No, like flowering bulbs, cutting the flowers makes for better flowers next year, because you prevent plant energy spent on growing seeds. I cut off all the flower clusters when they fade on my very young bushes, so they use energy on growing, not seeds. Lilac bushes SHOULD be cut, they are FOR being enjoyed where you want them in vases or being given away. Church flowers, nursing home friends, spread the flowers around! I get so many good memories of things, when I sniff smelly lilacs!! For your lovely bush in the long run, some judicious pruning is helpful to it. I try to keep the sucker sprouts reduced to a couple new ones instead of many, each year. A little renewal coming along if I want to take out an old stem. New stems often bloom very well. I look at the bush to see if old trunks are still producing flowers in quantity. Sometimes they get so tall, you can't enjoy the flowers, so taking out an old trunk makes the flowers more available, VISIBLE to people on the ground. Sounds mean, but pruning your bush is actually good for it, and the flowering you want in the future. Pruning is one of the hardest things I had to learn, but the great results after have made me a believer. Prune as soon as the flowers are done, won't bother next years flowers at all. I am trying some stem braiding, which I saw on some old bushes. Just braided up some sucker stems, tied near the top with string. Will take some time, years, but fun to try for visual interest on the bushes someday. Smashing or cross cutting the woody stems, does help the flowers drink better, so they last longer. Mine are just opening now, smells GREAT outside.

In your locale I think it may be possible. You will need a good air moving system to cut down the chances of disease due to moisture droplets just sitting on the plants and to vent out the heat. Lots of plants do better with moving air without the above considerations.If you look at local commercial growers you will see many of them with plastic houses set them up so the sides can be rolled up to allow heat and air exchange. In the summer your biggest challenge will be to vent the heat and a fan and open door may not do it, opening the sides might. You didn't say how long you wish to extend the season therefore if you wish to heat the house.You can find lots of info on four season gardening through books like Elliot Colemans where he uses hoops inside the GH over his plants to protect from the cold and extend the season.This might be an alternative to heating. You can also learn a lot of tricks by going to computer sites in the UK, maybe in Canada and Alaska,where the climate will not allow for warm weather crops to be grown outdoors with great success. Other then the heat issue they face similar challenges when it comes to bugs, disease, pollination etc as we do when working inside a structure. I'd encourage you to keep researching and give this idea a shot, sounds doable to me. Good luck, PQ

some well written lines here folks Ginny I know what you mean I as well am getting slow and weary but do love being part of the seasons and the work. I love my now three year old 40 foot row of Rose of Sharon of various colours Eye catching for passerbys on the street and take no care I have finally managed a successful pond. I leave it alone. Let the plants , water lilies and another blue flowering plant that I forget the name of naturalize. And this year they have been terrific Water lilies bloomed all summer and into fall . Goldfish survived even a couple of attacks from Herons. Guess they can hide quite well It is not a big pond, just a back yard pond. I didn't clean it or do a thing. I have planted some neat perennial tall plants around it and they have matured so nicely it really looks as though it has always been there. I have a pump in it to circulate the water not filter it and have taken that out for winter My tropical s in large potsw are yet outside to bring in still waiting a frost to sort of knock them down a bit, including Dahlias and Cannas this year I have a downstairs tennant, a young couple, who say they will bring the large pots in for me, which is a for sure blessing as they are darn heavy to move. Had my driveway re surfaced looks good and sets of the entire front yard, even more so. My Hydrangeas where so nice and still look good with the big heads now turning fall like. Love Hydrangeas. I think they are one of the best plants to grow, for me. I think I should have less roses, as they are to much work and put Hydrangeas and Japanese tree Peonies in their place But one just hates to do away with roses. So they are yet safe for another year. Love my yard, and gardens which are now five years in the making. I have more knowledge and time now to work on ideas and have created quite a special place that I treasure. Do not like it that now, with all the knowledge and time, I am running out of all the energy I used to have. I will be heading down to Florida and my gardens there, which I hear are overgrown as there has been a lot of rain. I hope I can tidy it all up or perhaps find someone to help. I do have a man who is to take care of the garden to some degree while I am up north but apparently he has not done much of a job this year. Lord give me strength, I say to do all that needs doing

Many pepper growers are starting to "top" their pepper plants when very young to make them bushier. One guy in particular "rooted" his tops that he had cut off of his young plants. They grew into beautiful pepper plants! He used a rooting hormone and he added mycorrhizae to his cloning mix. His mix, I believe, was sphagnum, perlite and vermiculite. Keep it moist, not soggy and, use the bag with a rubber band until you see roots. A clear cup with holes melted through bottom and sides, helps with visibility and drainage but more importantly, aeration. I am gonna buy some of this mycorrhizae. The results have been impressive according to the folks that are using it.