HI Spike I am on Cape Cod - I live on a "cut-through" road. I put in a circular driveway for easy acess for visitors and wanted to take out all of the front grass near the road and just put in plants. My Uncle a retired landscaper advised me not to rip up the grass, just because of the road salt and plows. He told me that I wouldn't have plants because of the salt come spring. So I left a strip of grass then put in rocks ( from the beach) around the flower bed. In the flower bed is an assortment of flowers I had for years and some I got ideas from members here on the web. What I have had for years are Iris, Spirea, Daisy, Lily and Black-Eyed Susans. For annuals I always put in Petunias and Impatiens, as well as what ever I find hardy - some times snapdragons. I have now added the Cape Cod orange Lilies, Tickseed, two Roses, and Hyrandgeas sp.(I put in the fall and they came up despite the cold harsh winter). In this bed with regular mulch I also put in the pine chips from trees I had cut down in my yard. They are all fine. Even the new spring Tulips and Daffodils did well. But I really think the strip of grass and the pine chips saved my plants. I hope this helps. Because too plows are known to take down mailboxes in the winter I line the strip of grass in front bed with reflectors. The people who plow don't care much I find they barrel down the street but the reflectors do help so they know there is the yard there especially when its snow very hard and difficult to see! Oh and I don't know the name of this plant but it spreads on its own, each year I get more and just dig them up and plant them in other spots, but is beautiful and gets tall with with silver grey leaves and purple flowers - its everywhere here on the Cape and also the geraniums both the annual and the perannual bushes I have had luck with. Since I want this bed "filled" and "thick" I am now digging up yarrow that is growing and moving it to this bed - but that can be invasive - a little goes a long way. Oh and the Cape Cod Roses found at the beach and as well as the cottage fence Roses always survive too. Good Luck! Chantel :-)

SCPearson/Susan, You are more than welcome to join us at the swap. It is a lot of fun, a wonderful way to add to the plants you already have or are looking for, a great way to meet gardeners and have some "goodies" and lots of fun talk. wispfox/Suzanne You would have to dig up your main plants and divide the main plant into smaller plants, then pot up the smaller plants for the swap, and keep most of the main plant for yourself, (unless you didn't want to keep any for yourself.) Once you have divide up your main plant into the smaller pieces to bring to the swap, carefully replant your main plant and give it plenty of water and tender loving care. Take the small divisions that you made from the main plant, and pot those up in some soil in containers with good drainage. Keep those divisions well watered and in a sheltered, partly shaded area till the swap. hotzenplotz Welcome to you as well. Trust me when I say, you will have a car full of plant divisions and seedlings to start you on your way to beautiful gardens. And lots of us, including myself grow our own veggies, so you should be finding some veggies as well. And of course goodies are always welcome. fgirl21 Phlox taken if you don't want it. any idea what the color is? Heidi will be very happy to take it for her rock garden area. Lisa Still laughing over those "last famous words". You aren't going to take anything home this year? LOL, you must have forgotten all about those seeds you asked me to sow for you, while you sowed some for me. OK, I'll give you this. You aren't counting those that you where already planning on taking. It's all the others you aren't going to take home? Right? Yup, everyone just ignore Lisa and what she says about how much she will take home. It never works out that way and she knows it and we love you anyways, even though you keep trying and trying and trying and trying. You always find something that you weren't expecting and take it home. Just remember. wherever there is dirt, you can dig a hole and plant something in it. Fran

You are all quite welcome, and thank you for coming to the swap. It was quite a large crowd, larger than the past 4 years, but the more the merrier. The swap keeps growing in size every year and that is so much fun. More people, new people, new garden friends to meet and always new and more variety of plants, seedlings, divisions to share. Blake, my hubby said the same thing, gardeners are always smiling, especially at a swap. So here are some questions for all of us. Why all the smiles yesterday? 1. Because all the plants, seedlings, divisions where finding new homes because we had no place for them in our gardens? 2. Because of all the new plants and seedlings we where bringing home to replace the ones we where giving away? 3. Because we where all with a group of people just like ourselves, crazy, plant loving, gardeners and no one at the swap thought we where crazy, but rather, we where al the sane ones? 4. Because we where with a group of people with common interests and could just let ourselves be ourselves and not think twice about it? 5. Because it is all of the above? Now I'll answer first, it's because of all of the above. Can't get any better than a bunch of like minded gardeners, all together in one location with tons and tons of plants and seedlings being offered for free and adding to the garden beds, talking with people about our love of gardening and having good food and drinks and perfect weather to boot. So I'll see all of you again, around the same time of year next year. And again for what will be the 5th year in a row, I'll be praying that I will have no more back problems and not facing another spine surgery after the swap. Thank you all for coming, glad everyone had such a good time, brought home "new babies" for the beds and as always, everyone is welcome to come, with or without plants, seedlings, divisions. Just come and take home our extras and give them good homes. NOW, all that wonderful home made food; I posted a thread to collect all those recipes. Everyone was saying things like I've got to get that recipe, so folks start posting the recipes for them. Michael, wintersowing is the best. Go onto the Winter sowing forum and read the FAQ's to start with. Have a question post on the forum. We are the friendliest and most welcoming forum on GW. No question is ignored, and we will welcome you with open arms and get you addicted real quick. And you can always e-mail me any time with questions. Kathy, they will grow up perfectly in their new home, on the other end of town. I will have to come and see them. It's not like we are that far away from each other. OK, time for me to start killing my back and get my beds planted. Count down time for me, before I'm not able to garden again till the fall. You all saw what is in my fenced in yard to get in the ground. POST THOSE RECIPES FOR ALL OF US. AGNES THOSE STUFFED PHYLLO...

I don't think you are understanding the process or how plumbing faucets actually works. All tub faucets have the trim and the valves separately. And all need an access hole in a tub skirt or adjacent closet etc. to be able to install the valves. They don't install from above at all. The trim installs above after the rough ins are done below the deck. The set you have would work with some extenders. And the set you are buying will probably work. But only if you have access to install it. You either need a different plumber who can explain things better to you, or can have some initiative to make things work here. This post was edited by live_wire_oak on Sun, Mar 10, 13 at 14:15