♪ we're back now with more of "today" on a friday morning. it's the 28th day of august 2009. and, basically, we have thrown up the white flag of surrender in terms of trying to stay dry out here. you know what? it's too late. it is soaking wet. and by the way, a big round of applause for you folks that stuck with us.

>> they all rock! >> yeah. now it's raining. >> yeah. >> now it's really raining, no question about it. >> we are in a monsoon. that's okay. we've thrown abandonment to the wind. we are basically just enjoying the day. >> that's right. >> here we are. >> the bad news is the weather. the good news is more music coming up from miley cyrus a little later in the show. >> that's right. and also coming up, we are going to be talking about real estate. we're going to talk about how far your money can go in the market these days. prices are ticking up, so, is it time maybe to jump in? we'll be talking to the experts about that. plus, get ready, time for homework. homework help now. i don't know about you, but that's one of the biggest fights i've had with laila is about homework. >> exactly. >> we're going to show you how to keep the peace and go get the homework done. >> did you notice he needs windshield wipers? >> it's furious out here. let's go inside. natalie's got a check of the headlines at the news desk. >> all right, good morning to you all. a parole convict is under arrest today in california where

a kidnapped girl has been found alive after 18 years. jaycee dugard was just 11 when she was abducted outside her lake tahoe home. last night she was reunited with her mother. police say jaycee was held captive in a crude backyard compound by 58-year-old phillip garrido and his wife nancy. jaycee now has two daughters of her own, allegedly fathered by her kidnapper. jaycee's stepfather witnessed the abduction, and earlier on "today," he reacted to her being found. >> total shock. i never expected this. this is an absolute miracle, you know, to get her back and get her back alive, and she's fairly healthy. merchandise wife said she looks almost like she was when she was kidnapped. you know, she's been outside in the rough, like camping for 18 years in this compound. it's unbelievable. >> police say garrido's wife was with him during the kidnapping and she has also been charged. the two are due in court later today. this is the final day of public viewing following the death of senator ted kennedy. on thursday, some 25,000 people

filed past his flag-draped casket at the jfk library and museum in boston. his funeral is tomorrow. there's a greater sense of urgency today for pregnant women and new parents, as swine flu re-emerges. federal health officials say it is vital for those groups to get the swine flu vaccine, which should be available in october. for the first time since they broke out this week, california wildfires are damaging homes. 2,000 people have been evacuated from the rancho palos verdes homes outside of los angeles. a pennsylvania mother whose kidnapping lie triggered a nationwide search is sentenced to prison for 9 to 23 months. bonnie sweeten called police in may to say she and her daughter had been carjacked. then she flew to disney world with the child. sweeten's father attacked news crews outside the courtroom, but he was not charged. and straight to the top. president obama enjoyed a vacation view from the gayhead lighthouse on martha's vineyard on thursday. the first daughters also no

strangers to the spotlight, climbed even higher to admire the rotating beacon. beautiful scene there. it was a nice day to get a sight from there. three minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to matt and ann. >> thanks a lot, natalie. you know, i think you look pretty good, considering that we're sopping wet. >> i don't feel so good, actually. down my neck and all on my back. anyway. >> al, what's going on with this? how long's this going to last? >> it's going to last really until saturday, but one of our viewers actually gave me this rose. i think it was for miley, but i'll accept it in her stead. did you all have a good time? yeah. wow. all right, let's check your weather, see what's happening, and we'll show you the latest on danny. 355 miles south of cape hatteras, 40-mile-per-hour winds, moving north-northwest at 9. track of the storm brings it right up along the coast. stays offshore, but the cone of uncertainty does bring it right near atlantic city, long island, martha's vineyard. got to worry about rip currents from the carolinas all the way

up into new england through tomorrow. and then out west, we've got to worry about those wildfires. northeast winds 15 to 25 miles per hour in the passes in the canyons. they've got red flag warnings and temperatat >> the rain is going to be a major part of the forecast during the day today and tonight. scattered showers an >> and this young -- oh, thank you very much, sweetheart. that's awfully nice of you. look at that. i feel so special. natalie.

