Or...you could order the impress aluminum labels from the manufacturer for a very good price at http://www.amekron.com I find that they hold up way better than the flimsy ones from other suppliers that have only a single hole for the stainless steel wire. Since I've been using the Amekron labels I haven't lost one. The old ones have littered my landscape as they inevitably fall off after a few years because the wire works its way through the thin aluminum. Charley

Somewhere in another post on the subject of nematodes Ken made a comment about not understanding the fuss.... that it's going to happen and it's a part of growing hostas. Those aren't his words but the message is pretty much the same. I just discovered in the past few days that I have nematodes. I sent HUGE clumps of Grand Tiara and Allegan Fog to Andrea. The GT has them but not the AF. Because of Ken's comment on the matter and because of all the posts on the matter, I decided to pose the question to a pro. I called Hideko Gowen 1) to say Happy Birthday and 2) to find out what her stance is on the subject. She says it's inevitable - if you collect hostas you will eventually get nematodes. When she buys TC's and does a trade they go into a seperate part of her garden. The reason for this is that she sells hostas. If any turn up with nematodes she throws them out. She also said if she DID NOT sell hostas, she would NOT throw them out. She laughed and said by this time of the year most hostas look ugly so who cares?? She also added that she believes any reputable vendor would not sell you a plant knowing it had nematodes. Interesting to note that the infected plant I sent Andrea was next to another huge clump of GT that appears not to be infected. It has a few burn marks, but it is grown in full sun. In the future, if I share with a friend I will give them the option of declining the plant if I feel it may be infected. If the plant had never shown any signs of nematodes, I would tell the person I was giving it to that fact but also tell them I have the todes in another part of the yard. So Janice - lucky for you the Little Sunspot I sent was actually planted right next to the Allegan Fog I sent Andrea. She said it is not showing any signs of being infected. But for your own piece of mind you might want to quarantine it for a year or two. And Ken - I'm with you and Hideko on this one. Teresa

Dave....No kidding ha..lol How you been anyways... Have you posted some pics of your plumies this year? I would love to see them. I have been too tired to read posts lately anymore, and if I missed any, please send me in that direction will ya? Did you get many blooms? I am finally getting one, just as the nights are getting cool..Dang it. I hope I can get a least a couple of blooms to open.. I think next year I am going to try a new strategy..I am going to wake my plumies up earlier, and stick them in sun before spring...let's see how that works.. Hope you are doing well.... Mike

The forecasts behind the graphics haven't changed so I'm not even going to comment on the accuracy or otherwise. I'll just suggest that the aim of any improvements like this should be to offer more clear and more detailed information. I feel that the new graphics offer this potential but have been made more cluttered instead of more clear so that we can have moving raindrops and 3-D representations. We get ludicrous situations such as peering through a haze of raindrops falling on London to try and see whether the sun is supposed to be shining in Yorkshire. And I suspect there is some subtle distinction between different kinds of raindrops indicating steady rain or passing showers, and if not there should be. What's the point showing an precise blob of raindrops sitting exactly on Manchester if all it means is there is a 10% chance of a shower today? Seems to me like the whole thing is another dumbing down of a type that the BBC is getting better at all the time. Maybe we could have a "real" weather forecast on BBC2 ;)