I tried hoops and didn't like them. I have one that still grows on a hoop, but it sure doesn't want to. Most of my viners are in hanging pots and grow up the hanger (some have the plastic hangers, some have the braided hangers...) When they get to the ceiling, I clip them (only because I don't like the across the ceiling look...) It doesn't hurt for them to hang down and then grow up their own vines. I have a Dischida ovata that is going nutso doing just that. It looks absolutely stunning really. Hoyas are very resiliant and can take just about any kind of training. If you have a real "upwards" grower, a trellis might be a good answer. I have an australis ssp. tenuipes growing in my GH that I gave up trying to train and gave it a trellis. The only problem with a trellis is that once you commit to it, the leaves will always want to face the light source. So far, though, it still looks amazing. What kind of vining Hoya are you growing, Nova? Denise in Omaha

Treated lumber is toxic! It contains large amount of arsenic and heavy metals (chromium) such as copper. I don't know what you think is "iffy" about this stuff being bad for you. It won't make you drop dead in one season but chronic exposure to these chemicals will effect your health in an adverse way. There are lots of articles on CCA (chromated copper arsenate) treated wood. Think of the following most of this stuff is coming from overseas now, where quality control might not be as concisions as it should be. Also this industry is worth billions of dollars and as you know big business hates bad press. Why trust a bunch of people out to just make a buck, they don't care much about you slowly poison yourself. Look at asbestos if you belief the press when it was popular it was like mothers milk. If you think the scientific research is still out on this subject you are naïve. Read a little between the lines and they say that these chemicals donÂt leach very far (which means they are not held in the material like they are supposed to be), and plants take up everything that is in the soil. They say organic & inorganic arsenic are in everything and the FDA gives safe level as 40ppm. However, al the studies I have seen donÂt focus on large amounts of chromium & copper poisoning which we know is bad for you. Hey this stuff is fine around the flower beds, as long as you donÂt compost it and move it to you vegetables the next year. Hey the day I see the these scientists and industry moguls growing there own food in planted made of this stuff and feeding it to their children & grand kids IÂll think about doing the same. No body is willing to say sure go a head it's safe they only give you conditions and try to chaing the subject. Why take a risk with your health? Hey if a termite wonÂt eat this stuff or a mold wonÂt grow on it why should I put this stuff in my body? Think about this, it may save you a lot of pain in the long run. There is an alternative now ACQ®, which stands for alkaline copper quat. Also Trex looks okay, but what's wrong with redoing you beds every few years. CloneZero

I buy a twin pack of jute twine at Home Depot or Sams. Each pack has 15000 ft. of twine. The twine is quite heavy weight, and it easily lasts the season. At the end of the season, it goes into the compost where it rots just fine. Naturally, a roll lasts quite a while; one of the disadvantages of these large packs is their weight. However, each roll only costs about $9, so I really like the cost. Renais

a real lumber yard, or laminate it from smaller boards. You may need to cut down a 6x6 as, around here anyway, most places seem to have only treated 4x6's.