Kevin - I know Herb Robert, but it is not common in Ontario. Herbman - Good point about the comfrey. I think I'll go with the plantain and yarrow. And the leeches. Lazygardens - Thanks for you reply. I have a lot of respect for your knowledge and always pay attention to your posts. I think here, however, that there is a time-lag between what the medical profession knew and what was actually practiced by horse-and-buggy doctors in the backwoods. Those practices show up in country doctors' journals well after 1860 and were still being advocated in the Farmer's New Guide published in 1893. Barbaric, wasn't it? The Epsom Salt remedy is still in common use and is a good one, although given the location of the wound - upper shoulder near the neck - is not so easy to submerge as a hand or foot. Honey to fight infection is being discussed in the book. Do you happen to have any sources I might be able to access online for more info about the medical profession at that time?

It sounds to me as though the grower, Edlincoln, wants to use the cinnamon more as a preventative than as an actual wound dressing, which wouldn't really work as expected because subsequent watering would wash it away negating any properties it might be useful for. The idea behind using an anti-fungal, in the case of Hippeastrum bulbs, is to avoid the rotting of its flesh... mainly when a bulb is already susceptible to rot, and we have to cut away parts of the flesh to save the bulb in whole... which is accomplished by dusting the open wound with the anti-fungal and allowing the bulb to dry for a day or two before placing it back in medium which will be watered. I have read that some rooting powders can hinder the progress of root growth, but I can't recall if I ever heard or read that cinnamon has similar properties. To prevent excess fungi from gaining a foothold, to prevent rotting of my bulbs, I typically use Captan as my anti-fungal. Captan should be available at most garden centers that sell Bonide brand garden products... but in case it's not available, I do use cinnamon in its place. I typically avoid dusting the entire bulb with cinnamon, and use it only where needed, which usually means covering open flesh wounds left from the removal of rotting flesh. I would dust the healthy, exposed flesh with the anti-fungal. A colder, wetter container environment will allow for fungi and rot, while keeping bulbs on the drier side in a cooler environment... or allowing the medium to dry out in between waterings, and keeping container grown bulbs in a warmer environment... will lead to healthier roots and growth. In other words, cold and consistently wet can lead to rot. If potted bulbs must be cold, it's better to keep them on the drier side. And yet, it's better to thoroughly water containerized plants than to water in sips... just as it's better to water your lawn deep and long, which means less often in the long run... instead of shallow and not enough... so roots can grow deep and spread out, giving them good anchorage and access to plenty of moisture and nutrition. So, how do we water thoroughly and still maintain a healthy environment for roots? Through the use of a good aerated, structurally sound medium that drains well. I prevent fungal issues and rotting bulbs by utilizing a medium that doesn't hold onto too much moisture, drying sufficiently between waterings to allow for good root health. Roots of plants need to 'breathe', need to exchange the gases they give off for fresh oxygen... this is accomplished by using a medium with a larger particulate that holds more oxygen in between those particles... so when I water, the action forces expelled gases out while drawing fresh air in. This type of grittier medium also allows for better drainage, so it can dry quicker... thereby keeping roots from literally drowning in a consistently wet environment without oxygen, where the fine particles would be packed together. This kind of medium, with larger particles, allows for enough moisture to be absorbed by some of its components, and allows for moisture to remain in vapor form, without being soggy, so the plant can pull what it needs from it... and I can control the amount of moisture and the nutrition it receives. I think it's important to understand that growing in a garden environment is very different from growing within the confined space of containers, where there does not exist the same combination of creatures big and tiny to help maintain balance, create adequate aeration for good drainage, and turn organic matter into usable food for root systems to uptake... and also important to understand the functions of soil, or medium... which are anchorage, moisture and nutrition retention, and gas/oxygen exchange. I'm a huge proponent of maintaining root health, which in turn maintains plant health. Everything begins under the soil surface with the roots. If the roots aren't happy and healthy, the plant won't be happy or healthy, either. And a good medium is all about structure, and maintaining that structure so it can work as it should. Why is soil/medium so important, and how does it relate to the issue of fungi and rotting bulbs, you might ask? Well, if a container medium is structurally sound, and water moving through it behaves as it should, rot and fungi are no longer big issues we need to worry about. We have much better control and knowledge of what's going on under the soil/medium surface.

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

local thanks for the ideas !! I am always trying new things. I have put a splash of honey when I toss the vegetables before roasting. Another trick is to not use any spice before and then when you take them out of the oven toss them while still hot with the best Modena balsamic and let them cool in it...only takes a small amount. They are so yum. We use them then with pasta and on pizza. Also they keep for days in the fridge after roasting and just get better and better. For mustard powder I buy whole yellow mustard seeds and grind my own. It tastes great. I also have the black ones for curry. Also I store all of my spices in glass jars in the freezer...they keep like new for years. Hope this helps. Thanks again for looking ! Please post pics of your soups :) Hey Nancy !! Your DH is so funny..love the broccoli story . I feel the same way about the vegetables when they come out of the oven...they glisten and look like jewels ! See above for other ideas for the whole pieces. Thank you for looking !! c