Dori DeCamillis

Scott Bennett, my husband, is a daylily hybridizer of micro-celebrity status. His garden is in bloom, and I will post images of his amazing new hybrids and seedlings as he gives me pictures. A hybridizer makes new flowers by running around at 5:30 in the morning with a Q-tip. He beats the bees to the pollen and spreads it around to other plants with obsessive, systematic design. His program is nearly 20 years in the making, and our backyard looks spectacular for a few weeks out of the year. Photo Above: new seedling.

Tony Oursler projects moving video onto objects. His impressive resume His studio His website

Blooms from my garden this week. Poppy above Hydrangea Penstemon Sedum Purple Cone Flower Sedum Spirea Japanese Iris Sedum Salvia Onethera

My daughter, Annabelle, was the winner of the Most Creative Award at the I Love Homewood Day Sidewalk Chalk Festival last weekend.

Rose Campion Valerian Iris Iris Salvia Rose Chives Peony

Collage is a consignment store in my Birmingham neighborhood, and I wanted to pass along this message about one the managers there whose life was turned upside down by the recent tornadoes that came through Alabama. Elane was inside her home in Pleasant Grove with her husband, Doug, as it was ripped to pieces on top of them. Their home and cars were obliterated and her husband, Doug, shielded Elane with his body as the house crushed him. She is okay but he is paralyzed (let's hope that it's only temporary) and he has a fractured sternum, broken ribs, and no movement on one side. Elane came away with bruises; the picture above was taken today of Elane's house/rubble. Elane is in the gray shirt in the center of the picture as they began the clean up phase. and pictured above, Elane is on the far right. The needs are great all around us, but if you feel led to help Elane, Collage is accepting monetary donations for her at the stor