Weekend Plantings

To increase the fun of gardening, everyone with a chain-link fence, arbor or trellis should grow a luffa vine.

The luffa (L. aegyptiaca), an annual vine that can grow at least 40 feet long, is native to Asia and Africa and is commercially cultivated in several areas of the Tropics.

This vigorous, yellow-flowered plant, a member of the cucumber family, produces immense gourd-like fruit up to two feet long.

Although its fruit and seeds have medicinal uses, the luffa's fame rests with its utility - following processing - as a sponge for bathing and kitchen sink purposes. Indeed, among its common names are vegetable sponge and dishcloth gourd.

To create luffa sponges, the fruits are dried, peeled and bleached to expose the fibrous, textured interiors that make excellent, mildly abrasive sponges.

Other than keeping sowed seeds moist and encouraging seedlings with occasional irrigation and fertilization, luffa vines require little maintenance.

Seeds can often be found locally or can be ordered from Jung Quality Seeds by calling 800-247-5864 or visiting www.jungseed.com.

Lizard Lore

We tend to lose appreciation for things and creatures we see every day, which is why Steve Isham's book "Anoles: Those Florida Yard Lizards'' is a great read.

Isham, from Orlando, provides marvelous insights into the complicated lives of these tiny green dragons, including their courtship rituals, territorial battles and a multitude of other behaviors.

He explains how our native green anoles are disappearing because of introduced brown anoles and loss of habitat. "Anoles: Those Florida Yard Lizards'' is priced at $18.95 and is available by visiting www.anolebook.com.

Oleander Care

Oleanders, both full-size and dwarf varieties, rank among our finest flowering plants and, in this era of water rationing, manage to thrive without irrigation. But hordes of a pest called oleander caterpillar can defoliate plants in a short time.

Most years, infestations of this hairy, orange caterpillar aren't sufficiently heavy to warrant control. But during bad years, oleanders can be devastated unless gardeners intervene.

Fortunately, spraying with Thuricide kills this pest effectively and poses no risk to gardeners or to the environment in general - except for caterpillars. So apply Thuricide during calm weather to avoid spray drift because the product is toxic to caterpillars of all kinds, including those of desirable butterflies. And remember that all parts of oleander are toxic to humans, pets, and livestock.

Windowsill Succulents

Among the most adaptable succulent plants for windowsill culture are small species of Sedum, which grow in bright or diffused light and require minimal care.

Among the best Sedums for small containers are common stonecrop, golden Sedum, burro's tail and Sedum spathulifolium "Cape Blanco." These plants are creeping, mat-forming species, though burro's tail, with its eventually dangling stems, is excellent for hanging baskets.

Provide Sedums with coarse, well-drained soil that's allowed to dry out between irrigations. Propagation by cuttings is easy year-round.