potting media.. is a water management system ... you choose the media based on what you are growing in it... high peat media... is for plants that like a lot of retained moisture ... like annuals.. perennial.. houseplants etc ... a low peat media with big chunks of other things .. is for plants that prefer a sip of water.. and then high drainage ... such as trees, conifers. shrubs, cacti .... etc ... a media is wearing out ... when it is no longer performing to expectations as to how the water flows thru it ... one might analogize.. that when the peat is returning to bog state by breaking down ... your plants suffer.. for lack of proper watering .... either too much for lack of draining... or too little for lack of wetting the whole .... running down the sides and leaving the center bone dry ... its not really a schedule thing.. nor something you MUST do every year ... its all about observation and understanding ... renewing you media.. as you note its decline ... if the water runs properly thru the media... then time release ferts can be applied on the top ... and the fert will be properly carried thru the media ... as there should be no need to incorporate it into the media ... you guys use a lot of fert/amendments compared to me ... but i dont keep things in pots for a long time... one concern with high usage.. is salt accumulations ... salts being ferts ... so you have to throw that into the equation.. of when a media need be changed ... if the media is working properly.. and water flows out the bottom.. as you put it in the top ... then in theory.. you should be washing away a lot of the salts ... and need to replace the nutrients ... but when your media starts failing.. and your not washing the salts thru... it builds.. and can affect the plants themselves .... such a vicious circle.. eh??? i hope understanding such.. will help you better decide .... how to manage your media ... you shouldnt change it.. simply for the sake of spending money and changing it.. according to someone elses observations in their pots ... is your media working.. or not .. that is the key ... ken

You could drill little holes at the corners and attach small chains, bring the ends of the (4) chains together in one "S" hook and hang from a tree or shepherd's hook and you have one classy birdfeeding tray. A while back, I had 3 silver trays and I mounted them on metal rods at different heights (approx. 1-2-3 feet). I slanted the trays so that when it rained, one tray would empty onto another - kind of like a rain chain, done with trays. I planted flowers at the base of the taller rods. It was lovely and I got a lot of compliments on that one. Still thinkin... -Sprout...(Linda)

I would be interested in all of your candles. I think I have the striptease hosta on your want list but I am not certain as they were here when I moved in. There is a link to a picture below. If there is nothing on my list let me know and maybe we can work something out LMK Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Look in Garden Folder

Cute dog! It might be an old bottom to a lamp, with the wiring being fed through the holes down through the two wings. Turn it over and peer through the bottom, is it hollow? Are there threads in the holes we can see on the pic to accommodate a screw in support for a socket?