Yes, they come away very easily and picking them off does no harm to the parent plant - after all, they fall and sprout naturally arund the parent plant if left undisturbed. And they should be a clone of the parent plant - my Lilium Tigrinum certainly are. And they're perfectly hardy outdoors down to zone 3. Since they need a cold period, growing indoors under growlights, etc. isn't recommended. No need to dry them out because left unplanted for an extended period they will shrivel up. So collect them and plant them where you want them right away. If planted directly in the ground - mark them so you know where they are as the first year sprout will look like a shiny lanceolate blade of grass and it's easy to pull them up or accidentally plant over them. By the second season, they'll be spindly, but definitely look lily-like. Or, plant them in a pot so they're contained, then bury the entire pot up to the rim in a sunny spot in your garden. You can leave them in the buried pot for a couple of seasons - with a couple of year's growth, they'll be easy to transplant, etc.

I'm gardening in an area of California called Marin County, which is north of the Golden Gate bridge and adjacent to the wine growing region of Napa and Sonoma Valley. We have 2 huge infestation problems that effects our agricultural economics. Because our 'infestation' problem(s) are affecting the economics of the region we have been assisted by the state legislators with funds for research, education and hopefully a control or remedy soon. Sudden Oak Death syndrome - SOD - is killing off our majestic old oaks at an alarming rate and is is now found to be in our redwoods as well as all the host plants such as Rhodo's, madrones, ect.. The lumber industry has been very active in lobbying for help and the UC ag system has been working full time on trying to find a solution. The wine industry is another extremely powerful lobby and they have done more than any other organized industry to get their message out about the Glassy Wing Sharp Shooter insect. Now when I bring in an order of plants that originates from a county out of my region I must call the ag inspector several days before my plants arrive in order to set up an inspection date. Once the plants are dropped off on the site they cannot be moved until they are inspected. So making sure that you set up your appointment well in advance is required so that you don't hold up your crew waiting for an inspector to arrive before you can place or plant your plants. We also have all the other transient insects, fungal diseases and soil born diseases to deal with. At the moment I am going head to head with a boxwood blight that is killing off my potager hedge and have spider mites on my passifloras. I think education is key when dealing with clients as well as keeping ourselves updated about IPM's and other organic measures one can take to combat infestations. Hort Oil, Neem and BT is my friend. I don't and won't use any toxic chemicals . I used to be a chemical queen in my early 20's and all thru hort school, but after a series of health scares I won't touch them anymore. If a client want to go into chemical warfare, then they can drop the bomb, but most here in my 'hood are pretty health conscience and fortunately prefer to use organic measures.

Yikes! You do well in describing the walls imposing stature, but the first Photo is the fatal stab in the heart. A very nice easy read that has enough unique twists to keep my attention through to the end. It could have easily gotten stuck in a "STOP THE WALL!" theme, but you avoided that nicely and probably kept the new lords appeased, which may have been wise in light of how easy it would have been to drop one of those boulders... Two and a half thumbs up! Poppa

The magic is that although the house is smaller in square footage, it actually feels much bigger. It’s not about living in a small house and getting used to feeling cramped. A Not So Big House feels more spacious than many of its oversized neighbors because it is space with substance, all of it in use every day. The home design is the large unalterable variable in any build. A good one will stretch space, maximize views, and allow for less expensive construction and operating expenses. It just fits, like a custom pair of shoes fits your high instep and knobby big toe. This is so true! Our neighbor around the corner built a house that is about 500 square feet larger than ours, yet it feels like it's 1/2 the size. They cram several people into the public spaces yet their private spaces are larger than their public spaces but are usable only for them. Our house is not small by any means (2870 square feet), but we used lots of Sarah Susanka's ideas for our build and were quite aware of things like site lines.