" Believe me, I thought about it. But about a year after I moved in the county took it upon themselves to dig out the trenches to improve stormwater flow. I'd hate to put all that money and time into planting ground cover or putting stones down, only to have them come out with a mini excavator and tear it up. So while re-grading it, I made sure I dug it out deep enough before putting sod down, so they would have no reason to ruin it." You did right by digging it out deeper but I would have put down rock rather than sod. Nice place by the way. "I must have dug that thing out once a month. I did the brickwork immediately after moving in to keep my driveway from getting washed out. By the time I had sense to stop trying to grow grass in sand and put sod down, the labor involved in mowing the ditch (which was graded specifically so that it would be possible with the tractor) was nothing compared to constantly digging and raking the washouts. Mowing it with the Deere is really no problem at all. Maybe I'll post a video when I suck up the leaves in a month or so (which ALL collect in the ditch). It definitely pushes the tractor to its limits, but as long as the grass isn't wet (and I never cut it wet), she grabs the turf and climbs out every time." Nice job on the brick work. I saw your video. Make sure you don't turn over/ flip. I saw at the end you had the tires off the ground. Would your town let you connect pipes upto the one that goes under your driveway along your property and then just fill dirt over the pipes so you have flat ground ? - Kris

So it’s been almost a decade since this post was active, but i have the same question as the original post, except i live in zone 4 (-20 to -30). Sorry in advance for a long post. I’ve been growing roses for 4 years (135+ in the ground and 10 in pots lol, since i forcibly retired). But every early Winter has been different. Like tonight we’re getting our first snow but the lows are going from low 40’s down over 4 days to 24,14,then 9 and 8, then next week it’s back up in the 60’s high/40’s low. My general rule of thumb is 3 nights at 25 or less (not lower than 15) then in the garage til Spring (May 15 is our last frost). Haha - but Mother Nature hasn’t cooperated the last few few years, as noted above (Sudden dive down to single digits after being 23 to 45). Last year i watered them with warm water before i went to bed down to 13, put them in the garage if lower than that. If the leaves still had green and weren’t crunchy, would leave the garage door up in the day (faces NW) if over 35. Overall worked, except 5 newly planted pots (Kashmir) in July were dead in the garage in May, before the last frost. My wife won’t let me put quilts around them outside, despite us never using them ( my granny in Gatlinburg made over 20 quilts just for me over the years, so we have plenty🤦🏽). And yes, for the TN’ers, Johnson City in the 1990’s was way colder and snowier than Knoxville/Maryville/Athens where i grew up in the 70’s. Montana is quite a bit worse haha as you can imagine, but worth it. Though last year in December, it went from 60 down to -30° for a week. Unusual, but that’s Montana. One Winter it never got below -5. And Billings (where I live) is way warmer than Bozeman (zone 3), so I should be grateful. Any suggestions when i should put the bigger pots (Pope John Paul, Munstead Wood, New Dawn, Plum Perfect) in permanently? Some pots are 16” w x 33’, most are 32” w x 25”. And the few Emily Carrs i started late Summer are only in 12” x 8”. The latter will go in after 25°. Help me pick options for the bigger ones: (most likely) i’m probably going to do the trolley shuffle back and forth at least from the South deck (somewhat exposed) to the pavement up against the NW driveway (although the big pots weigh 50lbs or more DRY lol, so my back would prefer not to lift and put them on the trolley unless permanently going in the garage for the Winter). I could leave them on our South facing deck which is full sun and elevated, and against glass walls, but it would likely still be single digits up there. put everything in the garage if below 15°, then back out if higher. warm water them at bedtime and put in the NW driveway. warm water but put them on shady NW ground. put them on a full shade North concrete floor patio/brickwall alcove with warm water for single digits, and leave them until consistently below 25, with the shade hopefully getting them dormant quicker, although the garage may still warm up to 50 in a few weeks. Sorry for all the options, but you guys sound as obsessed as I am about my babies haha. (Wife thinks i’m crazy, but the roses at least keep me out of the house and away from her for part of the day lol, again, now that I’m retired). And the neighbors go ape over all the flowers, so it’s fun. Thanks for reading this long post, and for any suggestions on what you’d do.☺️🌹

Love it Hulagurl! "Taro, and coconut palms are Hawai'ian because they were introduced and used by the Hawai'ian people." Using that as a qualifier, wouldn't any plant introduced and used by a Hawaiian today be considered "Hawaiian" as well? I understand the need to protect Hawaii's endangered plants. But I think the term "Hawaiian plants" should be used for the plants that were in Hawaii prior to any people coming in and bringing plants from their home to grow in Hawaii's soil. Those are "Canoe plants" such as sugar cane, Kukui, Noni, 'Olena, 'Ulu, 'Awa, Hau, and Kalo. Taro is from Asia/Malaysia and has been historically been used as a source of food in Egypt, the Mediterranean, Africa, Polynesia, and many other places. Although ancient Hawaiians grew Colocasia and it figured into their creation myth it is not a "Hawaiian" plant any more than the apple of Christian creation myth is a "Christian" fruit. A Hawaiian plant is a plant that existed in Hawaii long before humans arrived. Plants came to Hawai'i by three methods: Wind, Water (Ocean) and Wings (Birds). The plants that arrived to Hawaii from somewhere else and grow