I never count on rain or weathermen. If the top of the soil dries, I water. My Silver Maples suck up a lot of water from the surface so I can be found out in the yard watering while it is raining if it is a light rain. If it rains too much too fast, I water. I water so much that moss is growing on the soil. You can even catch me out in the rain pulling weeds and during lightning storms as well. The slugs have increased in number due to the fact that I water so much. I water half by hand and half by soaker hoses. Usually daily or every other day. My hostas love it and so do my elephant ears. There is sand below the topsoil so I have good drainage.

I agree! Gary and I couldn't get our cars out of the driveway this morning until a neighbor helped us push one out! Granted, I SHOULD have gotten outside to shovel earlier, but I just didn't. Gary shoveled, but the snowplow subsequently deposited a ton MORE of snow at the end of our driveway as it went by.....GRRRRR. Thankfully, I was only 15 minutes late to work! I SO want to be able to get back into the garden! :0) Phyl

I am also in NY but and near Buffalo where we get those big lake effect pile-ups. I too am having my first winter with many new perennials and am a nervous wreck, so I can relate, but probably not help much because mine are in the ground. My dad is the tree expert and I called out to him and he says Japanese Maple is extremly fragile and he thinks borderline in hardiness in this area. It may be that with that one you will indeed need to seek really expert advice. It is true that plants native to this area live through the winter just fine, but the problems come in when people like us try to grow plants not native to the area, like my poor sage and thyme. I cut my woody small evergreems back and covered them with leaves and then pine branches. I uncovered them when we had that week of balmy weather that just ended and covered them back up two days ago. The best thing is when we get snow and it stays because that keeps everything at 32 degrees if they get covered up. The cover-up mulching is a precaution against the possibility of 10 degrees or less and little snow. Most shrubs have very flexible branches, but if you tell me what kinds I can help you more-those we do have, though they are not in containers. Young delicate trees or shrubs you may want to bring indoors if you can, even if you are going to leave them out when they get too big to move - at least they will be more established. In the future it may be a good idea to really research and select plants that are native to the north east, or that have naturalized well up here. Then you will not have the kind of worries that will remain constant with things like Japanese Maple. Dogwoods, European Mountain Ash, and even fruit trees thrive with no winter care and are very beautiful. White Birch adds a great contrast and thrives here, summac adds color all winter. Of course if you are confined to containers it limits what you can grow. Anyhow I have learned my lesson and am seriously researching what thrives in the conditions I plan to dump them in for winter/spring sowing and spring and summer planting this year. I am in Zone five and I try to select plants that are hardy to 4 and 3 so I dont have to worry about record breaking cold. While we are on wintering over, does anyone have an opinion or experience with Blue Sage, Garden Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Lavender or similiar (zones to five but originating in warmer drier climates) in cold climate winters? I covered mine, but worry about that keeping them too wet. The biggest worry is thaws because then they are in wet mulch and no light. However, the other extreme is 0 degrees and below. Vavsie

In fairness, this isn't JUST kids these days, I realize that. Evil, and I agree that's what it is, has been around, well, since the beginning of time. This type of thing has happened 50, 75, 100 years ago and for that matter before that too. I remember my Dad telling stories about the history of certain farms in the area, where one murdered their spouse and they could smell something for miles around. They found her body in the attic in the hot summertime weather. I won't go into more details that he told me! That said, this one just got under my skin. I wanted to warn people before reading about it. It's a newspaper article so it's pretty toned down, but still, I was appalled and angry doesn't describe it. I just wish one of the neighbors had a gun or a baseball bat and went over and laid a pile of wood on them. THESE THINGS JUST GET TO ME! Forgive me, but it just does. I very seldom get irate over things, but injustice is one thing that sets me off. For those who didn't read the article, the fellow apparently is doing OK. Last I heard he had another operation on his brain over the weekend to remove pressure and buildup and last I heard, he's doing "well" under the circumstances. And they have the 15 & 16 yo suspects in custody. One caught in the yard and the other hiding in the garage under a car. Too bad they didn't go la-de-da-de-da-da, start up the car and go for a drive over a speedbump. For the one in the yard, well K9s gotta eat too. I don't think I've been this worked up since Katie Poirier was kidnapped and killed a few years back. Even in as bad shape as I was in, I tried to volunteer to help in the search. Couldn't but what really got me going on that one was she was a c-store employee and it was one of my biggest fears when I managed stores. Briefly, for those who don't know, Katie was a 19 yo convenience store clerk who was abducted by a 51 yo. Lots of coverage on the internet. Why it happens or where it comes from? Who knows? It started as a robbery (one said essentially he knew an easy target) and I somehow suspect there was either an ego trip or fear of getting caught. Maybe they didn't expect him to be home, I don't know. Dottie I have a nice tree, anyone have a rope and a horse? I agree with you. What good are they to themselves or society? Except for veterinary experiments. These things make me sick. Incidently he was active in crime prevention in his area and without a doubt it saved his life and caught the punks quickly. A neighbor saw them breaking in and called the police. So all I ask is get involved! Some way. Any way you can. Maybe you can't walk a patrol, but watch out your windows, be alert to something that doesn't look right. And most importantly, call the police if it doesn't look right. Don't be afraid you might have it wrong - far better to be wrong than to be too late. And the police will tell you that too. Maybe if you don't see or hear from an elderly, or hey, even a single neighbor, give a checkup call and say hi. And if you're not moving around much, give a call and let someone know all is well. I'm guilty of not knowing all of my neighbors as well as I should. But this one probably is going to be the incentive to change that. Stay safe. And use seome telepathy to dearly departed to throw an extra log on the fire for when these two, and all like them, arrive.