Diane - I really appreciate this reminder you send every year and I learn to rely on it. I had about 30 roses I grow or have grown in this year's list. Not only is it great to get an automatic copy of the RIR survey results for your area each year, but there can be other perks of filling out this survey. Once years ago there were so many respondents from our region that there were random drawings of a gift certificate to people who responded from that region, which was a great unexpected perk. Regardless, we always wish there were better information about the roses we grow or want to grow from our own region, and this is the means by which this kind of information is gathered. Even if you only grow a few roses, be sure to check it out. Most of the roses are relatively new releases but not entirely, so do check it out! Cynthia

I think that it might be useful to cover What's Most Important, and also to tell them what can safely be ignored until later, when the gardener is looking for new challenges. For example, after some years at this, after which I still more or less consider myself a newbie, I now have a small set of "do this much right or don't even bother" priorities: - Decent soil. That doesn't mean that the gardener needs to do a fancy soil test and measure elaborate mixtures of mineral dusts and soil amendments and put in just the right amount of fertilizer. In fact, those things, for a new gardener, are just scarey distractions. It means, to me, that the gardener should get his hands on something that he can use to easily improve his soil (in my case, an organic planting mix with bat guano and compost and other items), dig into the dirt, and mix the good stuff in until the texture becomes something that he can happily run his fingers through. My rule for soil is Make It Nice And Fluffy. That seems to be good enough. - A steady supply of water. Sure, this looks obvious, but people do so very, very frequently water too little, too shallow, and either too seldom or too often. Lots of them also aren't sold on mulch. - Planting "thoroughly" Digging holes deep enough, making the spacing at least approximately correct, unwinding or hacking up rootbound rootballs, firming in the soil, watering the plant in, pruning flowers off of those poor overblooming sixpack plants, and so on. None of this is really obvious when you start. - Select plants that like the conditions I ignore reality: I've planted roses in full shade. I've planted daphne in full sun. I've planted endless moisture-lovers in underwatered heat. It's almost impossible to get somebody like me to stop killing plants this way until they learn the lesson on their own, but it's still worthwhile to emphasize that matching the plant to the conditions _really matters a whole lot_. Yes, you want roses. If you absolutely insist on planting roses in the shade, well, fine, get _one_. But meanwhile, throw in some hostas and Japanese anemones so you have something green next year when the rose is covered in mildew. Unfortunately, this already looks like too much for two hours. :) But going on anyway, to what I think can be ignored until later: - All of those soil distractions that I mentioned above. - Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and all that. They are, again, complicated, scarey, and weird. If you're starting out, and your plant just got eaten by a bug? Plant something else. - Powdered, pelletted, liquid, and generally smelly and scarey fertilizers. Just dig in the bat guano, or the steer manure, or whatever. - Fancy pruning rules. When you find out what survives the first season, then look up how to prune it. Burnet

WOW did I drop the ball here. In spite of my best efforts to provide all necessary info I left out alot of stuff, which I felt was unimportant to keep the post shorter, but it may change things. This 12 x 30 area was basically a sparse weed patch, to start off with, we had tried for several years to get grass to grow it simply would not. When I tilled this area for the first time I had to water it before I could till, and then I could only till several inches at a time. I repeated the water and till I had tilled as deep as the tiller would go. I took a Soil sample to the garden center before I started planting. There first suggestion was to make an 8-10" raised bed, over the existing soil with 100% new soil. Since that option was cost prohibitive, they recommended I put at least 3" of compost made up of different types for the next several years tilled into a depth of around 6", after I had already tilled the soil. I too questioned the 6" depth, what they told me was the you only need to go 6" as when you till next year the remaining will be tilled deeper, and in several years you will have a deep loom; Hope I explained it right. To get a depth of 3" on a 12 x 30 area you need 90 cubic feet, which I am close to. The peat is being added for water retention and will only be around 1/2". If this is still all wrong please tell me what I need to do so i can get my plants in.

Small town life sounds good to me. As does living in the country. We had a few acres when I had horses and other animals back in the 60s and 70's. Phoenix is soooo big, too much traffic, and I hate driving even if it didn't cause my leg to go on the warpath. I was born in a small town, in Ala. I don't really going places alone either, and won't go out at night except to family gatherings at one of my kids. I'm waiting the arrival of my toile plates I just bought. Tho heaven knows what I can find to do with them, but will try just because of all the support I've gotten here. Any table settings I do will be just for ONE, maybe two if you're lucky. LOL. I'm going to be a one-trick pony, sorry about that. I just can't do full tables for many reasons. I've been 'planning' my Christmas decor. Really planning this year. Thought it might take some of the load off me being so over-whelmed with it when I go to unpacking a zillion things in the middle of the floor while telling two cats NOT to help me. A zillion times! One sleepless night I started plotting different places to put things this year. I want my newly begun collection of Nutcrackers (started last year) pretty much together. But I think the purple one should go with the Santa. And I have two golf Santas and two golf Nutcrackers that should stay together. Last year they were with my two other special Nutcrackers, a policeman and a fireman. These have a lot of meaning! I'm going to put my Village in the antique china cabinet in my entry hall this time I think, instead of Painted Pony Cabinet in familyroom. Tho I still have to move over a 100 statues from BOTH. I was thinking of putting Xmas horses and reindeer in the pony cabinet. I have quite a few of both now. Anyway, its fun to mentally decorate. It also doesn't wear me out or hurt my body. LOL. I think I'll start my Village next week in fact. First I have to make room for all those dog statues to safely go on closet shelves for the next two months! Ugh. hugs, Karen