunny borders or as herbaceous hedges and make excellent cut flowers.

Most peonies need at least six hours of sun per day to produce good blooms, but a little afternoon shade will protect the flowers from fading too quickly in hot areas. They prefer regular watering in well-drained soil amended with a good organic compost.

Although peonies may last forever, spring doesn't! Make sure to stop by soon, so you can enjoy the wonderful color of peonies in your garden his year!

This Week's Question:
Which of these vegetables does NOT have a purple variety?

1. Carrots
2. Cauliflower
3. Peppers
4. Potatoes
5. Zucchini

This Week's Prize:
$10 Gift Certificate

Last Week's Question:
Which of these spices is made from the bark of a tree?

1. allspice
2. caraway
3. cinnamon
4. marjoram
5. nutmeg

Last Week's Prize:
$10 Gift Certificate

Last Week's Winner:
Beverly Naud

Last Week's Answer:
C. cinnamon

One winner per question. Winners must be newsletter subscribers. To pick up your prize, if you are the winner, just bring in some form of ID and tell us you were the winner.

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Step by Step:

• Beat egg in a medium size mixing bowl. Mix egg and onion with mashed potatoes. Add salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a medium size frying pan, over medium heat.
• Scoop the potato mixutre into the frying pan in 4 inch circles, pat with a spatula to flatten the mounds to approximately 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
• Cook until bottom is browned.
• Flip the patty over and brown on the other side.