This is how you tell Leaf & Limb Collection is scheduled for my neighborhood very soon. Everyone has a pile in front on his/her house.

My pile was a little larger than normal because I cut down a large bush that was on the property line between me and my next-door neighbor. Both of us had expressed an interest in seeing it disappear.

I have a large Crape Myrtle beside my garage that has been there for a long while. I'm not sure of the exact variety. But I can say that this Crape Myrtle has transitioned from "shrub" to "tree."

I cut the dead limbs off of it and prune some of the lower branches as needed. This helps to spur new growth and produce flowers.

The new Crape Myrtles have been in the ground for about 6 weeks. The Purple Magic shrub became the first to produce flowers.

Flowers developed on the Purple Magic Crape Myrtle first.

My Pokeweed Paradise in the back yard.

Pokeweeds grow quite fast and produce small flowers which look really nice. They are also toxic to humans, pets, and livestock.