Yes, if you see only Huey blooms, Abe and QE are goners, and you should dig out Huey, which is not a very good garden rose (blooms only once and gets diseases). The swelling where the canes diverge is the place where the scion (Abe or QE) is physically attached to the rootstock (Dr. Huey). There is no blending of varieties. If a rose is not fully cane-hardy in your climate, you have to protect the graft (aka bud union) from winter kill, or else only the hardy rootstock part survives. Plant your grafted roses so the top of the graft is a couple inches below grade. If there is no snow cover, push some extra mulch over the crown for the deepest part of winter only. What you like about Iceberg is its leafy, relaxed, shrubby quality compared to the sparse upright growth of hybrid teas and similar modern roses. There are lots of roses of that sort, though garden centers stock mostly hybrid teas. Many shrub roses are hardier than Mr. Lincoln, too. One of my favorites is 'Earth Song', a great bloomer and zone 5 hardy. Click "photos" tab at the link. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=1695

I'm not sure I agree with David entirely :-) CG's are naturally weepers but the ultimate height any individual tree will attain will be based on the location of the graft and how it has been trained. If you want the tree to top out at around 4', give or take a bit, there is no problem in removing the supporting stake now - it will not break (unless there is a possibility of a very heavy snowload in winter), so no worries there. A 4' CQ is not a juvenile graft - this tree has been grown on for a number of years to attain that height. It often takes considerable time for a JM trunk to gain much girth and to leave it staked for that long a period is IMO a mistake. I'd also caution about heeding any advice regarding pruning to reduce height - this is NOT a practice you want to follow with a JM. Pruning should be limited to enhancing the natural form and branch structure or perhaps shortening any long, ground sweeping branches and of course removing any dead wood or conflicting branches but it should not be done to reduce height, particularly on a form like CQ. Some of the most handsome specimen CQ maples at our nursery are no more than 3-4' tall but with a wide, cascading canopy 6-8' across. Rather than a "Cousin It" look, these have a broad, umbrella-like appearance - very graceful but with a need for sufficient space to show them off properly.

Hi PR, Ive never tried to grow a Japanese maple, but if youÂre thinking of trying again, IÂm gonna chime in here! First of all IÂm going to agree with Dan and TreeBarb that it sounds to me like it got WAY too much water after it was planted and over winter. When plants are dormant over winter, they use very, very little water, so itÂs quite possible the roots were starting to rot even before it came out of dormancy this spring. As long as the soil stays damp when the plants are dormant, theyÂll be fine. So if you decide to try again, I recommend watering it in very well when you plant it and then donÂt water again until the soil, down near the bottom of the original root ball, is starting to dry out. I wouldnÂt do any supplemental watering at all over winter, and if weÂre getting much snow/rain, IÂd divert the down spout water away from it. When itÂs actively growing, water only when the soil is drying--and then water slowly and very thoroughly. People loose way, way more plants (of all types) from overwatering than they do from underwatering. If somethingÂs underwatered, itÂll look pretty sad, but wonÂt usually die. If somethingÂs overwatered, the roots rot and it dies! So, if in doubt, donÂt water! It looks like itÂs in a pretty protected corner, but IÂm wondering, since itÂs on the west side, if it might not be getting too much heat, even if itÂs shaded from the sun. And the tree you asked about thatÂs shading it looks like a honey locust to me. PaulinoÂs carries them, but I donÂt know what sizes or what the prices areÂor even if they have any left this year, so you might want to call to check it out. Also, if you go to PaulinoÂs to look at them, go in to the front desk and ask John Smith (Yeah, really!) who the best/most knowledgeable person would be in the nursery to ask about them and then go looking for him/her (John can call them on the radio to tell them youÂre looking for them!) John is pretty good with most of the stock too, and can answer some of your questions, but if they have a good nursery person right now, they can probably tell you more. Tell John, Dee sent youÂno, I donÂt get a kickback! But if you want the really, really best info here in Denver about growing them, go to Timberline Gardens on the west side of town and ask for Kelly GrummonsÂtell him Dee sent you! Tell him exactly what you did in your original post here about when and where it was planted and how often it was watered and ask him what to do if youÂre gonna try again. If Kelly canÂt help you, nobody can. I donÂt know if he carries them or not. He may not since theyÂre generally considered pretty hard to successfully grow in our dry climate, but even if he doesnÂt sell them, he can give you the best advice for trying to get one going. And he would also be great for recommending something else cool to try if you decide to go that way. If you go there and if youÂre at all interested in perennials, Kelly has far and away the most comprehensive selection of perennials in the Denver area. Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do and how itÂs working out for you. Welcome to RMG! Skybird

The growing tip, called a crownshaft, appears intact in these plants and therefore, recovery is likely. No palm is especially fast-growing, so don't expect miracles, that is, unless you understand that life itself is indeed a miracle. BTW, I just got back from 20 days in SW Florida. Within a week, not one, not two, but three separate storm events occurred within mere miles of where I was domiciled, each one of which produced twisters. In particular, last Friday's storm, which BTW dropped 5 inches of rain in two hours(!) came right across the very location I was at. In truth, with that kind of rainfall, an observer would never see a twister until it was far too late. +_oM