We did not get a STEENKIN' drop of last night's rain. My husband drove home from downtown Orlando in a torrential downpour, thinking all the way how nice it was going to be to have rain in our garden. But when he turned the corner at the light, 2 blocks from our house, he drove right out from under the pouring rain and straight into sunshine!! He was astounded. And I could SEE the rain at the end of the street, but not a DROP fell in our neighborhood!! None. Zero. Zilch. Whaddup wid that????? And today, it is HOT and SUNNY, yet again. Doesn't look hopeful for precipitation to meeee. *sigh* More hose dragging in store, I guess. Marcia

If you're thinking of doing this, look closely at Flanative's set-up. The concrete blocks underneath are really not optional. They seemed like an extra step, why bother, when I put mine in. My pressure is lower because I skipped that step. And I had trouble getting the hose attachment to fit without crimping it. I still use mine plenty, and was only planning on having it for a drip hose, which doesn't need real high pressure. But take it from me, that's not just for looks. And now that mine is set up wrong, it's going to be a huge hassle to redo it because I'll have to wait for it to empty out and probably recut the downspout. Teeka, you cut the downspout with a hacksaw or sawsall a couple feet above the top of the barrel (when it's already sitting on the blocks) and then hook up a connector. Flanative's set-up is great, but you can also buy a plastic expandable, bendable waterspout connector thingy at any big box. Then you don't have to worry as much about measuring everything exactly. Not as pretty, but easier to work with. And flanative, yours looks great! What did you paint it with? I've got a couple visible downspouts and I'm thinking of trying to do it fancy like yours. (The only one I have now is at a very hidden downspout.) Susannah

I bought some garden soil from Wal-Mart recently that is 55-65% pine fines. Can't find my glasses, so can't read the ingredients to you right now, but it's made in Georgia, where they grow a lot of timber pine, so probably mostly loblolly fines. It's less than $5 a bag here, and comes with or without fertilizer. I've been using it with great success as a potting soil. The name is "Expert Gardener". This might work for you.

John --- I am surprised and pleased to see this thread pop up again too. Unfortunately, My yard did take a hard hit from the freezes but all was not lost. Glad that your banana is growing well for you. This variety recovered very well from the low temps. Hi Mark, nice bamboo pic. sharbear --- The bamboo is called "blue bamboo". I can look up the botanical name if you need it. It is my favorite variety. The plant is tall but I consider it to be the perfect height because it's not too tall. mammie --- In the picture the blue bamboo looks variegated. It's not. It has a blue coating on the canes that reflect the light differently. Luckily, only the leaves got damaged last winter. It has fully recovered and it's looking great. Hi Tom, I've got a newly picked squash pic to post this week. It weighted in at 14 lbs. Christine