I remove the leaves in the spring, and as karl rightly notes, they usually get pushed off by the rose. I also make a point to not leave them on the ground near the bush. If you suffered a black spot infection on that rose the previous year there's decent reason to suspect the old leaves may be harboring remnant bits of the fungus, which can successfully overwinter in infected leaves. I believe I've read the fungus will push out spores from dried up dead leaves on the ground near the bush and those spores can get spattered up on the rose's new growth during rain storms.

1. I take the extra trays out, why would you want to leave them in? You would think they would take away from the air flow, and the more air flow the faster the produce dries. 2. bottom up, on my dehydrator the bottom is warmer. But that's just my preference, don't think it matters especially if your going to fill it. 3. The bottom of my dehydrators wash up easily, so I just let them drip, again why impede the air flow if not really necessary. I have more of a mess when I dry herbs, because you have to dry them until they are brittle and then they start breaking apart. 4. I have to agree with not mixing too many aromas, they may intermingle. This will be my first year drying hot peppers too. I heard you should put the dehydrator out of doors so as to not stink up your house. The same thing for onions. I have to agree about the manuals, I've done alot of research on the internet. Like start the dehydrator at 140 for the first hour then turn down, I don't have to pretreat fruit and they don't brown either. You may want to try small batches until you get the knack of the temp and time. Good luck My latest have been peaches...they are out of this world. Next spring try strawberries...even better.

Indeed, large hosta can start out with small leaves... in fact, unless you're buying from a hosta specializing grower, who sells divisions of a mature plant, you can expect it. Most hosta, especially in big-box stores, and even in local nurseries, are grown from a process called tissue culture. And that results in very very small plants for several years.

Hi otis, I'm fairly new, too, but welcome! :) I agree with justgotabeme that you sound like an eclectic style person. I like a little of everything (and I call my "style" early garage-sale), but I seem to lean towards cottage style or country when I look at websites. You really should look at lots of different websites and magazines to see where your tastes lead you. There are galleries attached to these GW forums and they have a wealth of real-world pictures of different rooms. Maybe that would give you some ideas about which way to go. Pick a color, theme, or style for your house and see if you can envision the rooms. The journal justgotabeme suggested is an excellent idea. It gives you a way to put ideas you like together and then, after a few pictures are in one place, it will lead you to a style. For instance, if you collect living room pictures, circle what it is you like in the room, or make notes to the side of the picture. Eventually, you'll see a pattern. Personally, I like overstuffed furniture, but clean lines and dark wood for the tables. I also love a multi-colored rug under my LR furniture, so long as the colors are muted. I like artwork with old houses and buildings, etc. You will see things that you always like and you may even notice that certain things turn you off...I happen to hate nickel and old "lodge-look" hardware on anything. Learning those two things really helped me determine what I need to avoid in rooms. Also, the best advice I ever got was "don't be afraid to try something new, especially with paint". You can always paint over a color if you hate it, but you just may find something you love.