After many sweat and cuss filled years of digging Crinum I have come up with a method that works for me. I can dig a really large colony in about 20 minutes with minimal cussing. You will need three items: A bungie cord, a fiberglass handled garden spade and a fiberglass handled trenching shovel. The trenching shovel is about 4" wide and has a goose neck handle. It is used to clean out trenches after a Ditch Witch runs through. First take the bungie cord and wrap it around all that foliage that is in your way. This minimizes the cussing because now you can see where you are digging. Second, take the garden spade and stand off from the clump and dig deep enough to get below the base of the bulbs. Third, take the trenching shovel and start shaving the dirt in front of the bulbs and use this to extend your hole around 2/3 of the clump. Because of the goose neck handle, it is very easy to get in there and do this and because it is only about 4" wide, you aren't digging an enormous pit in your landscape. Soil removal is minimal. The goal here is to cut as many of those heavy duty feeder as possible. Finally, making sure you're underneath the base of the bulbs, jam the trenching shovel in there under the bulbs and start rocking the clump and it will break free in a few minutes. If you only want an offset to replant somewhere, , you won't need to dig 2/3 around the clump, just a couple of inches to either side of the offset. just get the shovel under that offset and rock it off and refill the hole. By not digging the entire clump for one offset, you won't have disturbed the Mother bulbs and the will bloom like nothing happened next year. Also, if an offset breaks off with no roots it will survive as long as the basal plate is largely intact. It will be slow but it will survive. If you slice a bulb with no basal plate, no matter how big the bulb is just toss it on the compost. Crinums should never be thinned unless there is a reason. The longer a clump is left to its own devices, the more flowers youwill have each year.

Hi Sandra, yup my family is pretty much into our chickens, the kids have seen baby chicks hatch and watched them grow into adults. My dh did the turkeys this year, he took a class in processing birds at a working farm a few years ago. He processed one of our turkeys but we brought the rest to a processor and payed $10 each for the job (well worth it considering they were 30+ pound birds). Flogging is when a rooster attacks, they sort of jump up in the air and land on you w/their feet to scratch etc. it's the way they fight each other. I'm sure someone else can describe this better. Charles got threatened when we were trying to round him up, he did what comes naturally to many roo's. I do have one steady egg customer, I charge $3 per dozen, I used to buy organic chicken feed but found it not to be as fresh as the reg. feed and many times ended up finding bugs in the bags probably due to it not moving as quickly. The higher price also was a factor, about $8 more per bag. Claire, I love the pavilion your dh built you! it is very impressive. Your girls are very pretty, what are the gray hens? Americauna? Hi Susan, the covered pen is mostly for my bantams and crested birds, they live in the front coop with the attached pen. My standards (larger birds), live in the back coop (divided w/the recessed sliding door) and have a fenced chicken yard that they free range in. The only loss due to predator came this fall when a fisher cat pried open my back coop door and ran off w/one of my pullets. This was about three weeks after he ate our beloved cat. My dh promptly installed a dead bolt on the coop and trapped and disposed the fisher so he won't be bothering anyone anymore. The covered pen is great for young birds, bantams or crested breeds that can't see overhead which makes them easy prey for hawks around here. -Sheila

I've never really looked at these, but I wonder if they are hardy to zone 6 up here in Pittsburgh? If anyone in zone 6 is growing these I would like to hear. Your pics are quite lovely I must say! I have my first X Amarygia sending up spikes right now as well so can't wait to see what they look like....they are winter growers so no where even close to hardy here, but they have done OK under grow lights in the winter for a couple of years to mature......these are quite common I know and have been around for 150 years, but still fun to see the first time any of your plants bloom :o) Dan

Absolutely can be washed, the most important 2 points, pay attention to the washing temperature and thorough drying! Down Pillows in the Machine. 1.Choose the Proper Detergent: Select a gentle detergent made exclusively for down items. Avoid using fabric softeners or bleach, and instead use a neutral detergent. 2.Load the Washing Machine: Place two down pillows in the washing machine to keep the load balanced. 3.Select the Gentle Cycle: For gentle washing, use warm water with a temperature setting of 30°C to 40°C (86°F to 104°F). High-speed spin cycles should be avoided because they can harm the fragile feathers. 4.Wash Cycle: Start the washer and run one wash cycle, allowing at least 40 minutes to remove dirt, grease, and allergens from the pillows. 5.Thoroughly Rinse: Make sure to thoroughly rinse the pillows to remove all detergent residues. To completely eliminate the detergent from the pillows, a double rinse is recommended. You can refer to this article How To Wash Down Pillows? The Ultimate Cleaning Step-by-Step Guide