Jeff, I posted on your thread about my pitifulness a couple of days ago, but it got hung up and never appeared -- and, apparently, that is as it should be. The intervening posts have moved in a better direction away from pitiful. (Except for poor floridarosez9.) As is my nature this time of year, I have been digging up roses lately, but I still don't have enough spots for the roses that need homes. So naturally, I bought more, but it was perfectly reasonable, I thought, because I was buying from my favorite nearby nursery before it changes hands. There were very few available so I basically bought any rose that was remotely capable of surviving in my garden. Alexander Hill Gray (not a problem plus he's a yellow Maman Cochet. Yippee!) and Napoleon (hopefully, these two will find places in the ground). Rose de Rescht (I've seen it growing here) and Marchesa Bocella - both will have to survive/thrive in pots. I have learned not to deceive my DH (I always get caught anyway), so I just sucked in a breathe and casually mentioned my purchase because maybe prices will go up plus I had them shipped which was cheaper than gasoline. I think it was the next day that I mentioned I was running out to dig up two roses before it got dark. Probably poor DH is very confused at this point. Sherry

Thankyou Char and Ken,and Paul, the pie guy is probably correct? I guess if you are writing a term paper or some type of scientific journal you might want to be able to clarify this exactly, but when talking to NORMAL people growing a little hosta in there yard.......but who cares, when counting EYES I dont dig up my whole hosta to see what is growing underground. (do people flip over icebergs to see how much is under water?) I count what is comming out of the ground, and when you BUY hosta online Many growers specify EYES as growing tips. if some said I was buying a Hosta with 2 eyes it better have 2 growing tips!! or buds, or shoots!! it just better show 2 plants growing in that clump! I am not stupid, and who cares, that is not what the 1st question was about. to get this far off the intended question shows that someone here has contempt or dislike for another person and is tryng to belittle them, and confuse the person that asked the original question. and then you call this person (who ask the question) a SIMPLETON?????????? if I was new?(Iwould feel stupid and throw that hosta in the TRASH!!, I would never come back here again!! SIMPLE QUESTION!!!! how dare you!!!!!!!!!! everbody is here for info not alot of jargon which you give, and which does not help the SIMPLETON, and (oh, I hate to spell it wrong) Wikipedia, is not the end all be all, and the golden goose that laid the golden hosta!! I am VERY sorry Harryshoe that you had to go thru all of this just to find out that in the NORMAL hosta jargon, that the word "eyes" really means "pointy new growth poking through the soil". some people, not all, are quite anal in there description of anything here. and if those people should read this will they agree? after you asked such a simple question that could be answered with a YES or NO answer? I am sorry for this long debate, it was a very simple answer. Yes, the new growth pointing out of the ground are "eyes"(dont rely on the science, it doesnt count what is above ground) count them every year and you will be impressed how much they multiply (unless you totally neglect it or plant it under a maple tree) AINT HOSTAS (shoot me for THAT plural somebody) GREAT!! Paul

