Good for you! I wouldn't cut out comb...risk of killing queen. Open one side of box, top or bottom which ever works best, then set it on top of brood box. If it happens you have to turn upside down the box even better, they move out more quickly but nurse bees would stay for a while tending brood. If the box doesn't cover brood box, you could cover the rest with cardboard. Put a frame feeder into the brood box and feed & feed until they drawn at least one deep super,...if that's what your intentions are? Here we go with two deep. Setting the box over the frames, you can't use the inner cover, that's fine, set the box to one side that you have access to a couple of frames, [move cardboard] to fill your frame feeder and check frames for progress. Make sure you seal up any entrance to the box, they now have access from your main entrance, [bottom board] ..you might need a reducer, especially when traffic is low, helps against robbing.

Blossom Queen is very striking. We didn't get thunderstorms yesterday as they warned but today, we had showers which they didn't predict. I think the meteorologists on our local station need to go back to school for a refresher course. Glad to see your getting rain. Julia

I agree with Paul. Lily of the Valley is a monster. I use it under a very old maples and conifers where even grass won't grow because of the trees root competition and shade. It may eventually kill the trees and grow right over them. That Tom Schmid is awesome. Like a smaller Regal Splendor. And so many colors in your Kiwi Full Monty! I just got mine this year, and even though it only has 4 leaves (my hostas are all still unfurling), I'm already in love with it.

I wonder if the problem isn't that you are determined to stick to a neutral. It might be easier to find something for the space that you and DH both like if you considered colours if you have not already done so. Or wallpaper for that matter, but that might not be your style (but can think of a few that would be stunning in there). Lazygardens recently posted a link to this blog (that I've linked below) and the author (Maria Killam) has some interesting things to say about colour vs. neutrals, especially in places that don't have a lot of natural light. That may be the situation with respect to your shadowy corner. Check out the quote from her in the Style at Home magazine that is currently on her home page. I found many of her blog entries (listed down the right if you scroll down) very helpful, especially about light colours and dark rooms. Sometimes when I am driving myself crazy trying to find a path among a number of constraints, I come to realize that some of the constraints are actually self-imposed and can be overcome just by giving myself permission to think of something different. I've just spent nearly three days full time obsessing about colours in a couple of rooms (after a few weeks of stewing about it too) so believe me, I've been there! In the one case I found an answer by giving up on blue which I thought for the longest time was the only option I had in the space and looking at pinks instead. That locked-in with no way to go feeling was something I'd done to myself! KarinL Here is a link that might be useful: Color me Happy blog