I moved to my No Cal home 2 yrs ago and planted several Austins. Abe Darby (grafted) does well in the Sacramento heat. 1.5 yr old plant is about 5x5. No disease issues for me. Planted right along my walkway so I can smell him as I walk in the door. Wm Shakespeare 2000 (own root) is young and too soon to tell, but sparse bloom all season. Less vigorous growth than other own roots planted at same time. The Prince (grafted) - have 2 of these - loved it when I had it in coastal So Cal. It grows more like a HT. Upright plant about 4.5 ft tall and 2.5 wide. Wonderful flush and rebloom. The heat here really fries the blooms. Have on with only AM sun and another that is partially shaded by the eaves of the house and a crape mytle. The one partially shaded blooms better, but also fries more. The Dark Lady (own root) - vigorous growth in 1.5 yrs. currently about 4x4. Good rebloom, no issues so far. Does well in the heat. My best red Austin for the heat. Glamis Castle (grafted)- small bushy shrub about 3x3, wonderful rebloom, covered in flowers, not so pleasant fragrance to my nose. As Luanne mentioned, needs to be pruned properly - the spent blooms are ugly and with the twiggy growth it takes more time than with most roses. Didn't like it at first, but it is one of the best blooming Austins I have, so it will stay. Charles Austin (grafted)- looks sickly, ? if has RMV. Good first flush, then poor rebloom. Throws out gangly canes. Blooms are the golden color in spring, then pale cream in the heat. Probably will SP this year. Geoff Hamilton (grafted) - balled, blooms never really opened, poor rebloom. Blooms are a faded dirty white in the heat. Will get SP'd this year. Falstaff (grafted) - gangly long canes, blooms fry in the heat. Will get SP'd this year. Othello (grafted) - huge numbers of buds this year - but they did not open. Poor rebloom, gangly growth. Will get SP'd. Jude the Obscure (own root) about 5x4 now - will stay no matter what disease he may get (has been clean). Great first flush and decent rebloom. Frangrance is fabulous. Keep him for the fragrance. Yum. Redoute (grafted) - healthy, nice first flush, not as much rebloom later in season, about 4x4. Newly planted a few months ago - Crown Princess Margaretta (grafted) - too soon to tell, but appears to have the long cane growth. Decent rebloom on such a young plant. Romanticas - Fred Mistral (grafted)- huge moster of a plant - about 6-7 ft tall, nearly as wide. Beautiful in bloom, fragrant, does well in the heat and the blooms don't fry. Needs lots of room. Yves Piaget (Grafted) - Dr. Huey is trying to take over and I think I may be losing the battle. Beautiful blooms, does not ball here. No disease issues. Fries a bit in the heat. This was my favorite rose when I lived in So Cal. If the Dr. wins the battle, I will replace it. Colette (grafted) - climber, vigorous growth, great first flush and rebloom early in the season, not so much bloom now in late summer. When I lived in coastal So Cal I had Prospero (grafted). I agree with Jeri. This was a wonderful plant. It was my first DA rose ever. When I smelled it at the nursery I had to have it. It was healthy, compact, and had great rebloom. I would like to obtain another one, but have not found a local source. Suspect it will have issues with the heat similar to The Prince. But this little plant was spectacular in So Cal. Janelle

