Tree Delima?? please help.

[Venice]

hmmm I haven't noticed any probs with mosquitoes with it. Actually last 2 summers we haven't had hardly any around.

Ven

[Hushypuppy]

Got home too late for pics of tree...I will try again tomorrow. As for the blood suckers, they loved my mulch...you could actually see em buzzing arround close to it. Maybe I over watered? It kept everything damp, which was kind of the point, but it also kept everything damp which kept the skitos arround.
But it was really the scarry dog stuff that put me off. Hushy (my basset) is highly prone to emergencies. I have spent a small fortune at the vets with him, and the risk of him eating the mulch just made me nutz. So for my piece of mind I removed it. I don't really miss it at all. You do have to water a bit more consistently, but you did mention you had a system so there really should not be any problems. And yes the stuff is expensive, at least here.. I prefer to spend money on plants then on bark..actually I always prefer spending money on plants In fact I snuck one home today camoflaged nicely in amongst the groceries from Zellers LOL

Kris