I agree Ali, last year was the first year on my first bed. I planted 2 year old crowns and in the Fall it was really hard leaving all those spears to become ferns. I confess I sneaked 6 of them into the house and boy were they yummy! I chewed as slow as possible to savor ever spear. LOL This is my first full harvest, I go out every day looking for little tips that might be poking through. I don't get enough leaves in my yard to mulch with so I use straw, it worked great against weeds, i like using it, just was not sure if it should come off. I am taking Ed's advice and getting bagged manure tomorrow and putting it in the bed. Today I planted my third gus bed, so now I have 35 crowns planted. Thanks for responding to my question. Susan

Some are still green. Some never were. I did a scratch test earlier in the year and it was still greenish inside the cane I tested, that spot has since dried and become noticeably browner, so I was assuming at that point it was still alive. It just seems to be coming along so slow with no growth at all that I'm starting to wonder. I bought em because me mum loves em. If they die, that was my good faith effort and I'm shoppin for some cherry trees for me. : ) Side note, I got a tophat in a pot last year for mom, and it hasn't done anything this year either, and most of it's trunk is still green save for the woody stem and the tiny tips of the branches. Thanks, Guess I'll wait and watch.

Didn't get to tiling today :( as the stone place was closed when I got there last night. As I was writing the post, it just crossed my mind that there would be inevitable overlap. I pushed the thought aside. I will look at my sample over the next few days... maybe I will just find another grout and stop making this so difficult. OH- and I just remembered a question I had for you!!! The white tile (red body) I have used is 5x5 and the edges are wavy- yes wavy, like someone had an unsteady hand while cutting, but it's intentional. So there is variability in the grout line size. I am concerned that some of the spaces are quite tight and some are perhaps greater than 1/8". So in the tight spaces, I don't think I could get sanded grout in, yet I am wondering about the wider grout areas? Any suggestions? DH had used epoxy grout like over 10 years ago, and found it difficult, as I thought this may be an answer as there is only one kind, any suggestions on how should I decide which grout?

We had a similar situation a couple years ago when we hired my brother's friend and co-worker to build us a fairly complicated set of stairs/small deck. We chose materials (Ipe wood decking/vinyl railing) that the builder (who does this as a side job) had never used. There was a definite learning curve involved to using these materials. DH is an engineer and provided elaborate working plans, so I think the builder thought it would be easier to accomplish than it was. It took him forever, and we could tell he was getting really frustrated. However, he was a really nice guy and we totally trusted him to be at our house when we weren't around. He also hooked us up with the most fabulous stone worker who later installed the patio. When it was done we were embarrassed to pay him what he originally quoted us. DH and I decided to throw in a couple extra hundred dollars for his troubles. I also took lots of great photos of the finished work, both before and after the patio and landscaping were installed, and put it all on a disc for him. He was really thrilled with this, because he was building a website and these photos really showcased his work. Even though we didn't end up paying him what the job would have cost if he was more experienced and priced it correctly, we did acknowledge his efforts by giving him extra. I think it worked out well for both of us--he gained experience that will pay off down the road and we have a beautiful structure that another contractor wouldn't have considered building without a premium charge. The trade off for us was that it took forever to have it built--in fact we lost most of the useable summer season waiting for it. Most importantly, this guy is a member of the community we live in. He lives down the road from us and we bump into him all the time. We always have a friendly chat when we meet. I've learned that developing and nurturing positive relationships with the people in our communities/lives is always worth it! You never know when/how your paths might cross again. I like the idea of a gift certificate for your neighbor, and would add some pictures of the finished job so he can use them to build his business. BTW, Val, I think you have done the most spectacular job remodeling your home--both inside and out. I am amazed at your energy and patience! Hopefully it will all end soon so you can sit back and enjoy it all!