Blut, your pads are rooting outside? I've never tried rooting Opuntia outdoors, but started a few in pots.. The first 6 months, two pads didn't do anything, but looked fine..no rot and firm. I added Superthrive and a few weeks later a baby pad started growing from one of the pads..I thought the baby-less pad was dead, but a wk or so later, it too put out a baby. The only thing I'd have done different is, even though the opuntia is hardy, living in z6, I'd have rooted in the house..After roots formed, possibly the second year, weather permitting, planted in the garden. Good luck..as long as the pads look healthy, and feel firm, they're alive..Toni

Nice to see you back, GGG! You have been missed! Regarding your pink rose, there are so many options that it really depends on what you like best and the room you have available. From the ones I personally grow, Old Blush is a classic china in bloom for most of the year. It is absolutely carefree for me. The blooms are not very large, but they are very delicate looking and the color is really... like old blush (not sure if people blush anymore...). Ispahan is another beauty I grow, a damask rose with an unbelievable fragrance. A larger shrub, so it requires some room. I have posted photos of it under the Roses thread started by Token, if you care to take a look. As for hips, the one I grow that sets small round hips that look almost like berries is Ballerina, an hybrid musk that confuses people because the blooms look like hydrangea :-). Very pretty and carefree, the hips persist well into Winter. I also grow a pink old tea called Baronne Henriette de Snoy which has the most amazing ruffled flowers. The only drawback I can think about it is the absence of fragrance, at least to my nose. From the OGR suite which I don't grow I can remember from the top of my head - Mrs. B.R.Cant (large rose), Mme. Antoine Mari and Duchesse de Brabant. I don't have first hand experience with them, but the folks at the Antique Roses forum can shower you with recommendations. I have a part of my garden where I'm growing yellow and pink flowers as well. This is the area where I'm growing Ispahan, the Apothecary's Rose (great hips, but it may be too strong a pink for you) and Baronne Henriette de Snoy. Next year I'm planning to add a yellow rose (probably the tea Lady Hillingdon) and a bicolor old tea to tie both colors together (currently leaning towards Rosette Delizy, since I can't seem to find Mrs. Dudley Cross for sale in Europe). Hope this helps. Eduarda Here is a link that might be useful: Duchesse de Brabant at ARE

If the bulbs are still viable then it's definitely not too late to plant them. Right now is the perfect time for planting bulbs. However, I question how viable bulbs are that have been sitting on the edge of your garden since June especially with the drought that we had this summer. Bulbs are tough but I'm not sure they are that tough. Do the bulbs still feel solid to the touch (viable) or do they feel dried out or squishy (both not viable). There is not way that you can save them for planting next fall. Bulbs are not viable for that long.

Great comments above from Jerry, Gill, and Hyn. Yes, please do add 1/3 more of something gritty and non organic to your soil. It should be loose and very fast-draining and dry out sooner rather than later. I don't know where you are ... please tell us ... and whether it's winter there. It sounds as if you have the trees indoors. These are tropical and will never get enough light for growing indoors unless you use grow lights. But that's OK ... They will just go dormant or semi-dormant, taking a rest until Spring. That and culture shock is what you are seeing in terms of leaf drop. Do not water regularly while indoors during cold weather, just enough to moisten lightly and allow to dry completely in between. Otherwise, they may very well rot ... either from the tips or roots. Tip rot travels downward and root rot upwards and needs to be excised. To answer your question about leaving fine feeder roots exposed so they can grow thick ... no ... As Gill states, those need to be in contact with substrate and are there to feed. Otherwise, they atrophy and die off. That's OK ... There are more underground. That one big white exposed one needs to be buried more. You can raise it about an inch but that's enough. Otherwise, that suddenly exposed white section will burn in the sun. Adeniums should be gradually raised, about an inch a year. Please take a close look at all your branch tips. If anything is turning black or mushy or any kind of soft, prune it diagonally / . Make sure there is no black/brown left on the cut stem. That is rot and can potentially travel down the tree. When you prune, you will activate more branching. It DOES look like you have flower buds beginning on one of the tips. I hope it blooms for you. If they fall off due to culture shock, don't dismay. They will bloom again after Spring. Once Spring arrives in your region and you notice active growth, slowly begin increasing water up to more or less twice a week on hot mid-summer days. Also, you will want to begin feeding once in active growth ... Feed at 1/4 strength every week for best results. Last, but not least, you will want to acclimate your trees to more light in the spring. Move little by little until you can have them in full sun all day during the Summer. As a safety measure, I do not recommend leaving adeniums outdoors when overnight temps fall under 50 degrees F. They are succulents and can freeze. Please do stay with us and ask as many questions as necessary. There are many knowledgeable and helpful people here on this forum. Wishing you all the very best, Maria Elena