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up in a remote area on the opposite side of the house but nothing bloomed in the big bed. It wasn't until May that I began to notice some green just pushing it's way through the dirt and last year's mulch.

Every morning I walked out to the big flower bed for flower inspection. It was only by seeing a pattern in the clumps of green that I guess whether it was a flower or a weed. There was obviously a large stand of oat grass right in the middle of the bed. Nearby two other clumps of green spikes appeared to be some kind ornamental grass. Poppies showed up and burst into bright orange blooms in the latter part of May.

In the middle of May, I couldn't wait any longer. Even though there was the promise of colorful blooms to come some day, I had to plant something. To boost the color of the bed I decided to repeat the theme of red geraniums and white petunias. I added white alyssum for its sweet smell and yellow coreopsis for an added dash of color.

Excitedly I took the shovel and other garden tools out into the big flower bed to begin working the soil. I began digging and sweating to prepare the ground for dozens of annuals. First I loosened the soil with the spade then worked in additional top soil and compost. Little did I know what lay under part of that big flower bed.

After turning soil for over an hour, I had worked through about 30 square foot of ground moving my way toward the stone pathway that led up to the front door. I aimed the shovel at the next point of entry. The tip of the shovel sank easily. Then I raised my right leg and jammed it with all my weight onto the top of the shovel. Nothing moved! The impact vibrated all the way up my leg to rattle my teeth! Gingerly I poked the shovel around a few inches to left. Clang! Then to the right. Clang! Clang! Was it solid rock?

I took the side of the shovel and started scraping away the mulch. I couldn't believe what I found. It was concrete. A huge piece of concrete was totally covered up by mulch. There was no soil at all!

After I silently cursed at the previous owners for a moment, my mind quickly ran through the possible solutions. Briefly I imagined getting a pick ax and sledge hammer. What about a jack hammer to tear up the concrete? The voice of my husband piped up over the pounding noise of the jackhammer in my head and I eventually surrendered the idea of tearing up the concrete. He wouldn't agree to that much work just for the sake of flowers.

Instead of removing the

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