Whether you grow purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) as an ornamental, to harvest for herbal remedies, or to provide food for back yard wildlife, it's definitely a plant worth growing. This drought-tolerant U.S. native plant is a low-maintenance perennial that deserves a place in just about any landscape. A few quick facts about purple coneflowers:

Purple coneflower seeds are a valuable food source for many birds -- it's a great idea to leave your seedheads in the garden over the winter to provide food for birds that live in your area year-round.

• The blossoms can be harvested and made into a tincture that will help increase your immunity to colds.
• The roots can be dried and ground, and you can take ground echinacea root to increase your immunity as well.
• Purple coneflowers will self-sow, but you can also grow them from seed sown indoors or via wintersowing.
• The fancy modern cultivars of Echinacea, while very attractive, tend not to be as hardy as common Echinacea purpurea.

I just love these blossoms on my 'Ireland Creek Annie' bush beans.

For More About Beans:

• Companion Plants for Beans
• How to Harvest Snap Beans

Based on a quick look at my site statistics and what people are searching for, it looks like tomato hornworms are making nuisances of themselves for many of you. There are a few things you can do to control these pests:

1. Look for them daily, and hand pick them. Hornworms are not small-- they average between three and four inches long. This makes them easy to pick, but the hard part is spotting them in the first place. Their color blends in perfectly with tomato foliage. However, if you are noticing that your plants are being chewed, it's worth taking some time to check plants thoroughly.

2. Before you destroy a hornworm, look to see if there are white things all over it. These are parasitic wasp eggs, and when the wasps hatch, they'll take care of your hornworm problem for you. Just leave any infested hornworms where they are.

3. If you have hornworm problems regularly in your garden, try planting borage among your tomato plants. Borage is great for deterring hornworms.

Have hornworms been a problem in your garden this year?

Can you believe it's August already? It seems like just last week we were starting our seeds and watching the weather wondering if it was too early to plant peas or not. Now the garden is in full swing and the kids are going back to school. Crazy.

The good news is that gardening is never really "done." Just because it's August doesn't mean we get to rest on our laurels. No, no -- there's still planting to do if you want your garden to stay productive right up until the first frost (and maybe even beyond.)

In addition to keeping the vegetable garden productive, August usually brings heat and humidity that can cause problems in your garden. From heat stress to powdery mildew and black spot, there's plenty to watch out for during these dog days of summer.

I've found, during the last few years especially, that I actually enjoy this part of summer more than I used to. The satisfaction of harvesting all of the delicious food I planted back in spring, the anticipation of planning my winter vegetable garden, the change in the air, especially once we get into September -- all of it makes me happy I'm a gardener.

What are you planning for your garden this month?