Thank you all for the additional information! I was wondering about the water movement, too. The pump/filter I have has a small spray attachment. I can turn it down, though, so maybe I will try that. It does cause a lot of splashing when it is on. I didn't mention what type of plants because I am clueless. lol! I do, or did, have a hardy water lily. It may still be alive. I bought it at a place that only does ponds and it was very healthy. It bloomed a few times but then stopped and the leaves got all mushy last August. That's when I thought of the temps maybe being too warm. I can't really shade it because anything would get in the way. This is in my potager and I need to be able to walk around between the beds and move a wheel barrow through the area. We never get into the triple digits, mostly mid 80s to low 90s. Do any of you think I should try a different filter? And what easy plants would you suggest? Remember, I am clueless. : ) Thanks again! Diana

Sign me up for swimming & wine!! I had miserable germination from my WS Shasta daisies so this week I summer sowed both Silver Princess & Alaska SD seeds and set the jugs in the shade on my breezeway. The Silver Princess already sprouted with what looks like 100% germination. Where do I think I'll plant them? HOS in the beds I'm already mentally enlarging of course!!! It rained again here last evening so this morning all the bins I set out to catch rainwater had at least an inch in them. Neighbor walked over and asked if I was trying to catch rainwater in the wide, shallow plastic bins. I was tempted to say no, I set them end-to-end that way so I could easily step from one to the next. Between rainwater and the dehumidifier, so far this summer I've only used the garden hose to fill the birdbaths.

what the heck are you talking about? 1) I think you may wind up killing or injuring someone by meddling with your fireplace. I bought a logset specifically designed to be unvented, ie the flu MAY remain closed. I am aware of the potential moisture issues. The smell issue supposedly is from new paint or carpet or glade plug ins combusting as the fp draws air from in the room. Its not propane we are smelling. The logset I bought also says you may open the flu slightly or all they way if desired. Doing so leaves you with a nice looking fire and all your heat going up the chimeny...but the pretty fire is what we actually bought the unit for---if it did not smell we'd likely use it more for heat. For now its a heater only when it extremely cold outside. 2) You are violating several safety warnings about operating unvented equipment. It is generally NOT permitted to use it for heating purposes, NOT permitted to operate unvented equipment that has an odor. I bought the logset from a dealer who installed and a propane tank. Why would they sell a logset that does not need to be vented to the outside if not for heating purposes? I doubt they could sell something illegal and get away it for years and years the dealer has been in business. We understood the potential odor issue going in. They said there would likely be no odor but I knew better. Still it seamed more economical to try this type rather than the vented type that has a little nicer fire, uses more gas but NEVER gives off any heat to the home as your flu is bolted open year round. 3) Combine this by restricting combustion air to the fireplace with your glass doors and you could have designed a real killer. I am not even sure what this means...please elaborate? We have an open floor plan....the fp is not in a small room with a door. The door are open when the fire is on. They are closed when only the pilot is on. BTW, we turn the pilot off April thru Novemebr. 4)Frankly, you don't have a clue about operating the equipment you have and obviously have never read or don't bother to follow the warnings that come with unvented equipment. What are the rules I am not following? Perhaps I did make it clear that we are aware the doors should remain OPEN when the fire is turned on. The screen doors remain closed. 5)You should remove this equipment for safety, because no reasonable person would trust you to operate it properly. So after reading up on these types of logsets (sure a $4K insert would have been better), posting questions here, seeing them inoperation and having a dealer install and train us on its use...I know nothing? PLEASE EDUCATE ME! Hey I am big enough to leave open the possibilty that I misunderstood a monumental amount of stuff. Are you big enough to admit that maybe you are having a bad day? Again, Our old door set also got very hot with gas log set too. It was made of a thinner material and was warped a bit at the bootom from the previous owner brning wood. I assume it got hot for him too. So, I bought a door set specifically for a masonry fp, called the vendor who said it should be fine as long as the logset was in a masonry fireplace but was looking for some reassurance that the thing won't warp or paint peel. This set is a much heavier metal than the last but they alway say they do not make 'em like they used too. If I am misunderstanding something, please advise. Now if you are telling me the doorset is NOT suppose to get hot to the touch whether a wood fire is burning or a gas fire...then I want to know that too.

Please quit fussing over your roses. As was pointed out above, some of the damage probably occurred months ago. Spraying now is going to accomplish NOTHING. One way or another, most of the posters are urging you to put your sprays and fertilizers back on the shelf and forget them. At least, quit using them on your roses. I don't think I could say it any better than Seil did: "The best thing to do is nothing. Just water!" Do that and let us know in a couple months how the roses are doing. Also keep in mind that most roses go through bloom-rest cycles--with the rest cycles sometimes lasting 4-6 weeks. That is normal, and all the fussing in the world is not going to change that. Seriously, just lean back and relax--and when the roses take off again, enjoy! : ) Kate