Stem cuttins...keep the foliage moist by misting or covering. Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings

I have a fireplace smoking issue and am interested in any feedback or recommendations. I recently had a porch remodeled and completely screened in, and added a fireplace. The firebox is a pre-fab unit from Fmi that has stone work around it. It has a gas starter under the grate (a tube with several holes that acts like a burner in a gas grill to light the logs). The porch is screened only so lots of outside air available. The chimney sits in between two other roof lines that are approx. 20-30' away from the chimney, but the chimney top is below these roof lines by several feet. The chimney is framed out of wood with hardy plank exterior and has the double-walled sheet metal chimney pipe inside - the diameter matches the diameter of the flu in the Fmi firebox which I believe is 8". The unit smokes a lot, even after a fire has been going for some time and is producing lots of heat (so hot you can't get near it). It rolls out of the top of the opening, mostly at the left and right corners but also all along the top of the opening. I've probably burned 20-25 fires since it was built last spring and already the stone work immediately above the opening and below the mantle is turning dark brown. The builder added 6' of the double-walled pipe to the top of the chimney and put the cap on top and it improved but did not eliminate the smoking problem. This extension put the top of the chimney approx. at the same height or slightly higher than the roof lines mentioned previously. Would one of the chimney fans (like the Tjernlund Auto-Draft� Chimney Fan) work in a situation like this, or would it be better to extend the chimney significantly? It may look a little odd to have a chimney that tall on an outdoor fireplace.

Sounds like your off to a good start, you know what doesn't work. I would try to contact the manufacture of the appliance and get more complete operating instructions. Generally, gas logs do not smoke, but sometimes an odor is associated with burning them the first time.

We built a home that had a fireplace and no glass doors. No wood smell at all, except once in a while if the fire wasn't roaring and the wind was blowing, it could send some smoke smell into the room. Maybe post here. I've posted a few times regarding my wood stove and there are some very knowledgeable and helpful people. I suspect the same would be true regarding fireplace questions. I hope you find the cause. Hearth.com