>> thank you, al. well, i am the envy of every young girl out there today. she just rocked our plaza a few minutes ago and still has one more song to come, but now i get a chance for a one-on-one sit-down to talk with the teen queen. from acting and writing to designing, it seems there is nothing this 16-year-old can't do, and on monday, her newest album "the time of our lives" will be released exclusively at walmart, where she also has a new clothing line. miley, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> i am so sorry, you are so drenched. you poor thing. >> it's actually okay. it's a nice way to wake up in the morning. >> keeps you going. >> exactly. >> how nice is it for you? do you get nervous? >> it's not really nervous. i get super anxious because you never know how they'll respond especially with newer music. to have the success, that's great, but just some of the new songs like "kicking and screaming" and some of the things no one's heard before. >> it's more of a rocker side. is that more of the miley cyrus

we're going to see? >> first record i kind of kept it within the lines of what i usually do, which is a pop-rock sound. i don't really like using the rock title for it because it's an honor to be put in that title. i feel like the next record that's what i'll be able to do. this is kind of my transition. i wanted to put out "party in the usa" because it's a cool song for everybody. i think i've seen more moms dancing to it than kids. >> i'm always dancing to it. >> the moms are dancing and it's totally cool. the younger kids like it as well. but i feel like it's my way of supporting the clothing line, which it goes perfect for that kind of look. but next record i want to be able to step it up a little bit. but i'm real excited about this one because it's a good transition, introducing myself once again to everyone. >> and you mentioned your clothing line, sold exclusively at walmart. >> yeah. >> and along with the designer, max, you came up with this collection. how involved were you in designing the collection? >> we were really involved, especially at the beginning, because you know, i walked into his office and there was just a

bunch of pictures of me. and i'm like, okay, those are not good. and he's like, well, this is your style. and i'm like, really? i'm like, people want to dress like that -- and he's like, yeah, totally. so, we kind of picked things that i like, and i feel, honestly, there's this one day i remember so well that i walked into a bcb store, and as usual, which i haven't changed that much, i'm still wearing my tennis shoes, but i was in tennis shoes and a plaid shirt and i walked out of there in heels and a dress. and i was like, i feel, like so much better about myself after being introduced to the line. so, that's when i really kind of understood the genius behind max. >> and is that what you want, you want to give back to young women? because the line is so accessible. i think 90% of the collection is under $20, right? >> yeah. it's all super cheap. like, i've been wearing the jeans every day, and it's also, my thing is it's not built for people that are this big around. it's built for people with normal bodies and it's built for people that have beautiful curves. >> yeah, thank god. >> i feel like there's nothing for that and that was really

important to me. i went -- you know, it's for kids and also for adults. i've had more adults be able to rock the line, too. and it's not just for people that look the way that it's supposedly so in. it's for normal bodies, and i love being able to put on a pair of jeans and not lay on my bed or jump up and down. >> having to pull and stretch. >> me and my sister laughed about that one night. you never actually get that. i love comfortable clothes that fit a normal body. >> hard to believe you have to struggle to get into a pair of jeans. >> i do the bed laying. i have music for that. >> yeah. now, you were talking about the transition and this time in your life. i mean, you're 16 going on 17 in december, i believe, and there's, i can imagine, a lot of pressure on a young girl like you. and your character, hannah montana, you're going into your fourth season now. a lot of people still see you in that disney, clean-cut image. >> yeah. >> is it hard for you to kind of outgrow that and go past that? >> yeah, you know, i always want to, you know, be known -- it's not necessarily, i don't think it's like perfect girl, but it's someone that is hopefully, you know, inspiring other people, and that's what i want more than

anything. i'm not here to say i'm perfect, because i'm far from that. as we all are. and i'm here to, you know, my mistakes are kind of a little harder because they are in front of millions of people, but i get to go through that and i get to learn. you know, it's hard sometimes to smile about it because half of the time it does suck having to go through that, but it also makes you want to try harder the next time when i know little girls look at me and say i'm their hero. >> do you like being a role model to them? and do you feel you're judged unfairly sometimes? >> sometimes i -- you know, it's kind of like going into this business, i think you just expect it. >> yeah. >> but it's kind of just like what this industry is, and it is about that. but i feel like, you know, everyone has to make mistakes and i think if a lot of people look back at, you know, them being a kid, they're going to realize that they've done a lot of the same things i have. so, i guess sometimes judgment's unfair, but that's just the way it rolls. that's the way it is. that's the way the cookie crumbles, my friend.

