Enjoying all of these posts...thanks so much for sharing them with us!! I feed a number of squirrels and have a bird feeding table and suet hangers,etc. I have one very fat squirrel who fusses at me when the seed gets low or gone. One morning I was about to step through the garden gate when for some reason I stopped. Not 6 inches from my face on the gate post was this squirrel...not moving a muscle...I stared in to his face and as luck would have it I had my camera. Now..I'll have to go and find out how to post the picture. I admit I was scared...one never knows what these fellas will do. He just sat there and then suddenly jumped down and ran to the tree where the feeders are. It was a little close for comfort..but..he's here all of the time and a lot of mornings he's on the fence outside the back door...just waiting for me. He will come on the patio and get seed but I don't try it often...it's best if he continues on in his own world...too close to mine might make him a little too tame. He actually let me move my hand up and snap a photo...glad to have it of him..he's really a part of the garden and back yard...now I can remember him! :)))))

I concur with the previous comments. Was the conifer display you're talking about the one put together by Garden World of Hubbard, OR? They published a little booklet with the descriptions and names of each plant. I glommed onto a 'Dacrydium cupressinum' and Pinus parviflora 'ogon janome'. I'd never seen either of these. Chief Joseph was my must have plant last year...but I still don't have it. Porterhowse Nursery in Sandy Oregon sells it and they have great stuff. They're easily found on the web and usually come to Seattle for the big Arboretum Sale in April. While I enjoyed a very few things at the show, and did not have time to go to any presentations, here are my negative comments. Prepare yourself. The NWFAGS is NOT actually a garden show. It's a LIFESTYLE show. It has so little to do with plants or gardening. Mostly gift-shoppy accoutrements. The display gardens are primarily aimed at getting design/install companies a few big orders from wealthy clients who do not actually garden themselves. Overall, there's little that is earthy, dirty, organic about the show. Granted there are a few nurseries selling that are off the beaten path. Far Reaches of Poulsbo (?) has hellebores and aroids. I saw fewer actual nurseries this year and some of my favorites did not buy the space. I did spend some time upstairs in the refugee section, where all the non-profit actual garden-oriented people are relegated. With winter not actually over, I prefer to wait until the Arboretum Sale before buying any plants.

I think we live in wasp central here in Love County where the wasps are so numerous they seem to even outnumber the flies (and we have plenty of flies). Of course, all of us that live in rural and semi-rural areas likely see many more of all kinds of insects than folks in large cities do. We, too, try to employ a live-and-let-live policy with them because they are so beneficial, but the red wasps and yellow jackets seem to adore Tim and sting him often. I've only been stung once this year, and that was when I picked up a water hose that apparently had a red wasp sitting just inside the nozzle. Dorothy, I sympathize with you on the allergy situation. Of course you must control wasps when someone who lives there or visits often has an allergic reaction to them. It is unfortunate that you lose such a great caterpillar predator in the process. A couple of years ago, a young man here who knew he was allergic to bee stings apparently encountered some bees while out on his tractor way out in the far western part of our county, very far from any medical help. (I don't know if he carried an Epi pen or used it.) I listened on the fire radio as trained first responders from the FVD tried to save him while the paramedics raced westward in an effort to reach him on time. Sadly, he did not survive and I believe his tragic death reminded everyone here just how serious such allergic reactions can be. This year we have a lot more wasps than usual, and they keep building nests on the porch, which we don't tolerate, of course. The black wasps must not like the heat because every time we open the door to walk in or out, a black wasp flies in. Sadly that is the last flying it will do because a wasp in the house always gets the fly swatter treatment. And, even though we have more than usual this year, I don't think we ever have a 'bad' wasp year when we don't see "enough" of them. I appreciate all the wasps as they are the main predator of many garden pests (especially caterpillars), but they're still not allowed to build nests on our porch, or in our garden shed, screened-in back porch or garage/barn. For anyone who doesn't have an adequate number of native wasps to help control caterpillars, you can buy and release Trichogramma wasps. The Trichogramma wasps eat the eggs of over 200 pests, including many kinds of borers, leafworms, cutworms, fruitworms, loopers, webworms and most armyworms. Dawn

Thanks for the comments everyone!!! Kyle, I live about 100 miles northwest of Houston. No injury from the fence, but did get quite a jolt. I somehow just did not believe a solar powered electric fence could produce a shock with that kind of intensity. Angie, the Celebrity plants are doing well although fruit set on them is well below the numbers on other varieties. All indeterminate plants are approaching the four foot stage. garf, one key this year to excellent foliage is the lack of rain. If I had my choice, I would prefer plenty of rain but one advantage of the extra dry conditions this year is that the foliage has also remained dry and that helps keep many of the potential foliage issues in check. Jay