Thanks much to everyone who responded. Took me a while to get out for pics and then remember (hopefully) how to post them! Here's a photo from this spring that shows most of the bed and puts the gas meter in context (this was before the arborvitae got really bad, but you can see some browning already): [URL=http://img822.imageshack.us/i/p5180018.jpg/][IMG]http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/8155/p5180018.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL] A closeup of the area now: [URL=http://img838.imageshack.us/i/pa100026.jpg/][IMG]http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/3268/pa100026.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Closeup of the catmint's backside - little stubs up and down the stems where leaves used to be: [URL=http://img838.imageshack.us/i/pa100024.jpg/][IMG]http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9095/pa100024.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The other side of the arb, mostly okay with some damage from the other side showing through: [URL=http://img829.imageshack.us/i/pa100028.jpg/][IMG]http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6030/pa100028.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL] And here's a view from the other side of the bed with the healthy arborvitae in the foreground: [URL=http://img809.imageshack.us/i/pa100030.jpg/][IMG]http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/5209/pa100030.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL] I stuck my finger down in the soil about four inches and it felt semi-dry (we've had lots of rain in the last week so I haven't watered in over a week). Otherwise, I hadn't been watering this area any differently until relatively recently, and extra seems to be helping a little. (It looked MUCH worse!) The arbs were put in in the spring of 2008. The left one has always looked a little drier but not dramatically worse until this year. (The variety is 'DeGroot's Spire' which is supposed to mature at 2-3 feet wide - so I hadn't planned on any pruning unless I really screwed up and planted way too close!) I haven't gotten out there with soapy water yet but will do that tomorrow or Tuesday. Assuming there's no leak (hope not!), I'll plan on digging in a bunch of compost and see if that helps. Strange though that it would be so localized right in that spot if it was a fertility issue. I also like Skybird's idea of staking a simple thermometer right there next year, and also one on the other side for comparison. (I was wondering why you used so many quotes everywhere, Skybird...LOL...hopefully you'll have no more issues or new bugs!) Dianne

let us know how it goes; I did find this comment on a site called learn2grow in conjunction with Lowes - When the weather gets hot (over 85 degrees F), blue mist will slow down and flowering will decrease, but pruning back old blooms will encourage new ones. Very hot summers and very cold winters are the bane of this plant, so it can be short-lived. Plants arenÂt grown from seed, but they can be propagated easily from cuttings. As a result, it may be best to treat blue mist as a short-lived shrub and replant periodically (every 3-4 years). To create new plants, take softwood cuttings (the easily bendable, green wood) during summer. TheyÂll root easily, so rooting hormones arenÂt necessary. Just stick your cuttings in a good, well-draining potting mix and provide even humidity and lots of light (but not direct sunlight). So it may be that Texas heat isn't good for it. http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/shrubs/featuredplants/BlueMist.aspx You might also chat with High Country Gardens, they also know their stuff - a search for blue, xeric, in our area yielded this list: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/find/results/?category=101&query=&tags%5Bbloom-time%5D=&tags%5Bsun%5D=902&tags%5Bmoisture%5D=502&tags%5Bsoil%5D=&tags%5Bheight%5D=&tags%5Bflower-color%5D=303&regions=801&zone=&x=30&y=9 Have fun, I know what it is like to try to find the perfect plant for the tough spots...

NREL is 'the place' where high tech products are studied and given a quality rating. A company now makes a quality product - see here: http://www.reflectechsolar.com/ And if I'm mistaken due to short time what I want you to find is a product either they or another company makes which is a HQ reflective material that can take a pounding for 10 years but is made not as a sheet but as a 1/2" thick kind of woven material. You lay it on the surface you want to protect and it reflects away heat and doesn't get hot, itself, as its area allows air to remove any absorbed heat. I'm confused about the way you describe your situation. If you block sun (1) before its inside then you're done with the job. Any covering will do. If it were me I'd put up cardboard for the summer and save up during Winter for my next Summer need of cardboard. (1) sun is about 100 watts of heat / sq ft. or 1000 watts / st meter or yard (1 sq yard = 9 sq ft) Please follow through on how you finish this and post photos to a hosting site where we can have a look. one site is simple and free at http://www.bild.me/ Here is a link that might be useful: photo hosting - give us the last URL on the list

Yes. Specifically Low-e coated glass does. Look for Low-e 366 from Cardinal or Solarban 70 from PPG.