I drove through a small town last week where they had these really cool lamp posts down each side of their main street. They had hanging baskets of flowers on each side. The flowers sort of filled in and looked like a solid band of color around the post. So I want to make something similar. A post, painted, with baskets and maybe a solar light , (those tacky ones you see lining a drive way ). Small and round that would sit right in the top of the pipe. Does this sound do-able? How is the best way to anchor the post ? Concrete ? I ran this by my husband and got those rolling eyeballs we all love to see. But I really think I can do this by myself. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

I like the idea and the execution. Looking ahead, you need to anchor it for winds. With the rose on one side, it will have windage and get blown with your prevailing winds. You want some cords that tie down the pipes that are on the side that the prevailing winds come from. You also want at least two tiers of copper wires. (If you have an upholstery book, the 'knot' that's used to secure springs in sofas, etc. is the ideal knot for this sort of thing) The tiers of wire should be sort of equally spaced. They aren't for this year, but for two or three years down the road, then the weight of the canes (with wind) will be enough to torque the structure. It looks good the way it is, you don't want torqued bent pipes. Instead of buying copper wire, electrical wire (as in wiring houses) once the exterior casing is removed, has three wires that are good and sturdy. Find where someone's renovating a house.)

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

On our remodel I told our builder I wanted copper on all drinking water sources. I rationalized that I spend enough time in places where I can't drink the water and I wasn't doing that in my own house. We are using PEX for the baseboard heat, PVC for waste lines, and copper for all supply. I know that PEX has its benefits but it hasn't been around long enough that I'm drinking from it (even though I drank from a green garden hose as a kid, I know it's somewhat irrational but it's my money). I don't think your choice will affect resale UNLESS someone finds out that it does leach chemicals and then it will be like Chinese drywall and lead paint - a big deal for some people but not all.