I have noticed that the Vintage bands have a gravelly like composition to the bands when they arrive. Wonder if that could be the shale Lou is talking about? I have found that intead of rushing to pot the bands up in one gallon pots the minute they arrive, they seem to do better if I let them climitize about a week. I keep them out of them wind and protected from cold weather, put them on wire shelves in dappled sunlight. The ones I got from Rogue Valley are now just bursting out of their bands, ready to be potted [tomorrow]. Our weather is in the 50's at night, it got up to 81 today. I am seeing lots of new growth on the bands, but they are still looking like babies at this point - unlike the ones I got in November - those are getting really big, a few have buds [as do a couple of these newest bands - [by the way - I call them 'bands' even tho they are repotted into larger containers] This is why I want to be so careful in what I give them - do not even want to chance burning their young roots. And I definitely water well the day before fertilizing. I have several that are quite slow - still look like sticks with new leaves - I am really going to be careful with those.......not even sure if these should be fertilized or not?? Judith

This is such a good idea! I've wondered if some of you could have been my neighbors in the various places I've lived. Anyhow it's nice to be "online" neighbors now. GW Name - luckygal What does your GW name stand for? - I don't really believe in "luck" but I feel very blessed to have survived so well this long. Real Name - Katie Age - 66 Companion - same husband for over 42 years Children? - 3 nice adult kids and 6 wonderful grandkids Pets? - 3 indoor cats, 2 we chose from the SPCA and 1 who chose us - he just wondered by one day and needed feeding, and one outdoor feral cat we feed who keeps the mice under control. We're between dogs. Where do you live or used to live? - have lived in rural BC near the middle of the province for almost 20 years, originally from the west coast of BC, have lived in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Germany Zone? - 3b (according to the Canadian Zone Map) Do you work? - yes, but since I retired I don't get paid as much for it! Have been a jill-of-many-trades and master of a few. Companion Occupation? - ex-military, retired teacher Other interests besides gardening? - various crafts, sewing, knitting, crochet, reading, computer, yard saling, repurposing yard sale finds, interior decorating (DH calls me Martha when I get too obsessed), photography, traveling now that we are retired How long have you been gardening? - 60 years at least (difficult even for me to believe) - my parents were avid gardeners and I helped from an early age. Where is your garden located and what is its size? - we have a large acreage and the garden is near the house, sort of large city lot size but could be larger. Courses in Horticulture? - no, self-taught, but with many mentors What are your specialities in gardening? - propagating houseplants but I'm no longer doing that as it tends to get out of hand (who really needs 30 diefenbachia?), I like growing perennials from seed and nurturing yard sale plant finds, I like planning my garden then deviating from the plan. My DH would say it's leaning on my shovel and telling him what to do! Favorite Flower? - delphiniums, Lady's Mantle, geranium Vancouver centennial (more for it's foliage) are a few Favorite Tree/Shrub? - dogwood altho it doesn't grow in our climate What has been the best-performing plant/plants in your gardens? - shasta daisies and feverfew which are overly prolific self-seeders, irises, delphinium, Lady's Mantle, various poppies, Autumn Joy, and lots more - I'd have to think. Most Challenging Plant? - lavender, I started with 3 plants a few years ago and have one left which seems to struggle to survive every year. I think I need to create a mini-climate which is dryer and warmer but it's easier to just visit a lavender farm and buy some dried. Favorite Gardening Quote? - "I appreciate the misunderstanding I have had with Nature over my perennial border. I think it is a flower garden; she thinks it is a meadow lacking grass, and tries to correct the error." ~Sara Stein, My Weeds, 1988 Favorite Garden Magazines? - have only ever taken Gardens West and Harrowsmith subscriptions but no longer - occasionally borrow from the library, there is much more info online Favorite Garden Books or resources? - have 4 of Lois Holes' books which I use, some old gardening books I seldom read, Richters herb catalogue which is fun to dream with, online sites and forums What is your favorite tool? - my little red wagon which I use instead of a wheelbarrow in the house yard. DH got me a second one, a green one to use out in the back-40 for picking sticks. Both yard sale finds $10 each. I also really like using our old cement mixer, it's like this huge noisy toy! We've made hypertufa pots, concrete rhubarb leaf stepping stones, and I like mixing my own garden-healthy mulch in it. What are you most comfortable in when gardening? - shorts, shell or t-shirt, flip-flops mostly or heavy workboots if I have to dig, if it's cold fleece pants and tops, same footware, cotton gloves changed frequently when muddy or rubber gloves occasionally, depending on what I'm doing. What has been your best garden project? - When we had a new water line dug they struck rock the entire way so DH hauled huge rocks in the tractor bucket and created a rockery on a slope near the house. It's become overgrown so I need to replan and replant soon but I love those huge half buried rocks. He also more recently built me a large decorative-only birdhouse out of old barnboard and it's in the garden all summer and on the verandah in the winter. Any projects in the works or planned? - started a lasagna bed this summer over part of the lawn and we're adding to it, hope it produces great veggies next year. Am thinking about a garden house, probably plan it over the winter. Would love to enlarge the garden area more but I think that might be biting off more than I can do. If you had an unlimited budget, what would you do with your gardens? - I've always wanted a bobcat to play with but with an unlimited budget I'd probably hire a landscaper and gardener also and keep them busy for awhile. Buy a hammock and watch them work! Cottage style all the way with gazebo, ponds, streams, bridges a la Monet's garden. If you could invent a plant, what would it look like? - hardy for my zone, resistant to all plant problems, long-lived perennial, very blue and it would look just like my delphiniums but smell like a spicy rose. Would that seem weird or what? Describe an experience with a garden pest that had you ready to throw in the trowel? - being "bug-phobic" I try not to think about them and the birds eat most of the bugs in the garden altho we have zillions of ants, also voracious deer, and pine, spruce and fir beetles in the forest. Plant pests are dandelions, wild yarrow, chickweed, and various pasture grasses that seed. I try to be organic but occasionally use ant dust around the perimeter of the house so they don't eat it! Otherwise it's live and let live here. Parts of the lawn are turning into yarrow groundcover which I may address, or not. Hey, it's green. What advice do you have for the novice gardener? - Join your local garden club, read everything you can about gardening - discover gardening forums and online sites, read library books, start composting, plan a bit, then just get out and do it your way and have fun. Don't waste a lot of money on expensive plants until you actually have good soil to plant them in. We learn more from our mistakes than our successes so don't be afraid to try. What is your motivation for gardening? - I'm incapable of not gardening, it's in my genes.

