Thanks for all the input. I may give up on the climbing roses as they all seem to get quite huge and may get too wide for the area I have. I really do love the look of Billy though. Since I already have the 2 Emily Carr's, I am thinking about planting those in front of the arbour with Jackmanii Superba, Rouge Cardinal and Snow Queen Clematis growing up the deorative iron pieces just behind the roses.... Bought those at Canadian Tire for $4.97 each and just couldn't resist. Are roses and clematis good planted together? Anyway, I read some old rose posts on the Far North and think that I'm going to be very please with my Emily's ....

Gillian, The Greenspot in Brandon has it, and they were even in bloom. I'm not sure where their supplier is from, but they were gorgeous, and I'm sure they were timing it perfectly for Mother's Day. ;0) Hope you can find it in Winnipeg. It's a beautiful shade of red and I really like the shape of the flower too, and mine also came through winter with flying colours.

shebb, Keep it in the bucket of water! It will revive - some will warn you not too, but keep it in the water!! Can't tell you how many just like this and a lot worse I have revived. Don't worry about the 'best time of the year' this will work. Put it in the shade - no sun for now and leave it alone. Check to make sure there is water in the bucket and when it cools off you can plant it in a container so it can be watched. The leaves should perk up and it will continue to thrive. Hydrangeas - especially older varieties are really tough. When it looks better cut three or four branches and put them in a pot of moist soil. Cut the branches - about 12 to 15 inches long - just above a leaf node - the place where the leaves attach to the branch. Pull - do not cut - the leaves from the branch leaving only a few at the top - 3-4 will do. Make sure there are several nodes buried in the soil. Put these in a shady spot and keep moist. They might start to wilt and look terrible, but have heart and watch closely and new growth will eventually start from the nodes that used to be leaves. The trick to making successful cuttings is to fill the pot or container completely with any potting soil. Don't waste your money on anything fancy or organic - garden soil will also work. Do not put rocks or screens or drainage stuff at the bottom of the container. Keep the soil moist and give them time. In a week or two or even three, take your large hydrangea out of the bucket and plant in a container adding the soil in the same way as above. I would keep the plant in the container till spring and then replant in the garden. It should be just fine and you may have a few nice cutting rooted to share with others in the family. I noticed that you are in zone 4 - so it might be a good idea to winter over your rescue plant in the garage for the first winter.

First, this section is for edible figs. Youd be better off in the houseplants section. I grow a few ficus Benjamina so I'll see if I can help. First, why did you prune it this way in the first place? It's very awkward shaped and would take a bit of work to make it look nice again. Were the branches dying or was it getting too large? Your tree looks to be getting open shade and no direct sun. They can grow this way, but will definitely grow a little more leggy. Your plant isn't dropping, it's just growing downward. Hence one of this trees nicknames the "weeping fig." when is the last time you repotted? How did you go about doing so? how often do you water? How often do you fertilize and with what? your tree doesn't appear to be unhealthy at all, it just appears awkward due to the pruning method. one of mine is branded just like yours. Only I've kept it pruned into the tree shape.