Shopshops, we have not had much of a problem with grasshoppers. In fact, I rarely see them. Even one recent year when it was announced that it was a particularly "bad" year for them, I think we saw perhaps a half dozen over the course of the entire gardening season. My thought is that the garlic oil in the spray we routinely use and our occasional and judicious use of both diatomaceous earth and Neem oil has been effective at keeping them at bay. I understand that they can be a huge problem and I've read reports that Nosema locustae is effective but it also kills crickets (perhaps not a bad thing) and praying mantises - a bad thing. A couple of friends who have had issues with grasshoppers used permethrin and carbaryl and they both felt those chemicals helped. Neither of them raved however. The major problem of course is that neither chemical is safe for bees or fish, and even if it was sprayed before the bees came, I'm not certain if it is safe for bees once it has dried (the way Neem is). If this is a huge problem for you, it will likely take a combination of methods of control. One thing we always do is cultivate around the plants in fall to expose any eggs of grasshoppers and other pests. While they can overwinter if they are protected under the soil, once the soil is disrupted, if they are exposed, they won't survive freezing temperatures. The one other thing that I researched but didn't try (didn't need to) is cilantro. They notoriously dislike cilantro, and spraying a strong cilantro tea is reported to be an excellent repellant. Planting marigolds, which we do to repel a variety of pests also can help. Another suggestion that was bandied about at a garden meeting a few years ago was the use of flour to dust plants. If you are going to dust, my feeling is that DE is worth the time and energy. The weather does an excellent job of controlling them at times. They are sensitive to too much and too little rain. One can always pray for a heaven-sent solution to the problem. Unfortunately, getting rid of the ones you have doesn't necessarily get rid of the problem - they are not at all territorial, in fact they are highly migratory.... a reason why spraying with garlic and/or cilantro on an ongoing basis would be a good idea.

I was hoping the fever might pass, but this forum has me burning hotter for longer! he he. I've used 70% beige on my shade house, and its facing north, with a cream colourbond wall on the south, so the light is really quite good. I space the bright neos where they can get some direct morning or late afternoon sun, the Vriesea are against the cream wall, and the guzzies and nidulariums are on the western wall, which is flanked by a green tank, so very shaded from midday onwards. It seems to be working well, with the odd plant adjustmetn to get the colours brighter. Its way too small now though, so I'm trying to find spots in the garden for the overflow and the not so special ones. I mean, they're still special, just not AS special as some. One day, when the ground dries out, I will extend to twice the area. Hopefully before summer! Thanks for verifying that Jack. I'm glad i learned something at Tafe! B_A

DrJoann, I just came across your post as I've been busy running around my 5 month old son. I'm SO sorry to hear that you've been unhappy with your cabinets. I think, as with the other posters above who mentioned it, there is sometimes a danger of having gaps with inset cabinets. I don't know if this is due to the experience of the cabinetmaker - ours had never done inset cabinets before actually. I showed them a photo of an inset cabinet with a beaded edge, then we saw a door style with a bevelled edge in his workshop. So he did sort of a combined style which is why I mentioned that it's a "take" on an inset beaded cabinet. I don't think your cabinets look bad when they are viewed from afar, at all. I think the close-ups show that some of your doors have larger gaps than others. I also think that some of your doors were made too small, and getting new, larger doors would solve the problem. For those with minor gaps, you could have your cabinetmaker adjust the hinges so there's less of a gap at the edges, but that would of course increase the gap where the two doors meet.It also wouldn't work for drawers. Here are front views of my cabinets: Here's a close up where you can see some cabinets/drawers have more of a gap than others: I really hope you got some kind of resolution. Please update us whenever you can.

Hello all my former Hosta Forum friends. I'm still taking nurishment in NW Illinois. I haven't been on the forum for a few years. Not since we had 2 years of very dry summers and hard winters and I lost 50 + established hosta. During that time I also had to have Achilles Tendon Heel surgery which set me back and took time to get bad enough to need to be fixed and then the long recovery time afterwards. Trying to maintain 3/4 of an acre yard and garden takes time and age has a way of catching up to you. lol I still enjoy my hostas, but have cut way back on how many I have. I gave away many and also sold to other hosta lovers. It brought back so many fond memories to read the posts from past forum members. McTavish, Carole, Gloria, Jill, Janice, cAROL, Teresa, Badaka, to name a few, all wonderful ladies that I felt I had become friends with. All the guys, Curtis, Ken, Don and his lists, Dan the dentist, John from Kentucky, and many more not named were so helpful. I'll have to drop in more often. Take care all and happy hosta gardening!