I thought I was messing up my profile since every time I go into it...my favorite forums is set at Terrariums and Urban Gardening. Marti, There is a fix to the pop ups, albeit a bit technical. This was posted on a different Gardenweb forum and I have sadly not made a note of the original poster, but I thank him or her! It works beautifully for me, but only when I am logged in. This will work on Windows systems for all browsers; IE, FireFox and Netscape. The Windows operating system provides a system-level method to block specific IP addresses before they even get to the browser. To effect this solution you need to edit a Windows system file called hosts. This file is located in the directory: Windows XP: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC Windows 2K: C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC Windows 98: C:\WINDOWS Open the file in Notepad. Cut the following from this post and paste it to the end of the file. 127.0.0.1 amch.questionmarket.com 127.0.0.1 a820.g.akamai.net 127.0.0.1 iv.doubleclick.net 127.0.0.1 i.ivillage.com 127.0.0.1 m.2mdn.net 127.0.0.1 tste.ivillage.com 127.0.0.1 img-cdn.mediaplex.com 127.0.0.1 ads.vmirror.com 127.0.0.1 cmhtml.ivillage.overture.com 127.0.0.1 ads.pointroll.com Edit each entry so that there is a tab between the IP address 127.0.0.1 and the URLs. Save the file and you're finished. Close and re-open your browser and all the ads will be gone. Unfortunately, iVillage may in the future buy ads from a new source. In this event the new ad source will have to be added to the list. The IE solution. Most of the ads are placed using Java$cript. You can remove the more offensive ads in IE with the browser settings. You can't however remove them all. To improve GW using IE do the following: From the menu select Tools -> Internet Options -> Security and click on Custom Level. Scroll down to the end of the list and you'll see an entry for Scripting. Disable all the sub-entries. Now select the tab labeled Privacy. In the bottom of the box that appears check on the option to block pop-ups. I recommend you also click on the button Advanced and select the option to block Third-party Cookies. NOTE: By disabling Scripting you will also effect the way other websites behave. You may need to get used to switching scripting on and off as desired. That's why this is the least desirable of these various options. The FireFox solution This is an excellent choice -- it's the fastest performing of the options listed here: FireFox is superior to IE in every possible way. FireFox provides the added advantage of blocking all Spyware, an evil that IE brought into this world. * download and install Firefox 1.5 * in the FireFox address bar type about:config * scroll down the list to the entry xpinstall.enabled * right click on the entry and select toggle from the menu * toggle as needed to set the value to true * go to the Firefox website and follow links to extensions * find the extension adblock and install it * remember to toggle xpinstall.enabled back to false * in Firefox select Tools -> Adblock -> Preferences * use the New Filter field to add the following items: http://amch.questionmarket.com http://a820.g.akamai.net http://iv.doubleclick.net http://i.ivillage.com http://m.2mdn.net http://tste.ivillage.com http://img-cdn.mediaplex.com http://ads.vmirror.com http://cmhtml.ivillage.overture.com http://ads.pointroll.com * enable Adblock The trick with Adblock is to block the domain rather than the specific ad. If you click on Adblock to disable an ad. Select Tools -> Adblock -> Preferences from the menu and then edit the new entry; remove anything that follows after .com or .net. This will block everyting from that source. The Netscape solution. With Netscape you can shut down all the iVillage ads using the browser preference settings. From the menu select: Edit -> Preferences -> Privacy and Security -> Cookies Allow cookies for the originating website only Edit -> Preferences -> Privacy and Security -> Images Accept Images that come from the originating server only Edit -> Preferences -> Privacy and Security -> Images Block unrequested popup windows -- turn this on Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced Enable native object scripting -- turn this off Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Scripts & Plug-ins Enable Java$cript for Navigator -- turn this off NOTE: GW will now be ad free, however disabling Java$cript will effect how other websites behave. You may have to get used to switching this setting back and forth. Therefore I suggest the Universal option above is more appropriate. NOTE: You MAC users out there: Sorry I don't have more info for you except to say that FireFox and adblock are available for the MAC. There's no sense in further complaing, iVillage IS an ad. We need to let them be who they are and stop them on our end. Take care all.

I should point out that I'm not winter sowing for that back woodland area this year. I'm actually wintersowing edibles and flowers for my front garden - mostly edibles for the terraces and a herbaceous border for the side slopes. Growing plants from seed for my 1/4 acre front garden seemed ambitious enough for the first year... I have coughed up cash for foundation shrubs and trees, particularly ones necessary for privacy and to stabilize steep slopes and pull water out of wet areas. I picked up 10 Western Red Cedars and 10 Oregon Grape for now from the local native plant sale. That's about all the cedars we can fit in until we clear more uphill (and all the Tubex tree tubes I can afford). We'll put more in next year and keep working our way uphill. The Oregon Grape we're putting along the property line up the hill. Hopefully it will eventually block out the view of the neighbors driveway and parking pad so they're not looking in the back of the house. I'm still tempted to head out to the King County sale to pick up sword fern, which works really well here. The local sale only has shrubs and trees. As for island living, I'm personally in love with "the moat" as the locals call it. Keeps out the riffraff. ;) Living here would be much less convenient if we commuted, but we both work from home, so it suits us perfectly. We end up over on the mainland every week or two for some appointment or another, which keeps us from getting cabin fever.