Every spring is different up here in the mountains of Nocal. I no longer prune by the calendar, but follow the rule of waiting until the forsythias bloom. I've noticed that in some years they bloom two weeks ealier than others. If I wait, I don't see as much blind growth. What I find interesting is that the forsythias will bloom at different times ... by a few days, or even weeks, in different parts of town, which says something about the microclimates. We had a warm January this year and a lot of people went ahead and pruned their roses, but since my forsythias hadn't shown any sign of blooming, I waited. I am glad I did because February and March were unusually cold for this area. I see very little blind growth since I started following this old rule. This timing may only be true for the colder climates, but it seems to work for me. I usually wait until the estimated last frost date for this area before I feed the plants to encourage any new growth. It's kind of a conservative approach, but it seems to protect the new growth. Smiles, Lyn

Roses are a lot of work, no doubt about it. But here's how I've minimized the work and the water for my 15 roses. I fertilize, mulch and spray once a year, period, and they do just fine. They're planted in basins with a drip system, and at most I irrigate once a week during the summer. If it's over 100º I might irrigate twice that week. When it rains I don't irrigate. (Rain, what rain?!) The fertilizer is organic, the spray is a light horticultural oil, and the thick mulch is homemade compost. For the January pruning I wear heavy duty gloves and a long sleeved shirt, plus a sunhat, and manage to not be too scratched up. During the bloom season I deadhead regularly, wearing gloves. And that's it! I've chosen mostly roses that are disease resistant, a few hybrid teas, some grandifloras, a romantica, hybrid perpetuals, and an ancient rose. They bloom like crazy with this easy going treatment. All are highly scented.

I know a lot of people use a pressure cooker for ribs and it makes for quick ribs (and other foods). I thought about buying a pressure cooker, especially an electric one but decided against it. I usually brown the ribs, give them a seasoning rub, then into the Nesco and slow cook for a couple of hours. Buffets, Inc. closed down over 80 of their locations but all of the ones in MN stayed open. Guess we patronize them enough to stay open. It's interesting to see peoples' choices. I'm not into "people watching" much but sometimes get a kick out of how people dine. I used to be one who liked ribs drenched in sauce. After trying the "Memphis style" at Chili's I enjoyed them so much I went on a search for different rubs (and found hundreds, well, way more than that!) and now experiment with different rubs. I sometimes add some sauce afterward. And I'm really a fan of country style ribs and yes I know they're technically more of a "chop" but when you cook 'em like ribs and the pork boys are satisfied with the name, that's good enough for me. Hi Sooey. I like the Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen shows and agree, they have a good website. They don't talk down to you like so many of the cooking shows do, they seem to try to teach. Some of their recipes get a little overboard to get the "perfect" whatever but I still pick up some tips and stuff from the show. Once you know the basics of making ribs, they're not difficult. And usually they're always good if cooked tender. (I'm still full from yesterday!) :)

third vote for holly. I am prune crazy so I would trim it to the height you want and go from there. Just like when you have an open wound, there is exposure to fungal diseases, especially during rainy or high humidity times. When I'm not happy with a plant I trim it w/ abandon. Only 20% of the time have I had to remove after severe pruning. The remaining 80% things worked out the way I envisioned. Halving said that, most literature recommends cutting no more than 1/3 at a time. I take my changes and do whatever I want. Again, has worked out about 80% of the time.