>> it is. miley, you've been so sweet to stay with us for four songs and you're so grounded. >> thank you. >> i know you'll be amazing whatever you do in life. >> thank you so much. >> we look forward to one more song by miley coming up in our next half hour. also ahead, in "today's garden," we'll show you what's involved when it comes to getting your plants ready for fall. but up next on "today's real estate," what can you get for your money and has the market finally hit rock bottom? we're going to check out some houses for sale with barbara corcoran, right after this. - ...to help keep us cool? ( a) ( women vocalizing ) solar-powered ventilation... to help cool you, available on the third-generation prius. it's harmony between man, nature and machine. but kellogg saw an opportunity to plus things up. we took out their peanuts... because adding almonds would be a plus. we'd be better off with less sugar.

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announcer: there's a place called hidden valley. where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. hidden valley ranch, makes vegetables delectable. now rediscover the delectable taste that can only come from hidden valley, the original ranch. this morning on "today's real estate," what your money will buy and where, from the pacific northwest, across the east and down to the lonestar state. we've got some homes to show you this morning that might just be in your price range and give you an idea where the market is right now. our own little miley cyrus of real estate, barbara corcoran is here. good morning, barbara. >> good morning, al. >> you are the superstar of real estate. >> oh, i don't think that's true. >> i think it's true. >> i look hard for good houses just to make you happy. >> thank you very much, and you do. let's get right to it.

this is morero, louisiana, a ranch house with three bedrooms, two baths, priced at $175,000. >> this is a good deal, and it's only 20 minutes from new orleans. if you think it's way out in the boondocks, it's not, and it has some of the best inland fishing in the entire state. if you're not hanging out in the house, you can be out there fishing. don't judge the house so quickly by the outside. inside, it's an entirely elegant house. it's maybe a little bit overfurnished in this way or that, but look at the conditions of the walls, high ceilings, tons of windows, lots of light. >> less is more when you're showing a house some. >> less is more. i would weed out about 20% of the furniture to make it sell better, but it's lovely the way they have it. also it has an open floor plan, high ceilings, that's the master suite. >> nice. >> you can't see it's got lots of closet space there and the window is oversized, so it's always sunny throughout the day. >> okay. you've got a pool and a hot tub in a relatively small backyard. is that a mistake? >> i would say that's jammed in the backyard, but the truth is,

you have a hot climate, and unless you have two or three kids out, you're not going to be using that backyard anyway, so that's a good use of the yard and it reads good on the listing chart, hot tub, pool. you get a lot for your money. >> now to albuquerque, new mexico. four-bedroom, 2 1/2 baths, priced at $235,000. >> what you get in albuquerque, which you won't see looking at that picture, is you get 277 days of sunshine a year. >> ooh. >> what's wrong with that? now, the outside of that house looks pretty plain, but when you actually look inside, it's a huge house with a lot of space, and there's a growing art scene in the albuquerque downtown that's really hopping and it's improving the house values in the area. it's got four big bedrooms, gleaming wood floors, vaulted ceilings, a kitchen with thailand floors, an adjacent dining room. look at the size of that living room. that's a meticulous kitchen you're looking at. there's nothing to be done there. and the master bedroom, if you see in a moment, has actually what you can't see off to the left, a sitting area of its own. it's a beautiful, big house.

>> it works out to $100 a square foot. that's a good deal. >> say that again, $100 a foot. think of what you get elsewhere in the country. that's a great deal. >> let's head up to new england, richmond, vermont. $298,500 and 2 1/2 bedrooms. >> this is tucked in the green mountain foothills. and if you see the overgrown trees, the entire area is that way. this is a hidden cabin for somebody who's antisocial or someone who really wants an escape hatch. this is the house for you. it's got an open floor plan, two wood palette stoves, skylights, cathedral ceilings. that's an extra den. it's got a total of three finished floors, three stories, which i don't think you get from looking at the outside. a walk-in basement, a huge deck out back. that's an extra little sitting room in case you want a little extra sitting room. what's wrong with that? >> what's wrong with that? >> and that's the deck in the backyard. what you can't see is it's totally surrounded by trees, so total privacy. >> it's got a stone foundation. are they more durable? >> they're far more durable. they out-last a brick foundation

