Look closely - tree frogs are all over Raleigh

Backyard sighting

"I was working in my driveway garden today and saw a pretty cool sight - a gray tree frog taking a nap on one of my hot peppers!" - Craig LeHoullier, Raleigh

Grow fall vegetables

The Gardeners of Wake County suggest removing suckers from tomato plants now and root them to plant a late fall fruit crop. If tomato, eggplant and pepper plants have already set a good crop of fruit, they may be fertilized with an organic source of nitrogen such as blood meal or cottonseed meal to encourage more growth and fruits. Also, another planting of squash and cucumbers can be made until mid-July to produce a late crop. If you see squash bugs around the squash plants, try this organic tip. Put a shingle (or piece of one) on the ground next to the plant in the afternoon. In the morning, lift the shingle and crush the bugs that have collected beneath it.

Have your soil tested

If you've been wondering what plants are best suited to your yard or why you're having trouble growing those rose blooms you've been longing to see, you may want to have your soil analyzed.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services offers free soil testing to help you identify just what your plants need. Pick up soil sample boxes and sampling instructions at your county Cooperative Extension office or the Agronomic Division office in Raleigh. Then collect soil from several areas throughout your planting area, mix it together and use the mixture to fill the sample box. You'll also need to provide the information requested on the sample form, including the kinds of plants for which you'd like nutrient recommendations. Return the sample to the testing office and expect results back in just over a week, depending on the office's workload. You can find helpful resources online at www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/uyrst.htm

View lovely quilts

More than 250 quilts will be on display Aug. 6-8 at the Asheville Quilt Guild's 28th Annual Show. The three-day event showcases quilts from all over the world and offers live demonstrations, a vendor's mall and more. The show runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 8. The parking fee is $8, and show admission is $5. Visitors to the N.C. Arboretum's quilt event will also be able to explore indoor and outdoor art and sculpture exhibits, including a visual celebration of rural life, an outdoor sculpture exhibit in the gardens and the arboretum's 65 acres of gardens and miles of hiking and biking trails. For more information, call 828-665-2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org.

Made for the shade

On Aug. 8, the Master Gardeners of Durham County will lead you through techniques for growing plants successfully in the shade. Learn how to embrace the shade with ideas and techniques, plants and design choices to enhance your yard. The class is free and will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Doris Duke Center in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham. Registration is required. To learn more about this and other classes in the Gardeners' Extension series, visit 668-5309 or Janice.little@duke.edu

Speed clean your porch

The June issue of Real Simple magazine offers these tips for tidying your porch in a hurry.

Move everything from the porch into the yard: chairs, tables, potted plants and anything else that isn't nailed down.

Drape rugs and mats over a fence or a rail to air them out.

With a bucket of warm, soapy water and a large sponge, wipe down furniture, planted pots and decorative objects.

Using an extendable duster, sweep cobwebs from high corners, overhangs and shutters.

Re-wet the sponge and give wood and metal surfaces (front door, railings, shutters, sills, ironwork and sconces) a once-over. Use a damp microfiber cloth to swipe low windows; follow with a dry cloth. Grab the push broom to sweep leaves, dirt and twigs from the floor. Do the steps last.

Dip a long-handled scrub brush in the bucket and clean the floor. When the floor is dry, replace the furniture, rugs and plants, leaving out anything that shouldn't have been on the porch in the first place.

Now kick back to admire your work.

Beat bedroom clutter

In "Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff," organizer Lori Baird offers these tips for making your bedroom look neater in four easy steps.

1. Empty the wastebasket. Just emptying the wastebasket will reduce that trashy, unkempt atmosphere in your room.

2. Straighten that pile of books or magazines. Don't have time to weed through those unread paperbacks and old magazines on your bedroom floor? Collect them in a neat stack and they'll look a whole lot better.

3. Toss everything into a basket. Have hair doodads, earrings and loose change in a jumble on your dresser or nightstand? Drop them all in a small basket or ceramic dish for now. When your company goes home (or when you have a few extra minutes), you'll be able to sort through your items and store them properly. At least they won't be scattered all over the place.

4. Make the bed. Even if the rest of your room is sparkling, rumpled bed covers make everything else look messy. So pull up the bedspread and fluff the pillows - and you'll notice a real difference in the appearance of your bedroom.