Wow, guys, you've bowled me over! Truly, Jim, I appreciate your compliment on my humility but I can't lay claim to it, for sure. Reading all your posts, I see the gist you all got was MY metamorphosis (which, of course, is there, but I didn't see it.) I was trying (maybe ineffectually) to describe a garden with some maturity under its belt, a garden that stood up last month, looked me in the face and asserted "I'm a big kid now!" It's like watching - and being jolted by - your kids growing up, stage by stage, after being convinced they will never survive and at each new level of growth being astonished at my own lack of awareness of what the future would bring. I don't have children so don't have those experiences anywhere but in this garden. It really feels like all my fretting and stressing were needless. The roses were going to do their thing no matter what I did, as far as worry goes. The biggest lesson here is "don't sweat it!" I feel the tiniest bit of mellowness coming on. Me? Mellow? Hardly, before now. In the original post I had started to write that I was concerned that the highly anticipated spring flush might not meet expectations, but I deleted it. That definitely has the ring of mellow to it! Melissa, what a wonderful thought...that I deserve these beautiful plants. How can that be? Anita, *** time for them to meet their shovel *** What a laugh you gave me!! Re Cels Multiflori, I had seen (I think on the Vintage site) that it is a very small rose, so you plan accordingly and what happens? It's moving time. I had also planted a Salvia next to NN, and the first time I cut the Salvia back I saw I only had half a rose bush. So the Salvia is the one that moved in my garden. Jim, an apt student? I hope! Patricia, I like your designation and I humbly accept the award. And you're right; stuff is happening whether it's observable or not. Florence, I'm hooked alright. 67 roses on .17 acre! DH is far too tolerant of my mania! Mendocino rose, I loved the way you put it. *** your growth along with your garden *** Kinda gave me goose bumps. Leslie, yes, yes, do learn from my mistakes - and from others'. Even though no one can be perfect AND inexperienced. It's a very good idea to apply what you learn - makes life MUCH easier. Oh, my back, when I move Belinda's Dream! I keep putting it off. Had the thought yesterday "I'll wait till Louie blooms then I can wack off the side that's blocking my access to BD." Sounds reasonable. Jeri, wouldn't it be great to see my garden 20 years hence. Boy, will I be a geezer! Had another thought the other day. I've basically made our property unsaleable with all these roses. They say there's a buyer for every house, but I don't know... Thankfully, this is our "last house" so I won't face that issue. We'll let DH's kids handle it! Sherry

This is my first year growing garlic, too. I dug mine a little early due to gopher activity. (Scapes appeared, and I cut them off, and a few leaves had turned brown.) Eight total plants. A couple of bulbs were good sized, one small and the rest medium. When I first dug them out, the individual cloves were hard to see. I thought it was one big clove. But now that they have been curing for a week or so, I can see the individual cloves. Maybe something like that will happen to you, or maybe that is even normal for full term garlic. Like I said, this was my first year. --McKenzie

That's a nice starting assortment.

Beth, I'm sorry to say, but it sounds like they are dead. The thorniness of the canes means nothing, but the darkness does. If you cut into them, you will see brown instead of a green rim with a white center. But check the bases of the plants, you may have some good growth there. If you do, cut away all the dead stuff. I wish I could tell you why the one Zephirine is doing well and the others didn't. Was the ground different there? Was it moister or drier in that spot during the winter? Did it have more protection from extra mulch or a building? You'll have to figure it out. When the forsythias bloom is when it is time to trim roses and they really start to grow at the point so you know for next year. I do hope you don't give up on roses. And next time post onthe regular or antique rose forum, you'll get way more responses and quickly too: ) Remy Here is a link that might be useful: Roses for the North