probably twice as long. so, people really feel they are investing in a solid house when they buy something like that. >> all right. head on down to texas. >> why not? >> lonestar state. three-bedroom house priced at $337,000 in houston. >> in houston. and i don't think this is the way people picture houston. that's why i picked this house. >> wow. >> this looks like it should be in charming vermont, actually, where the last house was, but it's not. it's in a historic neighborhood where the neighbors really know each other. and look at the size of that house. from the outside, it looks like a quaint house. once you get inside, it's just a downright big house. it's got a living room with the hardwood floors, meticulously, just recently done, huge windows, plantation shutters, which are very expensive to put in, throughout the entire house. it's got the eat-in kitchen, which actually has an eating area close to where we're looking there, marble countertops, new appliances, an oversized master suite upstairs. it's a beautiful house. >> wow, that is gorgeous. >> wow, that's all you have to say? how about, wow, what a beautiful house. >> wow! what a beautiful house. >> much better.

>> barbara corcoran, that was fantastic. thank you so much. have a great weekend. >> thank you, al. >> if you have questions for barbara, head to todayshow.com. coming up next, we get served. tennis greats venus williams and james blake hit the ping pong table with hoda and guest host danny deutsch. who do not refill their prescriptions on time. readyfill at cvs pharmacy automatically refills my prescriptions and reminds me to pick them up. you mean, reminds me to pick them up. [ chuckles ] stop by your local cvs pharmacy to ask if readyfill is right for you, and get a $25 coupon book. readyfill, only at cvs pharmacy. crunch time, wheat thins. you and your tasty whole grain.

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26 years since his debut as bo brady on "days of our lives," actor peter reckle has received a long-overdue emmy nomination. congratulations, peter. took 26 years to get there, right? >> yeah, it's been a while. >> so, where was that moment? where were you when you found out? >> it was kind of strange, because over the years, i've gotten used to, you know, you submit something to the emmys and go to the emmys and enjoy everybody else getting the awards. my daughter was about 1 1/2 years old at the time the announcements came out and i was one morning just sitting there, feeding her oatmeal and we were having a great time laughing, oatmeal all over the place, i

get a call from one of the producers of the show. he says, "hey, congratulations!" and i'm like, okay, what for? and he said, you were nominated for an emmy. i said -- >> wow. >> so, at that moment then, besides that shock, what went through you, because after 26 years of working, to have this nomination, it's got to mean something deep? >> it was. i mean, the surprise and that i'm sitting there looking at my baby and she's looking at me laughing because we've got oatmeal on ourselves, and it was kind of -- >> surreal. >> actually, it was, because my perspective in my life has changed in the last couple years since my baby was born, and the emmys was just, i don't know -- >> icing on the cake? >> kind of crazy. yeah, exactly. >> good luck. >> good luck this sunday. >> i think you should prepare an acceptance speech, just in case. >> get ready. "days of our lives" airs weekdays here on nbc. >> much more ahead, including miley cyrus. ( upbeat music playing )

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>> some local leaders are helping save taxpayers $1.1 million. the governor o'malley protected the state for 10 days worth of his salary. lt. governor anthony brown did the same. michael busch and mike miller are doing the same and encouraging other lawmakers to do the same. members of the general assembly cannot be furloughed, by law. is it still wet out there, john? >> this is a tropical air mass in the region. the first batch of rain is pulling out, but more is on the way. there's cloud cover around the region. drier air to the west.

with the front in the neighborhood all afternoon and evening, chances are high. mostly cloudy skies. temperatures will be down. 78 degrees up to 83 this afternoon with a good chance of thunderstorms and showers. rain chances diminished on sunday. on monday through thursday, a lot less humidity and a lot of sunshine. from the 70's to near 80 on monday. >> another update

