Depends on what you mean by recover. Sometimes I've found only a few scattered eyes with bits of roots where previously there had been a big hosta. There are about a dozen individual Antiochs along the slate walk. One year one of the crowns looked like it was slightly sunken. I touched it and it fell into a cave. I think chipmunks had dug out the area underneath for a winter hibernation spot, but voles came along and ate all of the roots and part of the crown. The only way a hosta has a chance to recover is to move it to a safer place. After that, it depends on how much root is left, and how nice the new home is. Steady watering is essential, plus a nice hole filled with some compost and manure, along with the soil. It also depends on the variety of hosta. Some have fast growth rates, others are slow. The year after the damage can be very disappointing. The following year most hostas will look pretty good. I sure hope this is true.... Last winter something ate almost all of the dormant eyes on my large Jewel of the Nile (boo hoo). It had puny growth last summer. I tell myself it was getting too big for its spot anyway. I hope this spring it looks better.

Hi all! Interesting thread! Great question! I will definitely have a pull out cutting board when I do my kitchen remodel. I LOVE the one another commenter showed us with the cutting board coming out from the end of the counter! I'm not sure I could do that given my somewhat "stuck" layout, but I'm building an island and wondering if I could do it there? I don't know, will have to investigate. My last apartment, which was in a pretty new complex, had a pull out cutting board that I used almost daily. I also grew up with them, and my parents used it all the time too. I think the reason they fell out of favour for a while was because claims were made, and believed, that plastic cutting boards were more hygienic. However, several scientific, peer reviewed studies have now proven the wood cutting boards are actually more hygienic than plastic or stone. They are now making a comeback in a big way. I must respectfully disagree with the comments that suggested the pull out boards are difficult to operate or remove for cleaning. How do you not pull them out all the way? Because you are smarter than a fifth grader. They are simple to remove, wash, dry, and put away. They last forever, if properly cared for, and I can't think of a better, less expensive way to create more food prep space! My pull out cutting board(s) will be butcher block. Keep them clean and oil as necessary, and they're a food safe surface that is also beautiful. I don't have a great answer to your question. It sounds like what you have now is taking up too much valuable counter space. It doesn't sound like keeping bread fresh for an extended period of time is an issue for you. I don't know what your parameters are in terms of budget and feasibility, but I think almost whatever option you choose to solve the bread issue, a pull out cutting board would be a great thing to have in your busy family kitchen! Of course, that is only my personal opinion. You should do whatever is best for your situation. :-)

It will do okay in zone 8 four out of five winters, though it will eventually buy the farm when the temperature drops to the low 20s and stays there all day. If you want to keep it evergreen, grow it in a container. If you don't mind replacing it every few years — tropical mandevillas have become quite affordable — go ahead and take the plunge.

Iris, what kind of plant are those cats ravaging? The Mexican Sweet Herb is very pretty. I guess you could call it a frogfruit, because it's so closely related. It looks like it would make a nice front of the border, or container plant. Do you get many butterflies on the flowers? Do uou know what species of them are the best as host plants. One side of my house is shaded by Oak, and Cottonwood. Grass won't grow there so I have ferns and Hostas, and there's a few shade loving Carex sedge in there too. I noticed a bunch of little plantains in there, that are tiny because of the dry, hot, weather. I'm going to start watering and fertilizing them for the Buckeyes. When I went to harvest a syriaca stalk tonight, I found yet another Monarch cat on it.