interesting sandy. i knew the vit k treatment but i didn't realize it was heparin! which leads me to my mystery, though i never would use poison bait. it is all this talk of rats and mice. someone is trying to move into my romeo's sleeping box in the shed. but my reason for posting is quite hilarious- he went to investigate why my 15 some pound bag of composted manure was moving. i am standing at the back door and hear "SQUEEK!" i wish i saw it, but alas i had only my tshirt and undies on and it was still daylight. hey, i work midnights, ok? :) i had a mental picture of it jumping in the air and squeaking at the same time. the big oaf ran out of the shed, belly to the ground, and wanted back in the house. that surprised me. my old man at romeo's age would have had his whiskers twitching in anticipation. so, my mystery continues....though maybe in the process we have discouraged our visitor. i also took the top off his sleeping box to make it less inviting. i have found no rear projectiles. i am also considering leaving the feeders empty for awhile. i would hate to do that. just sharing a story. i didn't want to start a thread just for it. it almost applies.

I don't think so. I have never noticed any smell from plants with rotting roots, but soil can sometimes have a slightly foul smell depending on what it is made of. What kind of Astrophytum is it?

Angel1Boxer, I have a mature Neomarica Gracilis that had several pups this year. It blooms blue and white -- as reported above, each blossom only lasts one day, but they are sweet enough to scent a room. This year each scape had three or more blossoms that bloomed in sequence. I am also in Z7, and I keep mine in a pot/bring them inside for the winter -- mine bloom in February or March. What would you like to swap for one or two pups? LynnT

The list below is the first half of a small sample of the many possibilities. Some are common, some are less common. The trees included are generally small to medium sized, hardy in this area, relatively free from pests and disease compared to many other species, fairly well behavied (non-invasive), and attractive in the landscape. With any tree, do your research before choosing and planting. Acer buergerianum - Trident Maple (great landscape tree) Acer griseum - Paperbark Maple (interesting bark) Acer mandshuricum - Manchurian Maple Acer palmatum (multiple cultivars) - Japanese Maple (colorful trees) Acer japonicum (multiple cultivars) - Fullmoon Maple (colorful trees) Amelanchier arborea - Downy Serviceberry (great for wildlife) Asimina triloba - PawPaw (mentioned earlier) Callicarpa japonica (and others) - Beautyberry (great for wildlife) Cercidiphyllum japonicum - Katsuratree (may eventually get too big) Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' - Redbud (Redbuds often have structural problems. It would probably be worth the money to pay for a larger, nicer specimen if you are going to choose one of these.) Cornus (various cultivars) - Dogwood (research to find best choice!) Corylopsis glabrescens - Fragrant Winterhazel (great for wildlife) Cryptomeria japonica - Japanese Cryptomeria (fantastic smaller cultivars available) Cyrilla racemiflora - Leatherwood Davidia involucrata - Dove Tree (prefers shade, great for wildlife) Diospyros virginiana - Common Persimmon (great for wildlife, fruit can be messy) Evodia daniellii - Korean Evodia (may eventually get too big) Fagus sylvatica - European Beech (choose a small cultivar!) Ginkgo biloba - Ginkgo (slow growing, many interesting cultivars) Hammamelis (various species) - Witchhazel (great for wildlife) Heptacodium miconioides - Seven Son Flower Tree (very pretty) Hovenia dulcis - Japanese Raisintree (great for wildlife) Ilex (various species) - Holly (great for wildlife) Maackia amurensis - Amur Maackia Maclura pomifera - Osage Orange (fruit can be messy) Magnolia (various species) - Magnolia (many many options) Mahonia (various species) - Mahonia or Hollygrape (great for wildlife) Malus - crabapple (multiple disease & pests problems but may be worth it) Nandina domestica - Heavenly Bamboo (neat shrub for the right place, great for wildlife) I don't know when I will do the second half of this list. Maybe someone else will finish it, or maybe I will get around to it sometime.