Oh thanks so much Kim. Since maybe being in pots has stimulated growth, I won't be so worried that they are going to take over the world. And just today I decided that my front lawn MAY be a good place for two climbers. On a split rail fence next to the driveway. The backdrop will be 2 Forty foot tall pines. (They don't block the sun.) Maybe Golden Celebration and Tradescant will be a treat for the neighbors. They can't see my backyard with the rest of my roses. I hope to be posting photos soon of my spring flush. Have a 'bloomin wonderful' spring. andrea

Chris, I remember your original post. You have Grace, a smoke tree hybrid. It looks horrible. You have a choice. If you can stand it, let it try to grow in and it might put out more branches in the next 3-4 weeks. Don't cut it at all until next March. Next March, before it leafs out, cut each branch totally down and only leave about 2-3 inches of branch. Leave the frame intact. The tree will all regrow every single branch and the foliage will be spectacular. It will look funny when you cut all of the branches so drastically, NOT the FRAME, just the branches, but if you don't cut them all the way down, it will look worse and become more spindly. With this bush/tree, you must coppice it, really cut all of the brances back to the frame for the tree to regrow properly. Wear gloves, it is a member of the sumac family and will leak a foul smelling liquid when you cut it, smells exactly like turpentine. I would leave it alone til next March and then cut it back. Trust me, if you do, you will be pleased at how it grows in. In your zone, you may have to cut it back at least every other year for a couple more years til it ages a little bit, by the way, "Grace" will get 20 feet tall. What ever you do, for Gods sake, don't cut the top of it. The main trunk branch. Leave that alone, only the branches. Good Luck!

You didn't do anything wrong. The raspberries will be in bigger pieces and will be discernable in the preserve (the degree depending upon ripeness) but I didn't succeed in keeping them entirely intact either. Believe me, I was sad about that, but that preserve is so very good, I'm willing to live with it. I tried cooking the raspberries a shorter time but then they didn't absorb the sugar syrup the way they should have and came out more like stewed raspberries in currant jelly, so that was a failure. I hope you're not too disappointed. I have thought about trying this preserve with peach chunks in raspberry syrup (the gold and red should be pretty) or reversing the original recipe and trying currants in raspberry syrup. In the latter case that would produce similar flavors, but the currants will stay whole and the raspberries won't. It's just one of many ideas I haven't gotten around to. Carol

Thanks for your responses. I guess I will have to try one again, but in a differnt spot this time. Mine was a Baptisia Alba. Now I need something to put in it's place. The sight gets mostly morning sun until almost mid day. in the same bed I have two different kinds of bee balm (one blueish, one red, different bloom times) and some red astilbe. I open to suggestions.