Oh! They look just like the giant round yews I used to have on the corners of my house. One yew in the yard was removed after we moved in by my very useful DH and I hemmed and hawed and thought about what to do with the others since I didn't want to see DH destroy his back. Well, I finally decided that I didn't want huge bare spots next to the house and have to put something else there anyway. So I went with the major trimming and I really like the result. HERE'S WHAT I DID: I would NOT recommend cutting them back to 2 feet even though eventually they will grow back. The trimming can be done in stages so you are not left with a bare stump. 1) You can cut back the bush hard all over as far as the green goes to leave some green showing. I did this first. Yours look much too tall like mine were. 2) Then, if you look inside the yews, you can see that there is basically a trunk with radiating branches and the green is mostly on the ends of the branches. What I did was to trim off all the lower radiating branches and leave the top of the bush green. The result will be a vase shaped bush. I wanted to make mine narrower to keep off the house siding and because they were blocking the path. The trunk and branches are actually quite attractive and the top can be rounded or shaped naturally or done like topiary if you want. This left a lot of room underneath the bush where I can plant bulbs or anything else. The yew roots don't seem like they are too thick or shallow for other plants. This will let you keep the shrubs, make them smaller, trim them away from the house, and plant more plants in front of them. If you would like a photo, email me and I'll see if I can figure it out. I just dropped in on this forum for a minute, but had to respond. Susan

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

I have two laptops, xp & vista. From time to time I get the same error. I've never been able to solve it. From web searches I have noticed lots of people get the same error and adobe keeps trying to fix it, yet hasnt.

A Queen bed is only 5-0 wide and 6-6 long so there should not be any trouble getting it into any room with a 32 inch door from a 36 inch or wider corridor if you carry it vertically. A king is even easier since the base can be made of two twin beds each 39" wide. I can see no reason for a 36 inch door. Wheelchair access would require all doors to be 32" wide. bevangel has the right idea about the closet door. If it is moved into the short entry hall, the bed can be centered on the long closet wall. Alternatively, the closet could be narrowed 6 inches and/or the bathroom door moved against the linen closet so the bed could be placed against the bathroom wall. Decks that narrow can be difficult to furnish and use especially if the door is at one end. I would center a single or pair of French doors or a French slider on the deck and create some corner space for furniture. A pair of windows on the other outside wall might work depending on what is out there to see. The walls should be at least 4 1/2 inches thick and thicker if you want good sound separation between bedrooms. I see no reason to not swing a door against the linen closet in the bathroom. Pocket doors are only slightly more awkward in normal use than narrow paired doors. The entrance hall could be on either side of the room depending on the client's preference regarding the hall travel distance/distance between bedroom doors vs the distance from the bed to the toilet (a major concern of many clients over 60, and yes, 5 feet does make a difference). Some would insist on the bed against the bathroom wall with the toilet on the other side of the wall. To design a custom house you need to have a frank private conversation with the owners.