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guess what happened at school today! >> what? >> i was picked by all the kids on show to be on a television show! >> on a television show? >> the little est brady bunch ia serious television show. her name is susan olson, and the woman who played the little girl is writing a book about her experience. there she is a little bit more older there. >> a variety show she did. >> anyway, "the brady bunch"

series. she'll be telling us all about that monday here on "today". i always found her so adorable, pigtails and all. anyway, we actually have some work to do. >> that's right. actually, it's homework. >> the parents really have the work to do. >> that's right, we all have work, as any parent can tell you. it can be hard to get your kid to sit down, crack open the books. plus, then maybe you're arguing with the kids. michele borba has advice on how to approach this stressful situation. >> definitely not argue with the kids. >> yes. plus, school is starting and fall is around the corner. we'll tell you how to get your garden going with t. allen smith, the master of the garden is here. >> boy. >> get your daisies. >> peppers. >> smelling them. do they actually smell? can you see the roma? is there an aroma? >> eat them. >> you can eat them. >> okay. >> and of course, one more song from teen queen miley cyrus. her fans filled the plaza this morning, unbelievable crowd, i think the biggest ever. >> yeah. >> great live show. first, we've got amy robach here

with a look at what's coming up on "weekend today." hi, amy. >> hi, everybody. we have complete coverage of memorials under way to honor the life of senator ted kennedy this weekend, including the church service featuring a eulogy by president obama. we're also looking back at senator kennedy's life and legacy and looking ahead to who might fill his critical senate seat, and what happens now to the health care legislation that kennedy hoped would be his crowning achievement? we will have all of that and more coming up this weekend on "today." >> it's going to be a big weekend. >> it is, yeah. >> boy, this weather is some seriousness. what's going to happen there? >> of course, we're looking at tropical storm danny, which is a little on the shaky side right now, but it's going to make its way up the coast, causing a lot of heavy rain, especially in new england on saturday. rip currents from the mid-atlantic states all the way into new england. showers in the pacific northwest. sizzling in the western two-thirds of the country. then sunday, sunday! we're looking at more rip currents in northern new england, mild in the west, sizzling in the southwest. warm inn

>> and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. coming up next, helping your kids over that homework hump as they head back to school. the secrets to success. the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine,

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school" is brought to you by totino's pizza rolls brand pizza snack. >> this morning on "back to school today," homework 101. a survey found almost half of the parents of school-age students have loud and often tearful arguments about homework, but putting the pencils to paper each night shouldn't be such a task. here's parenting expert michele borba. >> hello there. >> the one controversy we talk about is do we even need homework, is it necessary? >> well, yes in that it really helps those great old home fun virtue traits like stick too ittiveness. more is not necessarily better. >> now, that's a big argument. we have, our friends have, it seems like there's so much more homework than when we were kids. >> you're right on the mark and research says it, but duke university actually looked at 60 different studies and found it's the ten-minute rule is really optimum success for learning.

it's ten minutes per age of the grade of the child. so, it's ten minutes in first grade, it's 50 minutes in fifth grade. >> fifth grade. >> and you keep moving your way up. >> okay. so, let's get to some of the advice. first of all, parents should be guiders, not doers. >> wean yourself away. the goal is independence, so your child finally does it on their own. never do for your child what your child can do for themselves. >> but if you see your child making a mistake in math or something like that, should you jump? >> what you should do it try to get them to think something through. i notice there is an error here. what do you think is the problem? you want to get it to your child so you're not, let me erase it and start it over for you. >> and know your teacher's expectations. >> day one. it's usually in the bottom of your kid's backpack, but get to that open house. you want to know how often is the homework, is there a routine, how much are you expecting my child to be able to do and what's my role as the parent. and then spread that little tidbit down to your child so you're on the same page

together. >> i think where we all fall down, whether you're an adult or student, organization. >> yeah, and that is where the whole thing called homework can really help out because you can guide. if you're going to do one thing for your child -- i love white boards because you can reuse them for the rest of the year, but sit down with your child in the beginning of the year and figure out, what's the routine? is there spelling always on one day and math on another day? then first thing each night, what's the one or two or three tasks you have, then you can mark them off. and it's your child doing this, al. >> okay, i know. i'm a big believer in that. what is usually one of the reasons that parents end up having these battles? >> the biggest reason is, other than the fact that the kid doesn't like it, and no kid does, and that's normal, but the other is lack of knowledge of study skills. that's where you as a parent can come in and help. >> what skills? what special skills? >> number one is the old teacher coming in and saying always to, first of all, read the directions first before doing the whole thing. the second one is really helpful, and that is do the hardest thing first.

