Nu: When you cut out some or most of the old canes right back to the trunk, there will be shoots arise this spring from near those cuts. Those shoots will be the fruiting canes in 2012. After that you basically repeat that every winter. And don't worry that you can't see buds. They are there and there will be growth from near the cuts. That growth will be good fruiting wood the next year. There is a small chance that things won't go as I suggest. Perhaps you will have a severe freeze and it will kill all or most of the buds. But it is basically impossible to kill a grapevine by pruning. If it grows back even one bud you can make a productive vine out of it in a year or two. Chances are quite high you'll get a good crop, plenty of new shoots for following crops, and a better vine in the long run.

Although raspberries are self-pollinating (you don't NEED another variety), they can produce slightly better (more/bigger/flavorful) fruit with another variety present. I believe it's similar with most blueberries, but not all... what's your variety? As for how many raspberry plants to get, it really doesn't matter as they will spread like crazy. If you plant just single bare root plants (single cane) 3 feet apart, within 3 years, the bed will have full filled in. If it's not contained, it will have taken over much of the surrounding area. I'm not much of a grape grower yet, so I'll let someone else answer that. -Glenn

when i was first learning ... there was no WWWeb ... i left everything for my MI winter ... and then in spring ... cut back to live tissue ... which was usually below snow cover ... it was the only way to insure that the catch 22 you mention ... how would i know.. i wasnt cutting off the only part that might live ... and 30 years later ... i still use that system ... i do not keep a retentive garden .. i revel in what a plant looks like dormant.. and in winter.. else i would just have a flat garden to look at all winter ... and half the time.. i never make it out there in spring to clean it all up ... what lives.. lives.. what doesnt doesnt.. and i dont really worry about it ... if it wants to die ... so be it... i didnt want it anyway .. lol .. yes.. you can spend hundreds of hours.. researching every know plant by name ... and cutting them all down ... but for me.. gardening is about turning off the technology.. and intuiting it all .. and enjoying being out in mother nature ... not going blind reading up on the computer ... buying zone appropriate plants.. and relying on ma nature to provide said zone.. is about all i do ... and though i may think about things all winter long... i dont worry about it all ... and it only took me 20 years to get to that point.. lol ... what one might call.. zen gardening .. [she really screwed with us last winter.. and sent us a z4 winter .. in my z5 ... lots and lots of damage.. oh well .. what can you do.. would worry have made a difference????] good luck ken

So i have researched the chinese pistache tree and it is incredibly beautiful with its fall/ winter colors...So now my next question is where do you buy one?!?!?! I have been all over town to different nurseries and they all tell me that they either don't know about the tree, where to find it, or even what it is. I looked at moon valley nursery, and even though they are a little pricey, they dont have it and they said that the best they could offer is the Sweetgum tree...So (1) Does ANYONE who has a Chinese Pistache know where to buy one and (2)Does anyone know about the sweetgum tree? Thanks for all of your help! -AZnursingstudent.