Any advice on what to look for and when to dust for them? Squash bugs and squash vine borers will likely be your primary problem given all those squash plants so you'll want to do some research into identifying and treating for those two. Peppers may have a few aphids and this info sheet tells you about the weevils/caterpillars pests they may have. Bt is the pesticide of choice for them. "When to "dust" for them all depends on what kind of "dust" you are talking about? Remember the first rule is to ID the pest. Then make sure it really is a pest, not just a bug much less a beneficial bug. Then research what specific pesticide to use on it. Good luck and enjoy your garden. ;) Dave PS: on the off chance that by "dust" you mean Sevin, please consider using the liquid spray instead of the dust. The liquid, bad as it is, at least doesn't kill as many beneficial insects as the dust does.

Hi, everyone! great news is that the Rosarian couple were very nice. I actually tried calling them last night but couldn't get through because they had their fax machine on. Then tonight they explained that they couldn't return my call because the number I had left them had been cut off by their answering machine. They too have not grown tree roses because like Karl had feared, rose trees do terrible in Kansas. Stupid me should also have thought far ahead about our tornado problems as well. I didn't think about this issue before the terrible winds this past weekend. Flower2sew, in Overland Park we got hit real bad. There is still debris from knocked over light poles on Hwy 69 from people crashing from the ice... But the snow lasted just one terrible day, it was very thick snow,and we were blasted with both ice and snow at once and in some parts of Overland Park, the cable lines and phone lines were down ...then argh, it shot up to near 60 degree warmth right the following day, then dropped down again the following evening. The rosarian couple agreed that they would never leave out the tree roses at this point because of last weekend's extreme swing of temperature (including this week) but they too felt I really needed to speak to a Master Rosarian, so they gave me the emergency helpline for the Rose Society. The nice rosarian couple I spoke to explained that they themselves have never grown tree roses because of how erratic Kansas weather can be in the spring and they said that the people they know who had rose trees all had either greenhouses or would go to a nursery and "rent" out a space for the winter. In other words they wouldn't know how to advise me on how to keep my roses indoors in my particular situation. They did feel that since my rose trees still have buds sprouting, that keeping them in a completely dark, cold, poorly insulated garage at this point is a question that only a master rosarian could answer. It is a tough call because no sane person/gardener would ever be in the crazy predicament that I am in now... I am doing crazy stuff like lightly spraying my roses with warm water in the morning and when I come home, then again before going to bed to keep them as close to a greenhouse effect and reducing my house temperature from 68 degrees to 65 so that I don't shock the roses when I bring them outside to 58 degree sunshine (but that makes me super cold indoors and I end up having to wear a few layers of clothing in the house and shivering under the covers when I try to sleep LOL). So hopefully I can reach the helpline before I get "outta control" and do more crazy outta control guesswork. Anyway, thank you EVERY One and All for your help and ongoing support! Hugs to each of you... P.S. forgot to say that to me the membership dues for the American Rose Society is very reasonable, and wouldnt have hesitated for a second had I not been so broke from all the training with Eluane and house payments but in due time if I can just make the baby steps and get both trees to survive.

I was browsing the internet for reviews and/or comments about Wild Swan and this thread came up. So I'll ask here. I planted mine in the Spring of 2015 and still no blooms. The foliage seems healthy, hasn't wilted despite this past hot summer, but not as full as I see in photos posted here. There is even new growth coming from the center. However, no blooms. It is in semi shade until 2pm. and then gets full sun for several hours. Good soil with leaf mulch. I'm wondering if I should move it and try again somewhere else, but I'd hate to lose it altogether. I don't even think nurseries here are carrying it anymore, perhaps other gardeners did not have success with it here in NE Ohio.

Sometimes I wish I grew flowers instead of veggies. Hanging baskets sell really well this weekend, bedding plants I imagine all spring. But then I'd need to get a GH. Trying to pot up tomaoes as quickly as I can into 3.5 - 4" pots and start hardening them off. I haven't even been out back, have lots of work to prep the beds (incl new beds in HT area, we'll put up the tunnel later - hoops ASAP and plastic later) but organic co-op has pickup day on the 16th, I met with board and they're letting me advertise in monthly newsletter, want me to bring plants on the 16th for members who may want to buy starts. Going to be warm here but I don't know if I'll have them hardened off by then, and not much root development in that short time. I may be restricted to Brandywine, Mark Twain, and Black Krim that I potted up 4/17-19 so nice big rootballs. It's finally getting warm enough that I can leave them in the garage at night - will set up tables/shelves and move those 3 out today. Problem with hardening off is that it's going to be raining for the next 3 days (counting today), 76 on Sunday, then T-storms for the 3 days after that, raining on the 16th as well. I might have to tell everyone the plants aren't hardened off yet, though I can get them used to cooler nights in the garage, won't be able to give them much sun and I'm afraid of heavy rain/wind this week.