elsewhere in the world are indigenous, like Coconut Palms. Historically Hawaiians did not consider it a primary food source like other Polynesians but the actual tree; fibers, trunk, leaves etc. were considered very important and sacred. The plants that arrived to Hawaii from somewhere else and adapted; becoming something entirely unique to their new home are considered endemic. Koa (Acacia koa) and Ma'o Hau Hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei) are two examples. There are many Acacia trees related to Koa but the trees that are found on the islands are unique, and some are even unique to only one island, like Acacia koa var. waianacensis which only grows on Oahu. The interesting thing about Koa trees is there is another very similar tree, Mascarene acacia (A. heterophylla) which is endemic to Reunion island and Mauritius island. Originally they thought Acacia Koa and Mascarene acacia were the same. Basically, the acacia has been able to spread to remote places and completely adapt to its new environment to the point of changing into a new species. Evolution (or "adaptive radiation") is amazing. The Hawaiian palm Loulu (Pritchardia genus)are rapidly becoming extinct. The Pritchardia schattaueri only has a dozen or so left in the wild. The Brighamia insignis, or Hawaiian Palm, is also very endangered. It's very easy to grow, however, and with proper stewardship should come back easily. Hawaii is an amazing land, with more than 763 species of invertebrates; of which 748 are endemic. The Hawaiian Honeycreeper evolved from a single N. America Finch ancestor and they developed different bills for a variety of new environments found in Hawaii such as seed cracking, nectar sipping and even a wood-pecker-esque bill. About 90% of Hawaii's plant and animal life are found nowhere else on the world but thousands have become extinct since people first inhabited the islands 1500 years ago. There were many birds and plants that the settlers who became known as Hawaiians drove to extinction long before it was recognized as a mega-diversity hotspot. Hawaii has more endangered and threatened species than any other state in the US. The Hawaiian crow, monk seal, and nene are endangered and threatened animals and the silversword, and 'oha wai are just a few of the 263 endangered and threatened plants. So, in my opinion, the plants that are Hawaiian are those that are endemic to Hawaii rather than those that were used by ancient Hawaiians. Like Cyanea said, it's important to know the difference and to be careful what is introduced to Hawaii because it can unintentionally crowd out Hawaii's unique plants and animals. The fact that Hawaii has unique species is pretty neat, and devoting a section of your property to perpetuating these plants is good stewardship of the aina. Or, if you don't have the space, time, or inclination the next best thing is to avoid planting invasive species like the Brazilian peppertree, Japanese Honeysuckle, strawberry guava and remove them from your property if discovered. Nothing wrong with lettuce, tomatoes, etc. The people who migrated from Africa and Asia, eventually becoming known as Polynesians and finally who settled Hawaii brought pigs and plants with them just as settlers from Europe in later years. Some of these were a really bad idea. Some of them worked out fine. The chickens on Kauai are a good example. Hawaiians brought Moa (wild fowl) with them and they later bred with common chickens. The wild chickens on Kauai are ancestors of these birds. Annoying? Sure, they can be. But better to have these chickens than the mongoose on the Big Island. Lettuce isn't going to go rampant if you let a head go to seed. Here's a list of Hawaii's Most Invasive Horticultural Plants. I'm sure you will recognize many of these growing on the side of the road and nurtured in the gardens of your friends and family. Autograph trees, ginger, mock orange, butterfly bushes are all beautiful but are so prolific they crowd out other plants. Look up Miconia for an example of what can happen when an invasive pest is introduced. All of the above is, of course, just my .02 As for the original topic, you know you're a local/Hawaiian gardener at heart when you've been gone from the islands for a few years and seek out Okinawa sweet potatoes and lemon grass in the Asian markets so you can transplant in your garden, you drive up to people's houses where the loquat and guava are rotting and ask if you can pick in return for some guava jelly later on, you collect pineapple tops from the neighbors and plant them anywhere you can find room, you find Popolo growing in someone's yard just as they're about to dig it up and throw it away and ask if you can keep it- then transplant it lovingly in a place of honor, you grow stephanotis and rosebuds and pick bougenvilla from the side of the road to make leis for all your friends, you try to grow ti and cry when it dies from the frost every year, you don't mind pulling weeds when you go over to someone's house and if people aren't careful you'll be unconsciously pulling weeds from their yard while talking to them (considered bad manners on the mainland),you go out to your yard and start yanking all the brown stuff in the winter before realizing the seasons on the mainland make stuff brown, but that doesn't mean it's dead, your Mexican neighbors have a metal o'o bar (but call it something else) and think it's strange that you're excited and want to borrow it, you find honohono grass growing in the side yard and despite years of being made by your dad to pull the darned thing from acres of land you water it because the blue flowers are pretty and it reminds you of home (plus the buggah only grows a couple feet a year so it's easy to manage), you have a strong dislike of bird of paradise but secretly go over and trim up the neighbor's bushes to make it look less scraggly cause, really, it is a pretty plant, your neighbors see you gardening in your "shower shoes" and pareu and think you're underdressed...