get it out of the way so you can concentrate on the last. chunk it. don't look at the whole thing. just look at the first row and keep going. and keeper is wonderful. read the sentence or read the paragraph or read the page. what's the most important thing you just read? draw it or put it in your brain. and what will happen is you're priming your child for test review later on. >> so, you've done everything possible and your child's still struggli struggling. >> right. >> at what point do you think i've got to get some outside help? >> first of all, the struggle thing is really critical. if you notice your relationship with your child is taking a dip, if you notice that no matter what you're doing, progress is not going there, pick up the phone and talk to the teacher. they really want the same thing as you, success. you're looking for the why your child is struggling and what are we going to do to help this child so we do see progress. >> and then what about tutoring? >> tutoring i think is great. it's over your head and you don't understand the algebra. >> she's going into fifth grade.

i am petrified. >> but it doesn't have to be the pricey person. it could be a retired teacher or the neighborhood kids next door. >> the high school student. >> but find out what you're supposed to be tutoring is the key. sit down with the teacher and say what's the one little thing if every night he just reviewed would help him? that's the key. >> michele borba, that's great advice. i always remember groucho marks, this is so simple, a 5-year-old could do it. somebody go out and get me a 5-year-old. still ahead, miley cyrus, but first, how to clean up your garden for fall. (announcer) back to school means back from school hungry. so i always have totino's pizza rolls.

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this morning in "today's garden," the end of summer is bader sweet time and a time to get ready for the cool nights in the garden. expert p. allen smith is here with perfect ways to turn your patch of earth into a magical place this fall. good morning. >> good morning. >> hard to believe we're talking about this already. >> i know. >> but now's the time to start cleaning things out, right? >> time to look forward. >> all right. >> we have 2 to 2 1/2 months of

opportunity, and you should look at your garden now. anything that is dead, damaged or diseased, rip it out. or if there's something -- >> my whole garden is gone. >> i don't believe that. or anything you didn't like. >> right. >> just get rid of it and begin to think how do i upgrade it from fall? because we have a season coming on. it's rained so much this year, a lot of people didn't get out in the garden early. there's still an opportunity to make it look like a gorgeous place. >> and these next couple of months are actually the third growing season, right? >> they are, indeed. and lovely things, like this george kale, peppers, traditional things like mums and untraditional things like the superbells. they really perform beautifully. they're like little tiny petunias. >> is now the time to buy plants, though? >> the nurseries are actually getting a lot of fresh things in. then in terms of grasses and perennials, often they're running sales. so it's a great time to take a look. >> can get things at half price. >> look at this bed. this is only an 8 by 4-foot space and we used grasses, readily available. >> great thing you can do around

the yard. >> traditional mums here and then some edibles. look at these edibles. we have kale. this is red mustard, which is edible. >> mm-hmm. can make a salad while you're at it with the peppers. >> taste this pepper. i promise it's not hot. isn't that great? >> it's very good, yeah. >> look how beautiful they are. >> i'm going to die of poisoning in a second. >> unless i sprayed it with something. down here you see we have some frucerose, and they are proven winners in the garden and they have gorgeous fall color. >> you get mums so early on, though, and you feel like they'll bloom and that's it, they're done. >> the thing to do is go for mums with a lot of buds. make sure you do not let them become dry. >> right. >> because what will happen is they will wilt, and this little part of the stem right here -- >> they will never flower, right? >> they'll flop over and the buds die and don't bloom again. >> exactly. so a lot of space, keep the ground really aerated. >> and moist. that's right. look, that's just eight by four feet and look how beautiful it is. >> container gardens are something you can do right now, too, very easily. >> they really are.