Hi. My name is Amanda and I'm a garden-a-holic. LOL. Seriously though, I only began gardening this year and already have plans for probably the next two or three years. I live in Chattanooga in what used to be my in-laws' house. When we moved in, there were already some hostas, two crepe myrtles, several azaleas, forsythias, two peonies, and a few other things. Well, I am working towards ridding myself of the forsythia. They are lovely, don't get me wrong, but I find them entirely too evasive. And to me, it is simply too much work to keep them trimmed back to a manageable size for something that blooms for only a week or two. I can happily say that I've added much more than taken away. I have planted cannas, daylilies, roses, bearded irises, and clematis. I definitely have plans for more roses and daylilies and cannas - just not sure where I will place everything. I am currently trying my hand at rooting some rose cuttings. I have Seven Sisters, Mr. Lincoln, and Climbing Blaze all struck. It is hard to not check for roots, as I am not known for my patience, but I have managed to leave them alone for the short time they have been in their pots. Finally, my husband and I are anxiously awaiting the birth of our second son. My due date is August 25th, but it could honestly be any day now. Our first son is 7-1/2 years old, so this is almost like having a first all over again. Although we're certainly out of practice, we're looking forward to experiencing all the 'firsts' all over again.

Thanks Patty and Rebecca. Dynatrap! Dang that auto-correct!! I did search on Amazon but couldn't find one that had the amount of blue like yours does. I wonder if it makes a difference? I think other commenters thought that the blue would attract thrips and midges-then Zap!! A bit pricey when there are roses to buy ;-) but worth it. We have dogs and heart worm is very prevalent here. Actually two of our past dogs were diagnosed and treated for it. Plus we have Eastern Equine Encephalitis here to worry about as well as West Nile Virus. And now a new deer tick illness that has killed, I believe, 8 people in Massachusetts. And we thought lyme disease was bad enough. Some of the beneficial nematodes, Nemaseek being one, list ticks as a target insect so I'll be purchasing some in the spring since I read summersrythm's post that said they need over 45 temps to survive. mad- So the little suckers don't drown? I would think the eggs would be encapsulated somehow though to protect against drowning like a chicken egg. Would the go into a kind of suspended animation and not hatch until the conditions are favorable? There's just so little info available on detailed rose midge life cycle. How do you handle new spring rose purchases? No killing frosts at that point. Would a quarantine work? If so, for how long to break the cycle? Do rose midge breed and reproduce from spring through frost? And I thought the monthlong assault of Japanese beetles was bad enough. sharon