>I think you need a couple of feet of snow once and a while and that >would give you some down time to catch up on all those things.... > >Arnold > You're right, Arnold. Our winter has one advantage over our summers, though. We have to water only in the greenhouse. The plants outside are taken care of naturally. (usually) There is a young nursery owner from New Brunswick, on the East coast of Canada who is spending the winter here on the West coast. His nursery is under about a metre of snow all winter, so he spends from November to April travelling each year. He has gone nursery-hopping throughout Europe and Japan. He is so envious of our year-round gardening that he is negotiating the purchase of a few acres near Vancouver so he can move his nursery to it. He's in his twenties and full of energy. All of us mature gardeners are saying maybe he might regret moving. We think he'll miss the travel. -- Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil