I just pile them into an old cardboard box or paper bag and stick them in my attic. They stay cool and bone-dry and store beautifully. The only problem I have had was with the thin, ropey rhizomes of C. 'Omega', which shrivelled quite a bit but enough survived to to replant in the spring. (Unfortunately last year I left them in the ground over the winter and they did not make it).

From what I've read, the "typical" fluorescent bulb has a wattage of about 10 watts per foot. So, 4-foot shop light uses 40-watt bulbs, and a 2-foot shop light uses 20 (or 18) watt bulbs. The ends of the bulbs, nearest the ballasts, aren't as efficient as the middle, even when the bulb is new. So, for a 4-foot shop light, the last 4-6 inches aren't receiving as much light as the center (I try to compensate for this by switching the flats around every few days). This also makes the shorter fixtures less effective in delivering light to your plants--if the last 6-inches of the each end is weaker light, a large chunk of your 2-foot fixture is less effective, compared to a 4-foot fixture. Speaking of which, I'm off to buy more shop lights, since several died on me last spring (guess I should try to be more careful and not spill so much water on the darn things!!) Emily in FRIGID Fairbanks

Not all that new. If only it were that easy! NABS (North American Bluebird Society) does not recommend that type of nestbox. Honestly, it is doubtful that anything discourages HOSP if they are really interested. HOSP will nest anywhere they can if you let them. See examples here . You could still use it, with the plug closing the top, but don't depend on it discouraging HOSP. BlueBars

Many of the birds you mention aren't cavity nesters, so a nest box wouldn't matter. Probably chickadees are the most likely. If you put up a box for chickadees, of course make sure it's protected from predators with a baffle on the post or pole, especially since you mention cats and racoons. The hole size is 1 1/8", small enough that house sparrows and starlings won't be able to enter. One thing I read is that chickadees might prefer a larger hole to start with, like 1 1/4", and then once they have established use of the box, you can put a 1 1/8" hole reducer on. Much depends on the habitat in your yard and in the surrounding area. Chickadees seem to like the nest box to be on the edge of a woody or shrubby area. A chickadee box might also attract house wrens, so I guess it depends on whether you want to potentially host them or not. You don't mention what state you live in, so I don't know if you have house wrens. Other suggestions for nest boxes could be wood ducks (since you live near water), or even screech owls, which could use the same box as wood ducks. Or, you could try putting up an Owl Shack in the fall. I've got two up, no luck so far with screech owls, but the woodpeckers sure like to drum on that nice resonant box! If you have many dogs and cats running around your neighborhood, then you might not get anything at all. If that is the case, then you might not want to try and attract wood ducks, because they have to jump out of the box to make their way to the water, and would be easy targets for cats.