I never thought of chickens eating japanese beetles! We don't have them here (thankfully), but if they ever do show up, I'll be doubly glad for my chicken clan (I call them my attack chickens) roaming the land. When I lived in Texas and we had the june bugs, I know the chickens went crazy eating them, so JBs must be just another crunchy delight to their way of thinking (I had a chicken east a foot-long snake in Texas, too, once, she ran all over the yard with it while the other chickens chased her trying to get it from her, she swallowed it head first! I always wondered how she could digest that thing.) Chickens that aren't pumped up on hormones (from lay pellets) should be able to lay pretty decently for you for at least 5 years, the first 3 years pretty steady, and it drops off after that. But older hens are great for taking care of baby chicks. Hope your new rose planting goes well! --Ron

Well, dang. I spent Saturday watching my husband dig out the roses I'd grown from cuttings started last fall, and rummaging around in my pot ghetto pulling out more roses and irises to give to friends I was going to visit. I encouraged my husband with the idea of how many roses we were going to be free of, how much smaller the pot ghetto would be, how much more garden area we'd for for, ah, rose cuttings that I want to start this fall. The pots filled the car, leaving just room for the driver. Away I went. Back I came with--surprise!--two or three flats of baby perennials and shrubs and two bags of various pieces of plants, and even a new rose. Well! This is how it happens. I'm the happiest gardener in the world, except for you, of course. Melissa

Yes, all parts of the basjoo are edible. But the bananas--if they actually produce--they must be pollenated to set fruit, and that requires 2 basjoo blooming at the same time--and if you can get them ripe--contain as much seeds as pulp, and not too good to eat. The leaves are great to cook with though!Here's my favorite recipe: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 2 or 3 pound pork roast, I used sirloin roast 1 large onion sliced 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1 minced clove garlic 1 sliced tomato 2 small sweet banana peppers and 1/4 t ground red pepper or 2 of your favorite hot peppers (or more for hotter) sliced into rings or strips juice of one lime salt and pepper to taste 4 med or two large banana leaves, I used ice cream this time because I had them lay out the leaves in the sun for a couple of hours to wilt slightly, they wrap up easier that way. If you use medium leaves, Lay two leaves overlapping slightly on the table and lay the roast on the leaves. If you're using large ones, just use one leaf. Season the roast well with the salt and pepper. Layer the onion, then the tomato, garlic, peppers and sprinkle the oregano and cumin on top. Squeeze the lime on top over all. Wrap the banana leaves over the roast to make a packet then lay out the other two leaves and wrap it the other way to make it securely sealed. Put it in the crockpot and cook it for 8 hours on low or 4 on high. Remove from crock pot and rest it for 15 minutes, then slice or shred meat. Serves 4-6. Serve with tortillas, salsa, avacado or guacamole, sour cream and your fave hot sauce. I'm sure this would be even better grilled but I was too lazy.

Sure hybrids set seeds. The seeds just are not usually true to the breed when those seeds are grown. They revert to parent stock. That's why you need fresh seeds each year or so if you are going to grow hybrids. The seed producers grow the hybrid seeds by manually crossing the two parents. Dave