Go on over to Hank's place to get in on the 5 crazy things to which only a gardening addict would admit extravaganza. Here are my five:

1. To celebrate my birthday (April 29), every year I drive 70 miles to save $5 on hanging baskets -- even though it's usually a month before I can stop bringing them in a night.
2. When it's 90 F (really hot for these parts), I mow the lawn anyway because I need the grass clippings for mulch.
3. Because my soil is too wet, I built a raised rock garden to grow dryland plants.
4. Because my soil is too dry, I dug out a water garden so that I could grow aquatic plants.
5. Whenever I see an object that  will hold more soil than a saucer I think, "What can I grow in that?"

After the kind words Rick wrote about Ellis Hollow over at  The Whispering Crane Institute yesterday, I was moved to blow a little smoke up his shorts, as well. I'll admit that I've only been visiting there for a few weeks. But Rick hooked me.  That's because he does some things well that I think all us garden bloggers should strive to emulate:

• Interesting original content not found anywhere else.
• Content that extends far beyond one particular garden, including many posts of historical interest.  (I wish more bloggers would help sieve through that stuff and glean the best for the rest of us.)
• And most importantly: Consistently interesting graphic content.  (For example, these colorful options for visiting Quito.)

Not treating graphic content as an afterthought is especially important for those of us who come to blogging primarily as writers. Gardening is largely a visual experience.  Reading online is a chore. Looking at pictures is easy. And Rick's pictures carry a lot of thought-provoking content. It's no coincidence that he's a landscape-design professional. So when you can't read any more, head over to the WCI and page through the old posts. (Check out his series, 'An Appreciation of Stone.') You'll find images that make you want to start reading again. Go explore.