If you had told me a few years ago that someday I'd be spending as much time on social media as I do now, I would have laughed at you. But many of my readers find it convenient to be able to follow my landscaping observations via social media, so I've given in to technological change. I'm all over social media now. And why not? Heck, people even carve pumpkins in honor of Facebook now (picture).

It started with Twitter. I'm something of a minimalist, so Twitter's spare design attracted me more than Facebook's initially. But I eventually became more comfortable with Facebook and began spending a decent amount of time there.

Google+ and Pinterest came along later. The former strikes me as a bit clunky (and as overkill if you're already on Facebook) but generates author pictures in search engine results, which is a nice personal touch. Meanwhile, Pinterest is a wonderful medium for a subject such as landscaping, which is very visually oriented.

Do you enjoy receiving information via Facebook? Then you may find it helpful to be able to keep track of my activity there. So have a look at my Facebook page. If you like it, Like it (those of you who understand Facebook speak will know I'm not being repetitive in saying that), and please add me as a friend.

_{Photo ©2012 David Beaulieu, Landscaping Guide (licensed to About, Inc.)}

There's a good chance that you disagree with your significant other over this or that, occasionally (for some of you, that might be the understatement of the year!). Sometimes, the bone of contention between you may pertain to landscaping, specifically. Examples of landscaping issues that couples may disagree over include:

• Whether or not to have a big lawn
• How often to mow that lawn, and who will mow it
• What types of shrubs to plant
• How often or how drastically to prune those shrubs
• Whether or not you need a fence
• What style that fence should be
• Whether or not to have a pool
• Who should clean that pool

How about you? Do you have disagreements over landscaping with your significant other? Click the link above to let us know. Feel free to vent: your secret is safe with us (unless you use your real name, of course!).

_{Photo ©2012 David Beaulieu, Landscaping Guide (licensed to About, Inc.)}

Novices may know "aster" as a term that designates a favorite flower valued for the fall color it provides. But it is also the name of a family of flowers -- a huge family!

So don't just think of flowers such as the famous New England aster when you hear the name. As with any large family, the Aster family is diverse, not only in terms of appearance, but also regarding usage. Nor should it be surprising that this family has its share of problem children. But "aster" derives from the Greek, astra, meaning "star"; and this is truly a star-studded family, featuring the likes of such cheerful flowers as black-eyed susans.

Here is just a brief sampling of plants in the Aster family:

• Ageratum
• Yarrow
• Goldenrod
• Tansy
• Joe-Pye weed

Familiarity breeds contempt, and the ubiquitousness of Ageratum renders it contemptible in the eyes of gardening snobs. But there is a reason this short, blue-flowered plant is sold in masses across America: it's a great choice for the blue part of the red-white-blue color combination that Americans use in Memorial Day and Independence Day plantings.

The botanical name for yarrow flowers is Achillea. Are you thinking that this name sounds like it has something to do with Greek mythology? You are correct. It's named after the warrior, Achilles. Yarrow was known to have the medicinal property of being able to staunch blood -- a property of obvious utility to a warrior.

Yarrow was not alone in this regard. Goldenrod shares this medicinal usage with it. Nowadays, it's valued more for the beauty it affords in fall. A downside in growing goldenrod is that it spreads aggressively. But I offer some tips in my article for keeping it in check.

In my article on tansy, I discuss how this medicinal plant, like Achillea, enjoys a mythological connection. But like goldenrod, tansy is an aggressive spreader. And as is the case with many medicinal herbs, tansy is (somewhat counter-intuitively) a poisonous plant. You have to know what you're doing to mess with some of these "medicinal" plants!

Joe-Pye weed is another medicinal plant of the Aster family. Why does it bear this funny name? Joe Pye, was a famous Indian herb doctor of colonial times in Massachusetts. Although a "weed," some gardening connoisseurs (including overseas admirers) find this tall, graceful specimen a useful landscape plant.

Against the grain: What common weeds do you consider beneficial?

_{Photo ©2011 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)}

Do you pick your plants or do they pick you? It's a little of both, really.

Oh sure, you're the one that drives to the garden center, where you "ooh" and "ah" at the specimens that impress you. And you're the one who shells out the money, loads the plants in the car and brings them home for planting.

But if you're a smart gardener, you know it's not really all about you and what you want. Realizing that plants come with different requirements, you undertake the process of plant selection keenly in-tune with what the plants want, too. Because no matter how splendid a plant looks at the garden center, if it's not going to be happy in the spot you've chosen for it in your yard, then you're not going to be happy, either.

Follow the links in my guide to plant selection for information on the requirements of the particular plants that catch your eye. The resources in my Plant Selection article will not only help you pick your plants, they'll also help your plants pick you!

What's Your Favorite Plant?

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_{Photo ©2010 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)}