"Hilling" is just building up a 6-10" high hill that is 8-10" in diameter in the center and planting the seeds spaced evenly around the top of the hill. Plant 5-6 seeds and then thin to the best 2-3 plants. Most all squash varieties are planted in hills for several reasons - lets the soil drain faster since they don't like wet feet, lets the plants drape down the slope of the hill while still supported to avoid stem breakage (otherwise they tend to lean over from the weight and can break), and it gives you loose soil to bury any breaks or SVB punctures so the plant can keep going. As to # of plants - it is root mass that is the issue. 1 in a 5 gal. does ok with lots of extra feed and water care but produces only a few. 1 in 10 gallons does great but needs some hand pollination for good production. In 20 gallons you can easily put 2 and and maybe 3. They produce well and help support each other and you get much better natural insect pollination. You can always remove 1 of them if it gets over crowded. I routinely grow 3 in my cut in 1/2 40gal plastic barrel planters. Dave

I'd suggest the Pacific series of Limonium sinuatum. The flowers come on stems that are about 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall. It has fairly strong, basic colors -- yellow, white, blue, rose. The Turbo series is somewhat shorter and includes apricot and peach as well as the basics. The only dwarf annual statice I know of is Petite Bouquet, and it's still a foot tall. I think it might work well as an edging plant, although we've used it for dried arrangements. In perennials, there are some neat, dwarf, rock-garden types, but the problem is finding them, not avoiding them. "German statice," Gonolimon tartaricum, has stems about a foot to 18 inches tall and then branches that curve out to form almost a hemisphere of small white flowers over the basal foliage -- very stiff and architectural and in need of scarcely any drying time.

For many years I grew Kuta squash from seeds from Park Seed Co. About four years ago they stopped offering those seeds and I haven't been able to find them anywhere. Kuta has almost a almond taste -- not the green taste of most zucchini -- it is good raw with a dip, grilled, baked, and stir fried. They look like some of the squash pictured -- especially the Greybeard. I'll try them and maybe a couple others, but if anyone knows where I can buy the Kuta Squash seeds, please let me know. Dick G

Our greenhouse is heated and attached to our home. I grow orchids, tomatoes, citrus and other tropicals in it during the colder months. I'm certain there are some varieties that are known to produce more flowers, as I used to base my seed selection on it, but that was several years ago and before we had the greenhouse. Unfortunately, I don't remember which one it was and haven't found a similar description promoting male flower production. I have tried pumpkin flowers, but I find their flavor far too floral for my savory applications.