HI! They are not too bad and for sure can be saved. I would replant those tall ones up to their first set of true leaves, so you will bury that spindly stem. Lettuce can not be deeply transplanted like that but I think if you get the light 1" away from the top of their leaves and get a fan gently blowing on them they will get stockier. Next time... I have always had good luck with a 50/50 mix of warm and cool bulbs, I have never spent the extra money on Gro-Lux ones. Yor seedlings should look a lot better once transplanted and brought closer to the light Let us know how they are doing! Keriann~

I thought briefly about ways to put in drainage holes after the fact, but I lack a means of suspending the container while I drill from underneath. My boys are too young to help, and my husband is out of the country. We're meeting him in Fl this Friday, we won't be all back home for another week. It would be pretty difficult for me to get any leverage from below, and I'll need enough room to work so just propping it up on a couple wood block probably wouldn't be sufficient. I have an number of pointy objects, and a cordless drill, even a dremmel. I've got metal bits, plastic bits and masonry bits - so I'm sure I have a too that would get it done if I could figure out how, but then of course I'd be drilling up into the seed bed which may be disturbing as well. This is thick, medium-duty at least plastic, not deli meat container, chinese soup take out that you can just shove a scissors through. I'm talking molded or extruded, commercially produced, rigid plastic - it's gonna take a bit of muscle. I'm not picturing the kitchen fork or knitting needle going through, I'm envisioning the point of my paring knife breaking off. I'm also not sure if something like a hammer and nail theory would cause the plastic to crack. Of course, the crack would drain well. I'll have to look at it from a few other angles and see if there is a way to access it to install drainage. Thanks, Sherri

The strategy is sound. I can see the "enlightenment" of not only having diversity in your plantings but, also the less of chances to harbor one insect that could wipe out your entire screen (although probably not too likely to occur, but yes I can understand either way). I don't think any conifer would be that intolerant of part shade so plant as you wish. Two understory conifers that come to mind however, which are those that are in a fair amount of sun when seedlings in their natural habit are: Picea engelmannii and Picea mariana. Or, mariana simply tolerates shade very well, it's one or the other. I'd definitely go for some skinnier trees and ones I like are: Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika) Picea omorika 'Pendula' Picea engelmannii 'Lace' or 'Bush's Lace' Picea abies 'Virgata' Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula' Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' Picea engelmannii 'Snake' Cedrus deodara 'Shalimar' is always worth a try (Zone 5) Ginkgo biloba 'Fastigiata' / 'Princeton Sentry' Larix occidentalis Taxodium distichum 'Shawnee Brave' Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Ogon' Picea glauca 'Pendula' Abies balsamea 'Weeping Larry' Abies balsamea Abies alba 'Green Spire' Abies veitchii 'Pendula' Abies balsamea 'Cooks Blue Improved' (Seedling Strain) Thuja occidentalis 'Pyramidal' Pinus resinosa 'Fastigiata' Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Sheridan Spire' Acer japonicum 'Lovette' Fagus sylvatica 'Purple Fountain' Acer rubrum 'Red Rocket' Dax

It's nice to be remembered. Thank you. :) I've been lurking for eons. Well, I took the scary plunge and painted inside the bulletin board green today. It's not Hearts of Palm specifically, but a similar concept. My neighbor has it in her kitchen and poured a little sample into a jar for me. I'm calling it "Neighbor's Kitchen" - haha. The custodian walked in and said, "Oh that's soooo much better!" So I guess that's good. I'm thinking of painting the top half a putty-type neutral. I'm not a fan of tans or light browns, but almost a grayed down version. I can see it in my head and I really hope it's not a huge mistake. Most of the school is indeed done in blues, but if I have to look at blue all day long I will lose my everloving mind. ;) I'm a color girl and I live in the gray Pacific Northwest, so happy is a must. There are rooms in the school painted purple, brown, etc, and my office is behind a closed door in the back of the reception area, so I'm going green. The principal said any color I wanted. I'm taking him literally. :) I'll post a picture tomorrow after I get the top half going.