Thanks to everyone for your kind words and ideas. It IS heart breaking! I've been just sick about it. Especially yesterday as I was pruning back to healthy growth and I'm seeing some of my beautiful blooms carelessly left on the ground that the deer were too lazy to eat as they gorged themselves in their obscene gluttony. It was like a scene from a horror film. After hearing other experiences, I'm so glad we don't have rabbits, the little fiends. However, I think deer are destructive enough. I don't understand how they can eat the stems with the thorns though?? I hope it gives them indigestion. Thankfully my last row survived through the night. I'm not sure the Bobbex does any good and it's putrid. I went to the local nursery yesterday and they recommended Deer Scram. I emptied the entire container around my yard. (Not cheap and doesn't go far!) On top of that I went around with a cheese grater and bars of Irish Spring soap- read that on another thread somewhere - and left our dog outside till 10:00 PM. Woke up at 5 AM with trepidation and thankfully the roses were still there. Surrounding my property with 8' fencing seems untenable at this point especially because they are also coming through the front yard and I have roses in the front. I was looking through the Lee Valley catalog and they have a 7' high invisible mesh that I might try all along the backyard where we are bordered with woods. Anyone have success with that? I've thought about putting a white picket fence in the front yard for looks at some point - maybe that would at least discourage animals? It seems to me they can still come through the driveway unless we put in a gate. LOL. Our house in not nearly that grand. I don't know. I'll have to check out that electric fencing idea. It's war I tell you!

My German Shorthair is devouring the hostas, it's a new behavior. I sprayed them with slightly diluted hot sauce (the hostas, not the dogs) and that took care of the one they ere eating so they just moved to others. The plant is like a drug to them or else they're after the slugs.

Oh, I don't own these, Les. A friend told me about the 'Giant Ghanan Land Snail' so I looked it up, not quite believing him that they were THAT big. Ken pretty much summed it up with his comment about me having spring fever so bad, that I was looking up pictures I can associate with warm weather. I love aquariums, and have a 150 Gallon; Cichlids are great, this is the closest thing I have to an African Cichlid. The stately Angelfish. Most of my fish are Amazon River/Basin natives, with the exception of my Clown Loaches. No way fish should get the boot for land mollusks, even interesting ones. Don B.

Myrle,this is actually outsidde the garden,but it has always been a place where it had good conditions for hosta. Morning sun,and some afternoon sun,with shade during the heat of the day from overhead trees. We hope to see Janice on the way through Ohio,but I guess I'm going to have to call her,as she doesn't ever look at her E-mails. My deck has one hosta in a pot,but it's hardly worth photography. I am in ht e process of planting hostas in front of the house,where we had some old Azaleas,which were getting pretty bad,so I tore them out,regardless of the fact that I like Azeleas. There was already a Gold Standard there from long ago and it was always being crowded by the Azaleas. I went out to the garden and dug up another of my mant Gold Standards,and planted it in the new place,and it didn't hardly even wilt! I've never lost any of my Gold Standards. You can't kill them! they are true 'driveway hostas'! I also planted a Sky Pencil holly right near the deck,between the deck and the old Gold Standard. Maybe some day I'll post a pic of the new area. Phil