I think so much of the confusion comes from people all over the world (really) growing their version of a species, tiny, huge, pencil trunk, monster trunk, great soil, lousy mix, natural humidity vs top-of-the-tv in front of the rad, plus very different bkgrnds in bonsai (diff. teachers, books, the guy down the street), and some trees are in-ground for fast growth in California, others crummy mallsai in a 4th fl. Manhattan apt. and no 'outside' at all... Terms of reference alone vary hugely and only time and rabid reading will eventually make sense out of some of it. Do check out www.bonsai4me.com, www.bonsaihunk.us/cultural.html, www.evergreenggardenworks.com, and whatever local clubs you can find (great learning places!). Good luck, and sorry for the attitude... sometimes one more mismanaged juniper is just one too many - and it's not your fault, it's those dumb 'care' tags - the same thing on African violets as on pines, plus clerks who give you ignorant info, and you just have to plow through somehow. Ciao

zippity, I'm not sure where you are right now, or what the temps are there right now, but I'm sure that some of the plants you started are more cold hardy than others. If you could put together a cold frame (about as low-tech as you can get), try putting some of the "extras" out there, to see how they fair. If your evening temps are too low, you can always bring them in at night. Cold frame: If you have any old windows, just lean one up against the south side of your house, and put some kind of a wind barrier on the sides. It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective. If it is not air tight, that's ok for the day time. The sun will heat the frame QUICKLY if it is all closed up. So, air leaks aren't a big problem during the day. They ARE a problem at night, as they wouldn't hold the heat at night, and so the temp inside will be the same as the outside. Hope this helps a little. Cold hardy crops are greens, cole crops, onions, etc. Tomatoes and peppers are heat LOVING plants, so these guys would not be the first choice for the cold frame.

Rose photos are not showing. Please try to post them again. I guessing here. Sounds like you are using one of the Bayer combo products. Many of us here do NOT recommend those 3-in-one products--often they give the rose much more than it needs. Certainly, if you were not having problems with fungus or with insects, your roses did not need an insecticide or a fungicide. And some posters have noted that the "feed" part--the fertilizer--might be too strong. I'm guessing your roses are suffering from too much nitrogen--nitrogen-burn. All you can do now is give them a good deep watering to try to wash away some of the effects of the nitrogen and then wait patiently for the rose to put out some new leaves. The other possibility that occurs to me is you have a severe spider mite problem. They are so small that you may not see them, but often there will be some telltale webs around parts of the roses. In that case, the cure is relatively easy. Use a stiff spray of water from your hose and give those roses a thorough shower, in particular spraying up underneath the leaves. Repeat this process one or more times every few days. After a week or so of such treatment, the spider mites should be gone (They hate water.). Good luck. Kate

If you think it is the waterlogged soil, can you transplant them someplace less wet?