Property taxes can be high here in NC too. I think Gaston county has a lot of crime. Charlotte is wonderful, that's where we go to do decent shopping/dining. Charlotte is definitely where it's at as far as I am concerned. Wilmington is nice but too close to coast, hurricanes. Personally I like Asheville a lot. Lots of art and culture there including hippies. I don't have a clue about the schools in any of the areas I mentioned. I live in Hickory, NC, small city with the traffic of a large city, yuk. Winston Salem is also nice. Greensboro is near and High Point although I don't know what High Point has to offer. Carla

This makes me nervous for you! Waiting to see? Sorry. We have a deck under construction right now (2 years after our home was built). A landscaper that we've used on many projects at multiple houses is handling this. He has a masters in engineering, yet he hired another engineer to come out and check the footings and the design plan. The carpenter has worked for our landscaper for 10 years. The building inspector came out for the footings and design plan, too. Ours is complex as it goes around an oval pool, but ours doesn't budge at all, even with all the complex cantilevering that had to be done. It's probably over-engineered, but we're happy with that. If you want me to snap some photos of the supports, I can do that after the crew leaves today. Good luck with this --make sure it's safe. You can replace a deck, but you can't replace people. Cameron

Well, isn't this interesting? The saga continues, eh Esther? Never a dull moment in your part of the world, lol. Just wanted to clarify for those who aren't familiar with Esther's garden..... This garden is not Esther's personal garden per se; however, management allows Esther to grow some plants and share space with what Esther refers to as the "obligatory bushes/shrubs" that management has planted around the complex where Esther lives. As such, it is a claimed area /garden tended to by Esther at her expense. She has purchased the plants and looks after them. Is this close enough of an explanation, Esther? ... About the Rose canes...However the canes got there, it cannot be determined whether they were gifted or purposely planted there. I don't think "finders keepers" applies here, Esther. I agree with Babka - they are not yours to dispose of. You could make an effort to ask around instead of assuming you have the right to yank them out. It may cause you grief - you never know. Better to err on the side of caution. Would hate to see anything negative impact on your garden. ... It really does not matter at this point how close these are planted together. If they were simply planted to root (to be removed later) they don't need much space for that to happen. My gardener instinct is telling me that these were not intended to remain there for long but simply to set roots... but of course I could be wrong. ... It is apparent by the pictures that the canes were not thrust into a hosta or heuchera but rather around them, out of harms way...for the time being. Esther, If you want to keep peace (and keep management off your back) here is a suggestion. Obviously the canes cannot remain where they are so you could carefully lift/dig them up and re-plant them off to the side where you mentioned earlier...somewhere where management wouldn't notice easily....until you solved the mystery who they belong to. It is a possibility that whoever planted them there may be back to claim them soon....there may yet be an opportunity for a courteous conversation with whomever..? One final comment...there are all kinds of gardeners out there and not all are experts. Some just enjoy growing annuals, or keep a lovely lawn with foundation planting. Some, like myself, are crazy about perennials ... and over the top crazy about their hostas. This mystery person just may be a gardener...enough of a gardener to know that one needs only inches of space to set rose canes into the earth in order for them to root. I am looking forward to seeing more photos of your garden and its inhabitants, Esther! I'll bet there will be some "leaps" in some of your hostas! Happy Spring! :-) Edited: we cross-posted, Babka.

My symapthies - very frustrating! I'd be inclined to think it's woodchucks since both rabbits and deer typically are relatively neat. IME woodchucks leave pieces around and don't make really clean cuts. However, don't assume that deer would be deterred by this being a public park surrounded by roads and houses. They would come to feed probably around dawn (they feel fairly safe at 3:45 am) or dusk, and usually are fairly savvy about what people are threats IME. Any repellents will need to be replaced after rain, and I don't know if they will work on woodchucks - we use a more permanent solution. Milorganite (which will fertilze as well), or any of the deer or rabbit repellents are worth trying such as Bobbex, Deer Away, etc., or there are lots of homemade repellent recipes that usually include some combination of garlic, hot pepper, old eggs, blood meal, etc. mixed well with a small amount of soap or some milk powder. Let the mix sit for several hours in a warm spot, strain through cheesecloth, and then spray. Regardless of what you use, commercial or homemade, spray from upwind and wear old clothes with good coverage since often they are something you don't want to be perfumed with. The scent dissipates in the garden after a relatively short time, but can cling to clothes and skin.