Mark, thanks for reminding us of Nearing frames. For those of you who are not old enough to remember them and have not otherwise heard of them, Nearing frames are frames positioned so that they face north; they also typically have an upward extension (a sheet of plywood for instance) on the south side of the frame. This extension is of a height to prevent any direct sunlight hitting the frame. Yet the light (glass cover) of the frame is completely exposed to the sky and thus gets plenty of ambient light. Nearing frames were originally designed (I think) for propagating rhododendrons. But savvy gardeners quickly discovered that the use of a Nearing frame might make the difference between success and failure when attempting those fussy plants which require “coolth” (for instance, in our climate, Polygala paucifolia, Cornus canadensis, Trillium undulatum or Cypripedium reginae). So, Nearing frames are used to keep plants cooler than they otherwise might be; the sort of frames I was describing in my post are used to keep plants warmer than they might otherwise be. If you have a wide range of horticultural interests, you’ll eventually want to give both a try. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/