what you want to do is start with a good potting mix, all right? in your container. what i like to do is add little bit of all-purpose fertilizer. we try to use all organics. and then i use micro rising, which will cause the roots to really expand. now, look at this plant -- >> how often do you put that in there, though, just the one time? >> just the one time. then look at this. you've got these roots -- >> at the bottom. >> yeah. the grasses are really -- >> that doesn't kill the roots? >> no, it helps them to grow. and with the micro rising in there, all work together. and then if you take something like this -- >> some of the perennials, will they come back? >> the grass is the only thing that's perennial, but i'm adding a few -- >> it's easier to add these every year. >> -- muskards in front. look, you've used a few plants. gorgeous display. >> i have a hard time when i look for the layout. do you want something that's really high? >> rule of thumb, you want a thriller, a filler and a

spiller. >> i like that, thriller, stiller and spa spiller. >> this will get better over time. this will take you to thanksgiving. >> okay. this is like if you have a small patio in your backyard. >> all you need is five feet and look, we have five or six containers here. we have the kale, we have the dolce series, a mum, then this big, beautiful purple fountain grass for drama. but look at all the textural contrast. >> beautiful. >> this time of year focus on fruit and foliage. i think with all the rain we've had, we're going to have a gorgeous autumn. >> i love all the purples and keeping that tame. >> very monochromatic and using the chocolate brown jars all help it harmonize. >> now, will these last for the most part, especially with containers? i guess in the wintertime, you probably want to -- >> they will. once it gets really cold, freezes, you want to move these out, get the soil out of them, move them in the garage and get ready for next spring. >> really start taking care of the pre-planting, right? for spring next year. >> and think about the next season and begin gardening indoors.

>> we'll have you back for that. p. allen smith, thank you so much. >> great to see you. >> coming up next, we have one more song from miley cyrus. first, this is "today" on nbc. geico's been saving people money on car insurance for over 70 years. and who doesn't want value for their dollar? been true since the day i made my first dollar.

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♪ coming up, hoda and guest host donny deutsch chat about rudeness in america. >> ooh. >> plus, tennis star venus williams and james blake stop by. >> great. first, though, one more song from teen pop sensation miley cyrus. she rocked our plaza this morning. >> yeah. >> have a great weekend, everyone. see you back here monday. ♪ ♪ don't keep me waiting, anticipating, treat me like a fool ♪ ♪ i've got news for you, i'm turning my back, i'm dropping a bomb on you ♪ ♪ ah, you want me, you need me,

believe me, you'll be crawling ♪ ♪ you love me, you hate me, believe me, you'll come crawling ♪ ♪ so get down and get off, let me show you what you'll be missing ♪ ♪ we break up, you break down, gonna drag you through this kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ don't keep me guessing, i'm your favorite obsession, don't give me a lame excuse ♪ ♪ and if it's me that you're messing at the same old confession, you're gonna have something to lose ♪ ♪ ah, watch out now, don't black o out, there's no doubt, you can't have it ♪ ♪ control you, i'll own you, i'll show you, but you still can't have me ♪ ♪ so, get down and get off, let

me show you what you'll be missing ♪ ♪ we break up, you break down, gonna drag you through this kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ so get down and get off, i'm gonna show you what you'll be missing ♪ ♪ we break up, you break down, gonna drag you through this kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ you'll be kicking and screaming, you'll be kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ i'm so deceiving, you'll be kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ ah, watch out now, you'll find out, you'll cry out, there's no one above me ♪ ♪ yeah, i play hard, so don't run far, come back now, i really do like you ♪ ♪ so get down and get off, let me show you what you'll be

missing ♪ ♪ we break up, you break down, gonna drag you through this kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ so get down and get off, you're not the only one that i've been missing ♪ ♪ we break up, you break down, gonna drag you through this kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ you'll be kicking and scre screaming, you'll be kicking and screaming, kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ hey, you'll be kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ >> thank you.

>> good morning parikh here are

some of our top stories. a 17 year-old boy is in critical condition at shock trauma after he was struck while riding his bike around 12:30 early this morning along route 108. police tell us the driver was under the influence of alcohol when he hit the 17 year-old benjamin. he was charged for possession of heroin. state police are investigating a homicide in east baltimore. 37 year-old correctional officer erica carr was shot several times as she sat in the driver's seat of an suv on ken hill avenue. she was pronounced dead on the scene. anne arundel county police are interviewing a woman they believe may know something after a man was discovered inside a car suffering from a stab wound s. this was in glen burnie. paramedics found the victims slumped over. he was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

the woman is not considered a suspect. suspect.

>> high as 78-83 this afternoon. >> we will see you back here >> high as 78-83 this afternoon.

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