When I asked you, to tell me about your experiences moving a garden, I was flooded with mail. Your letters were funny, warm, poignant, all speaking to the difficulty--physical and emotional--of leaving a garden behind or of moving one with you. Here were some of our favorites. Check back again; I will refresh from time to time with more of your stories.

My husband claims I move all the plants "to keep them nervous." But the last move was to change the perennial garden into two ponds without losing my beloved perennial garden. He was already overworked and excused himself from any part of my new project. So, with a hand shovel, I dug a larger pond, which took a month. Then I moved all the perennials and shrubs back to surround the new pond and make it look established.

My suggestion to anyone is to keep taking photos. We have an album beginning with the backyard overrun with deer which meant no garden. Then the pictures show a progression to deer fencing, gardens, one pond. and now, ponds plus perennials.

Of course hubby has been roped into some additions like making an arched bridge and arbor and vegetable garden fencing. Maybe next year we'll add a waterfall somewhere--of course, that means moving some plants.

--a southeastern gardener

For over four years I lived in a half-plex with so much rock in the ground it was impossible to dig for planting. So I became a container gardener. I used old buckets, old metal cooking pots, terra-cotta chimney pipes and sewer pipes. Sewer pipes are great for herbs. I finally sold that half-plex and moved to a small home on 1/4 acre. I moved every one of those plants in the back of Old Yeller, a 1969 pickup, and it took two trips [to do it]. Looked like a garden moving down the road. I am slowly planting after moving [my plants] around the yard several times to see where they are the happiest. That method seems to work the best. Now the only problem is I have all these planters just begging to be filled, but I am trying to resist the urge.

--gardener

Late-Summer Fixes---With so many cultivars of coleus to choose from--including those that are suited to sun--it's eas yto have color throughout the garden, even in late summer. Unless you've planned ahead, August can mean dog days in the garden as the festive color palette of spring and early summer slowly fades to a dull droopy green. To lift your garden out of the late-summer doldrums, consider some of these saving graces. If you're lucky, you may be able to find them in containers at your garden center. If not—or if the weather or climate won't let you plant—put these on your shopping list for the next growing season.

A steady stream of new cultivars has given this old standby annual a whole new dazzle. The colors are more intense, the color combos more numerous and some—the "sun coleus"—can stand up to full sun. Plus, most of the new ones don't bloom, so you don't have to worry about constant deadheading. Planted in masses, these globs of vibrant color will carry your garden through from spring till frost.

Alternanthera 'Purple Knight'. Stunning, lush, easy, vigorous—all describe this foliage plant that puts on a show of rich, dark-purple foliage from late spring to frost. It's an annual that's very easy to grow and tough enough to handle rough weather and the summers of subtropical climates. The plant can reach 1 1/2 to almost 3 feet high and almost as wide.

Salvia. This is a huge family of annuals and perennials, some of which bloom over long periods, including into fall. All salvias need good drainage and most grow quickly. Many are a favorites of hummingbirds. The Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) has spectacular lavender and white (or all lavender) spikes from late summer to frost. Hardy to Zone 7b, it's grown as an annual in cooler areas. Salvia 'Indigo Spires' bears dark purple flowers on arching stems all summer until frost (hardy to Zone 7b). Autumn sage (S. greggii) is a staple in desert landscaping because of its tolerance to heat and drought. A perennial that's hardy to Zone 7, it blooms over long periods, depending on climate, and is available in purplish-red, red, white, pink and salmon. The fire-engine-red flowers of pineapple sage (S. elegans) start in earnest in late summer (tender perennial in Zone 7). The common scarlet sage (S. splendens), which blooms from spring to frost, also comes in a host of other colors including cream, pink, orange, salmon, purple and bicolors. More on salvia

Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia). A tough, low-maintenance perennial that's hardy to Zone 5, this four-foot silvery-gray-green plant produces foot-long panicles of lavender-blue flowers in late summer and early fall. Opt for cultivars (such as 'Blue Mist' or 'Blue Spire') rather than seed-grown plants.

Scabiosa (Scabiosa columbaria). The pincushion flower—so named because the stamens stand above the petals—blooms from late spring to frost. 'Butterfly Blue' and 'Pink Mist' are favorite renditions. So is the prolific bloomer 'Samantha's Pink'. Perennial, hardy to Zone 4.

Dwarf crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica). The lovely woody shrubs and trees gardeners have come to depend on in August can also provide color close to the ground. The semi-dwarf and dwarf forms can easily be tucked into landscape beds. Some of the smallest: 'Chickasaw' (2 to 3 feet, pink-lavender); 'Centennial' (3 to 5 feet, lavender); 'Victor' (3 to 5 feet, dark red); the Chica series, 'Monink' (3 feet, bright pink) and 'Moned' (3 to 4 feet, rose red); 'Bourbon Street' (2 to 3 feet, watermelon red, weeping form); 'New Orleans' (1-1/2 to 3 feet, lavender, weeping).