QUESTION I have been reading some stuff about concrete, and since I have lung problems (chronic bronchitis)I wonder what kind of mask or respirator I should use. One article said to use something that is rated for silica because of the lung disease silica can cause (silicosis). It scares me! What are all of you doing about this? ANSWER GOOD QUESTION! Hopefully everyone's wearing masks approved for use with silica - I am! Wear household cleaning gloves (like Platex Living gloves) when handling and mixing concrete and hypertufa. You can switch to lighter weight disposable gloves after mixing. Wet concrete and hypertufa are caustic to the skin and moist membranes (like your airways and eyes). Wear eye protection! We have mentioned all this before, all the instructions other members have submitted remind people to wear safety equipment, so I'm assuming that folks are doing just that. However, just in case... *climbs up on soapbox...* ANYONE working with portland cement, silica sand, silicon dioxide, silica fume, vermiculite, perlite, natural pigments and oxides, paints, sealers, admixes, or any other substances has a PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to acquaint themselves with the chemical properties, safety and environmental issues of those substances. Start by READING THE LABELS - the ENTIRE label!! Then read the MSDS sheets. People DO work with and around these products every day, but they are NOT benign and should NOT be used carelessly. You SHOULD be concerned about being around products like this, especially if you have an existing health issue. Use good sense, KNOW and FOLLOW safety procedures. Check out the MSDS sheet for concrete. When finishing (wire brushing, carving, sanding, etc.) cementious products (concrete & hypertufa), keep the object WET so that no dust is created. Wear the mask anyway - just in case. If you are working in an enclosed area - basement, garage, shed, be sure to use GOOD ventilation, a particulate air filter, and put washable mats at the entrance to living areas to avoid tracking dust into your living environment. Use plastic sheeting or bags whenever possible so that cleaning up mostly consists of carefully gathering the protective material and throwing it away. Vacuum rather than sweep. Wear protective clothing, especially when finishing objects. A lot of dust goes right into your clothing, so shower, change and launder immediately after working. If you do a lot of this work, have a couple of "work outfits" so you are not trashing and contaminating all your clothes. Those disposable paper jump suits are the hot set-up and are used extensively in the ornamental concrete industry. When transferring dry materials (pouring into storage buckets, measuring for mixing, etc.), create as little dust as possible. FAST = DUMPING = DUST. Instead of DUMPING a load of sand (crystalline silica dust) or portland cement into a mixing tub, PLACE the measuring container into the mixing container as close to the bottom as possible and SLOWLY SLIDE the material out of the measuring container into the mixing tub to create minimal dust. Measure your powdery ingredients into the mixing tub first, then add the heavier particulate matter (sand, perlite, vermiculite, etc.) on top of the cement, etc. When transferring ingredients from paper bags into storage containers, make a 6"-8" cut in the top of the bag and place the open end into the storage bucket. SLOWLY empty the bag into the container, raising the bag slightly as the material fills the container. Don't worry about trying to shake every little grain out of the bag! The savings is NOT worth the dust created! TRANSFER BULK MATERIALS TO STORAGE CONTAINERS OUTDOORS, not in your house, basement, shed or garage, then move the smaller storage containers wherever is convenient for you. Hauling the storage containers to your work area is good exercise! Working with these products does require diligent adherence to safety, health and environmental consideration, but there is no reason to be afraid to use them. USE COMMON SENSE!!! If you are still concerned, discuss your concerns with your doctor who might have more specific advice for you. Respect and follow good safety procedures and HAVE FUN. Rock On! :) *********************************************************** Definitely use something that is better than those "surgical" masks you see people wearing to mow the lawn. Read the label on the masks to see what they are certified for, and change cartridges as needed. Also, to minimize dust production, pre-moisten the perlite/vermiculite/peat. Put some of the damp stuff into the mixing container and make a "volcano". Gently put the Portland cement and sand into the crater and top with the rest of the other pre-moistened ingredients. *********************************************************** I've found that when you're making 'tufa, if you mix your first two ingredients, (Sand, peat, etc.) really well, BEFORE you add your cement, you greatly minimize the stirring up of cement dust. This is especially helpful when you're mixing large quanities in a wheelbarrow, for example. *********************************************************** I