Thanks for all your sweet comments. Some of the bottles are from the $1 store, including the purple one. My cousin gave me several old bottles that was found on my uncles farm. The wind blows threw them and makes a wonderful sound. here is another bottle bug I made yesterday and a teapot totem. I no longer have the chandiler, traded it for the birdhouse. It was very hard to keep tidy, rain etc. the fun part was in the making.

Clearly gardengal has never had Asian beetles in her house. In the last house we lived in, this time of year was miserable. In one room of the house, there were always thousands. Inside. I could literally vacuum up every stinking one and 5 minutes later there would be at least 50 new ones already. It was the most awful thing I had ever seen. That house was about 35 years old and was built of natural limestone. It had a working fireplace in the room. It had a west window where the sun shown in brightly. We worked and worked and worked to try to seal up every opening, but it was impossible. They came down the fireplace, around the windows, and seemed to literally come through the walls. The deluge stopped about December every year. We sold the house about 3 years ago. And I was just sitting here in my new house, watching a single Asian beetle trying to get into my screened in porch, and wondered how the new owners were dealing with that issue. I really thought they'd complain, but I haven't heard a thing. :)

Jean- My 4 o'clocks never come up the following year, they always get frozen by winter. They do not even self seed here. I mean they do alll summer but then again nothing comes up over winter. So I have to start them again, which is a real pain. I had them running all along the front wall last summer until I yanked them to make that big planter box in the front yard were lots of new daylilies are going to be planted. Now morning glories are another story, those always (and easily) self seed. I find that if I leave any or miss any they bloom the wrong colors with smaller flowers, so I pull out self seeded vines and plant new ones from bought seeds. Last year I had some on a tower but they got so overgrown I pulled them out. This spring I think I will plant them on a much bigger, stronger tower were my trumpet vine died. Julie- I love the flowers on the bearded iris but for me the bloom period is too short to go nuts and plant them all over. Also, I do not like the looks of the bearded iris folliage. That skinny bed section in the front will be it for now. The Siberian Iris are different and I think they will be a lovely no fuss addition to my garden. Last night I also ordered one Japanese Iris because the picture was so lovely, I could not resist. I had some Japanese Iris many, many years ago at another house but not since then. I have this empty spot that I tried daylilies in but moved them because I did not like the look there. Its got roses and crosima on the sides and daylilies in front and then empty spot will now be iris. I also bought my first ever Spuria Iris and still don't know where I will plant it.

Been discussed here before and I do believe someone posted a link about how to be safe and eliminate the bugs. I don't have time to search for the thread but I remember responding that I had asked our exterminator about bedbugs and they use the heat/steam method to get rid of them. I've also read/seen on the news where you can leave an item in sub temps for a certain time period to kill them - if feasible of course. I love antiques and do not intend to quit buying them. I will take precautions. Our exterminator also explained to us how to look for and find bed bugs. tina