Trees are major competitors for nutrients and water. If you're striving to grow huge, luscious hostas, you'll have to control or eliminate root competition. Some folks have inquired about installing a root proof barrier. Although there are a variety of techniques to deal with the problem, the method(s) you may choose to employ is determined by the amount of work and money you're willing to expend. For my gardens, I prefer installing a continuous liner that cannot be penetrated by tree roots. Of course, it's much easier to do so during the installation of a new flower garden than with an existing one. First, you'll have to dig out the top soil where your new flower bed will be. Determine what depth you desire. Large hostas that are well-grown can have a fairly deep root system. I like my top soil to be at least 2 feet deep, even deeper if I can. Rake the bottom of the hole flat and smooth. Now you're ready to install the liner. A variety of materials is suitable, and what you go with depends primarily upon your budget. The cheapest is to pick up an old swimming pool liner (or solar cover) from someone's trash, or find one on Craigslist. I see a lot of them throughout the summer. However, a really old one can be brittle, so check it out before you haul it home. The next cheapest would be a sheet of heavy black plastic. But that can be puntured or torn fairly easy. A better option is a poly tarp, which will last quite a while underground where no UV light can cause it to deteriorate. Poly tarps are available in different thicknesses and sizes, up to 40' x 60'. Buy the industrial strength one if you can afford it, and get one large enough to cover the whole flower bed. An alternative option for a liner is landscape fabric. The commercial grade stuff is much thicker and is available in a 6 ft. or 12 ft. wide roll, 300 ft. long. And finally, the best material for a root proof barrier is a synthetic rubber liner which can be purchased from a water garden supplier (a "pond liner") or from a roofing supplier because the same material is used on flat roofs. It will last much longer than any of the other previously mentioned materials, and the seams can be glued tight so there's no chance for roots to get through. Regardless of the material you choose, proper installation of the liner is essential. Any breech- the slightest tear or hole- will seriously compromise its integrity. Seams must be impervious. The liner must come all the way up out of the ground, and can be fastened to a strip of lawn edging or landscape timber if desired. Be careful not to puncture the liner with a shovel or garden stake once it's installed. Beside preventing root competition, a liner has additional benefits. By in large, a liner keeps out ground moles which otherwise would be tunneling through your flowers. And if the liner is leak proof, it can serve as a constant water reservoir, reducing the frequency and expense of regular irrigation. Hope that helps answer some questions about installing a root proof liner. Don

Sunnyco, I'll just bet that's what my mom's rolling pin started out life as! My father made it for her, I'm sure that it was originally a dowel. That's basically what mine is too although it came from Wm Sonoma & was more costly than a closet pole (I'm sure). The edges of the ends are rounded a bit. Demicent, those hollow glass rolling pins are the coolest. I see them at glass shows all of the time but always wondered about their fragility. I guess they'd have to be pretty durable for them to still be around & in use. Nina

I don't feel strongly about her either way; I don't know much about her other than former spice girl married to david beckham .. I have to say that if she doesn't smile because she hates her teeth I am baffled. Why someone of her means and apparent willingness to alter appearance would not get her teeth fixed - seems like a no brainer. ( not likely to be finances won't allow:))

My favorite is my mother's. '60's yellow plastic with red trim (melamine?), kind of textured, with ball bearings. It works so well! I have a black with white trim, 1990's version which is a little lighter and doesn't hold the flour on the surface as well and just isn't good enough for pastry. It's good for cookies, though, and rolled biscuits. What I use most is a cutesy-poo Joseph Joseph one which is a straight, fat wood dowel and has rings you can put on to measure thickness. I'm guessing about 2.5" thick? The rings work fine for small amounts of dough, but there has to be room between the edge and the rings. I don't usually use them. There are also measuring marks on the rolling pin which can be handy. It works great for pie crust all on its own, as well as with the Perfect-A-Crust pie diameter rings. I really like the weight, heavy but not too heavy and it's only 14" so very maneuverable. It doesn't hold flour at all and I have to use a "sock" with it to roll something sticky. I also have a little wood one, which is about an inch in diameter and a foot long. I think it was meant for pasta, but it's good for anything wee and fiddly. It holds flour really well. For oversized stuff, I have a 20" metal (chrome?) fondant roller, which is another cylinder. It's easy to chill. Probably 2" in diameter. Does a good job but hard to put a sock on.