have my "concrete clothes" I slip into when I start to work with the product, take them off and shower immediately after, I can feel the stuff in my hair, dusting my glasses, always wear the approved mask, have now evolved to double gloving for my hands. *********************************************************** QUESTION Are masks necessary even when working outside? ANSWER YES, they are. Cement hardens from a chemical reaction between water and cement dust. Your lungs are super-moist and that cement dust is very, very fine - you don't want to find out the hard way how they are going to work together. I do all my work outside and always wear a mask. You only need your mask while you are mixing the dry ingredients. Once they are wet you can set the mask aside to do the actual molding and such. ************************************************************ MORE SAFETY ISSUES As I was scraping away on the inside of a pot yesterday, I had a *near miss* I wanted to share. Normally, I wear glasses, so eye protection is covered for most things. But, when I'm working on pots, the glasses often come off so I can see close up. I was scraping with one of those big utility knives with the breakaway blades, when the blade suddenly broke and whistled past my eye. Actually felt the wind of it on my skin! I dodged a bullet that time! I realized that the safety errors I had made are rather common, so I thought I'd share my brainless moment and hope it saves someone an injury. When we're using tools (especially makeshift tools not designed for the purpose for which we're using them) scraping and particularly sculpting, gotta wear dem goggles! They make 'em in all colors to complement the most colorful of 'tufa outfits, so fashion is no excuse to pass 'em up! I'm gettin' some hot pink ones for Mother's Day! Elton John, eat my dust! ************************************************************ I had a close call with a machete a few weeks back... kept slipping out of my hand. I took it back and am gonna look for one with a closed loop handle next time. Safety FIRST, fur shur! ************************************************************* Another tool to consider using eye protection is a hand held wire brush. Some people use the brush to ruff up the tufa. The wires do brake off and become flying missiles. Happened to me as a kid cleaning an ax head of rust, didn't know I had pieces of wire in my eye until the next day when I couldn't open my eye lids. Another trip to the hospital in my youth. ************************************************************* And it's not just the tools you have to worry about. I've gotton small bits of tufa mix flung into my eye as I was scraping with a wire brush - it hurt like h***. And then two weeks ago I was dipping cement out of the bag into my measuring containor when I caught it just right and *whoof* a cloud of cement dust comes flying up out of the bag and right into my face. Fortunately the hose was nearby and I managed to flush my eyes out before any damage could occur. I ALWAYS wear my goggles now when doing anything other than the actual molding. ************************************************************* The very same thing happened to me five days ago - there was a hole in a bag of dry concrete mix and as I was moving it the same thing happened - WHOOF - a cloud of dust came out and into my face. My eye got worse and worse and before the day was out I had to go to the local clinic. The young doctor rolled the eyelid up and found a tiny piece of grit EMBEDDED in the eyelid. Every time I blinked it was scratching the eye's cornea..... The dry dust from these mixes is quite corrosive and it must damage your lungs too if you breathe it in. I reckon that not just goggles, but a SARS type face mask are both good ideas. ************************************************************* More than a SARS mask - an ANSI approved mask for free silica! The "bag poof" phenomena is another reason I store my cement in plastic bags inside of buckets - I can deal with powdery stuff in plastic bags, but those heavy paper bags do unexpected things with cement! Portland cement is deceiving - something that is so darned heavy to move around SHOULD NOT be light enough to poof in your face!!! One of life's little contradictions, 'tufa style!!! ************************************************************* REGARDING GLOVES I had a very successful day Sunday working on the water fall in hypertufa. My gloves failed after the first hour, and I did not heed your advice and continiued bare handed for four more hours. Monday I could not use my hands at all. Very painful!!! *********************************************************** I was really good about all the safety precautions when I mixed and made my totem. However, when I unmolded the beads after 22 hours I didn't wear gloves. I spent about 10-15 minutes filing off the chunky edges till I realized the fingers on my left hand (holding the beads) were being eaten through. My pinky was actually bleeding. Won't make that mistake again; ouch. ***********************************************************