zyperiris, you wouldn't be proud of me if you walked up to my front yard. That's the bad part of gardening in the front yard - compost piles in the driveway, excavation in progress, potted plants, front porch looking like a staging area, etc, etc. Really bad, but I'm glad I left you with a lovely picture in your mind. Ingrid, the neat thing about the pruners besides the size is the great spring in them that let's you squeeze and let go and that's all. Truly a breeze that fits the span of my hand perfectly. Re the actual pruning, I watched Paul's videos, and they were excellent, but when it's time to set the blade to the plant - well, I basically tried to cut at a joint and only in the middle of a cane when I had to. I don't like the look of cuts when I trim other shrubs, rather choosing to "hide" them so the bush looks the same when I'm done - just smaller. These Chinas and teas, I think, tend to sprout umbrella growth at those places. I don't know if that's 100% of the time, but I noticed it quite a bit even after deadheading. Maybe it's normal, but that's another reason I tried not to cut in the middle of a cane plus I've read about dieback. We'll see. Melissa, at least you had a nice day to do some pruning. I guess in many places it's still early for it - and in some places they're done. The world is different every place you look. It really was enjoyable to be "in the middle of the bush". Except for the ones with thorns - hooked ones are the worst. Today I got my tetanus shot finally, so tomorrow I'm expecting a sore arm. Pam, by the time I got to the climbers it was the end of the day, and I didn't pull out the ladder so they're fully "ugly-leafed' on top. Man, I was not prepared for how bad I felt when done. Standing all day was fine until the very end when it hit me like a ton of bricks. It made scary thoughts linger in my mind about how long I can continue this rose stuff. Juliet, "very savvy in your gardening ways" - I kind of don't know what that means, but I guess it's good. I just try to find answers, and with the internet at my fingertips, that's fairly easy if you're willing to stay at it long enough. I guess I like digging and research. At work they've given me the job of "shopper" to find the best item and the best deal - a normal thing for me (and my DH) that has rubbed off on some of my co-workers - but I've still got the job unfortunately. Quick learning is relative - it ain't as quick as it used to be!!! When those two invisible birds were playing dueling banjos, it was really fun. That's why I don't care for wind chimes. I'd rather hear the natural noises. We rarely hear racing car engines and that sort of thing, but there is a railroad track and regular train traffic very nearby. It adds to the ambience. These pruners are the 4th or 5th pair I've had. Never bought Felcos due to the price, but I have a $30 pair which are just not small enough - and I think I may have ruined them by cutting the wrong things with them. Laura, hope your Felcos last forever. I think I'm going to use these (or a 2nd pair) to deadhead, too. If anybody sews, you know those little nippers used for trimming threads at the sewing machine and other little trimming. These pruners act just like those nippers. So easy and quick. Sherry

Thanks tornado. And Arktrees, no, I am not paying shipping again. They had suggested that I could buy two more trees to fill this second box but then wanted half of the hefty shipping fee. To which I told them, I'll just take the two trees you are replacing then. My thinking was the same as yours, I'm not going to cover their cost for having sent me bad trees to begin with. As of right now I'm satisfied that they are sending replacement trees. I'll post pictures of what they look like. Thanks for your continued thoughts.

I must defer to LariAnn's opinion. She knows far more than do I about Alocasia and has a very good article about Alocasia hypnosa which you can find on the net. If you want to see a good drawing on Alocasia hypnosa look up this document which you can download in PDF format: Alocasia hypnosa (Araceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. The same article offers some of the distinctions of the plant's characteristics. Only one slight correction, no aroid grows from a corm. All aroids grow from a tuber according to several of the top aroid botanists in the world including Dr. Tom Croat and Pete Boyce. The distinction may be unimportant to most growers but a bulb, corm and tuber are scientifically very different. Although all store starches, onions produce bulbs, Gladiolas and bananas produce a corm, aroids only produce tubers. A bulb is layered like an onion, just cut an onion apart and you can easily divide the layers. I recently spent several weeks discussing this with a bunch of the top aroid minds. I would gladly post eh definition of each but it would bore everyone to tears.

This is my grandmothers recipe for dill pickles. She did it this way for 50 years, and learned it from her mother. I have added comments for my own benefit to the original instructions. I scale this recipe as needed. If I have just 3-4 cucumbers in the morning, I can just one quart. Smaller amounts take shorter times. I grow my own cucumbers, garlic and dill. As the other poster noted, use wide-mouth quart jars if possible. My grandma called it pickling salt, but it is canning salt at the grocery store. Once you jump in and do a practice jar or two you will get the hang of this in nothing flat. Just like falling out of bed in the morning. * Exported from MasterCook * Garlic Dill Pickles Recipe By : Hazel Berens Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :1:00 Categories : Canning Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 24 pickling cucumbers -- * see note 12 cups water 6 cups white vinegar 1 cup pickling salt -- rounded 12 heads fresh dill 12 cloves garlic -- cut in half This recipe will make 6-8 quarts, depending upon size of cucumbers. If more than 6 quarts, increase amount of dill and garlic required. Wash cucumbers and remove 1/16-inch from blossom end. Place in a 5-gallon bucket with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Soak in ice water for at least 4 hours but no more than 8 hours. Refresh ice as required. Fill enamel canner with water and bring to a gentle boil; this will take at least an hour. Boil canning jars in canner. Process lids in simmering water for at least 10 minutes. Do not boil lids, as this will compromise the rubber seal. All we want to do is soften the seal. Combine water, vinegar and pickling salt in a large stock pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. This will take 20-30 minutes. Make sure pot is covered so that solution does not evaporate. When mixture has come to a boil, remove a jar from the boiling water, making sure all water has drained from the jar. Place 2 half-cloves of garlic and 1 head of dill in the jar. Add 3-4 cucumbers, leaving 1-inch headspace. Top with an additional 2 half-cloves of garlic and another head of dill. Using a canning funnel, fill the jar with hot vinegar mixture, leaving ½-inch headspace. If necessary, wipe jar top and threads clean. Place hot lid on jar and screw on ring a little more than finger tight. Place jar on rack to cool. You should hear the "tink" of the seal within a couple minutes. Repeat with remaining ingredients. After jars have cooled, test seals. Write date of canning on lid using Sharpie. Store in cool, dark place for at least 6-8 weeks. Refrigerate after opening. Pickles will keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool dry place. This recipe will give a much crisper pickle than those processed with a hot water bath for 15-30 minutes. [Scale recipe as needed. 1/6 cup canning salt = 8 tsp] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : *about 4 inches long