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A.  You definitely want to keep them off the ground to avoid rot and help fend off the critters. Some people prefer to use cages, and a simple, sturdy one to make is with concrete reinforcing wire. Others like to stake them. This means selecting a central stem to tie to a stake, and then removing side shoots and suckers. By staking, you’ll have fewer clusters, but larger tomatoes that ripen faster. By caging, you’ll have more clusters of smaller fruit that ripen later. You can also set a livestock panel at an angle and allow the plants to grow and flop over them.

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Big Red Sage

Big Red Sage is a Texas native that is way underutilized in our landscapes.
Bloom spikes rise 2 to 3 feet above the low mound of foliage, and bear dark
red blooms all summer. The tubular blooms are a magnet for hummingbirds and
butterflies. Give it a partial shade (perhaps morning sun) location and mix
it in among lower growing perennials. But make sure and place a few near the
patio so you can watch the hummers fuss over the attractive blooms.

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• Now that it's lawn mowing season, the best thing to do is to mow more frequently. It doesn't help the lawn to save time by letting it get too high.
• Some people complain that their zoysia looks lumpy - this can caused from infrequent mowing which knocks it over, rather than cutting it cleanly. Also, make sure your blades are sharp.
• To promote a dense lawn, that looks better than any fertilizer can provide: cut with sharp blades for a clean cut; leave clippings on the lawn to return nutrients to the soil, and mow frequently, on the highest setting. In shadier areas, a higher setting will help promote density. At the same time, consider pruning back lower branches on trees to let in more sunlight.

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