Here's a lilst of fruits for Zone 14 (the Sunset Western Garden Book designation for the Sacramento area; we don't use USDA zones in California with accuracy): POME AND STONE FRUIT TREES Apple -- [best crops with two different trees] Arkansas Black Astrachan Beverly Hills Black Twig Fuji (bears alternately) Gala (Royal Gala) (fireblight-prone) Golden Delicious Granny Smith Gravenstein Jonathan Melrose Mutsu Newtown Pippin Northern Spy (slow) Rome Beauty (Red Rome) Spigold Winesap Winter Banana (Winter) Pearmain Apricots -- Autumn Royal (ripens late) Blenheim (Royal) Floragold Golden Amber Royalty Tilton Aprium (apricot-plum hybrid) Flavor Ann Flavor Delight Honey Rich Tasty Rich Cherry -- [need two different trees] Bing Black Tartarian English Morello (sour) Montmorency (sour) North Star (sour) Royal Ann Stella Van Cherry-Plum -- Delight Sprite Nectarine -- Desert Dawn Double Delight (ornamental, too) Fantasia Flavor Top Goldmine John Rivers Independence Silver Lode Snow Queen Southern Belle (genetic dwarf) Stanwick Sungrand Nectaplum (nectarine-plum hybrid) Spice-Zee Peach -- Bonita Babcock Bonanza II (genetic dwarf) Desertgold Donut (Saturn) Early Elberta Elberta Fay Elberta Fortyniner Gold Dust Halehaven Honey Babe (genetic dwarf) Indian Free July Elberta Redhaven Rio Oso Gem Peach-Plum  Tri-Lite Pear -- Bartlett Baldwin Comice Fan Stil Flordahome Hood Kieffer Monterrey Moonglow Seckel Sure Crop Winter Nelis Pears, Asian -- (Some are relatively self-fertile but still do best with a pollinator; others absolutely require a pollinator (because pollinators are specific in many cases, check your references before purchasing just any pollinator). Also check for fireblight resistance (a common disease among some cultivars).) Chojuro Hosui Ichiban Kikusui Kosui Mishirasu Nihon Nashi (Okusankichi) Niitaka Nijisseki (20th Century)  for coldest areas Seuri Shinko Shinseiki Shinsui Tsu Li (Tse Li) Ya li Yoinashi Yongi Plum, European -- Brooks Damson Early Laxton* French Prune Green Gage Imperial* Italian Prune Mirabelle Reine Claude Seneca* Stanley Sugar Plum, Japanese -- Burgundy Casselman Eldorado Elephant Heart Kelsey Laroda Nubiana Santa Rosa Satsuma (many others) Pluot (plum-apricot hybrid)  Black Kat Blue Gusto Crimson Heart Dapple Fire Early Dapple Flavor Fall Flavor Gem Flavor Gold Flavor Grenade Flavor Heart Flavorich Flavorite Flavor Jewel Flavor King Flavorosa Flavor Queen Flavor Supreme Flavor Treat Flavor Wynne Geo Pride Marcia's Flavor Plum Parfait Royal Treat Spring Flavor Quince -- CookeÂs Jumbo Orange Pineapple Smyrna OTHERS Fig -- (Black) ÂMission ÂBrown Turkey ÂConadria ÂKadota Jujube (Ziziphus) -- ÂJin ÂLang ÂLi ÂSherwood ÂSilverhill Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) -- ÂBig Jim ÂAdvance ÂChampagne ÂGold Nugget ÂMacBeth Mulberry, Black (Morus nigra)  ÂPersian ÂBlack Beauty ÂKaester ÂPakistan King ÂSullivan ÂThompson Pomegranate -- ÂAmbrosia ÂBlaze ÂEarly Wonderful ÂEversweet ÂGrenada ÂPink Pearl Drops ÂRosamia ÂSweet ÂUtah Sweet ÂWhite ÂWonderful NUTS Almond (takes two for pollination with noted exceptions *) -- ÂAll-in-OneÂ* ÂCarmel ÂGarden PrinceÂ* ÂMission ÂNeplus Ultra ÂNonpareil ÂPrice Chestnut (takes two to pollinate)  ÂColossal ÂDunstan ÂEurobella Filbert, Hazelnut (takes two to pollinate)  ÂBarcelona ÂBrixnut ÂButler ÂDavianna ÂDu Chilly ÂEnnis ÂWhite Aveline Pistachio (Pistacia vera) (takes two to pollinate)  ÂJoley  female ÂKerman  female ÂPeters  male (pollinator) ÂSfax -- female Walnut -- ÂChandler ÂHartley ÂHoward ÂTehama UNCOMMON HARDY FRUITS Mulberry hybrids -- ÂCollier (Morus alba X M. rubra) ÂIllinois Everbearing (M. alba X M. rubra) ÂTehama ("Giant White") ÂWellington (ÂNew AmericanÂ) Black persimmon (Diospyros digyna) Che (Cudrania tricuspidata) Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) (some self-fertile, otherwise hand pollinated) Potential (not tested well) -- ÂMary Foos Johnson ÂMitchell ÂOverleese ÂProlific ÂRebeccaÂs Gold ÂSunflower (sf) ÂTaylor ÂTaytoo ÂWells Persimmon hybrids -- ÂKeener ÂNikitaÂs Gift ÂRossiyanka Strawberry Tree, Chinese (Myrica rubra) Joe

Dear Ashley, I think you should know a few things about Top. You should check out my "Can you grow and fruit Caimito in a pot" post. I ordered from Top, and paid 49.99 for the tree, and $24.00 for the shipping. I had contacted Top regarding weather or not the tree was seed grown, airlayered, or grafted. They had claimed that they had emailed me but I never recieved one until they sent me one that said they had contacted me and told me it was airlayered. They also didn't send it for about three weeks after they had taken the money from my account. I got the tree in a small skinny box. I figured the tree was just wrapped tightly. When I opened it and I couldn't believe the size of the tree. To say it was small wouldn't do it any justice. I called them many a time and was never able to talk to anyone on the phone, I always had to leave a message. I composed an email adressing my concerns about the size of the tree. All I got back waw an email saying they would give me a $20.00 voucher towards my next order plus 10% off. I am going to use this because I felt robbed, but I would recommend talking to them first!

With all my roses pruned, there is no activity nowadays. However, when I complained to my rose nursery that the roses this year were not healthy, he sent me another pack, most roses of his own choice, at 80% discount. I am dealing with this rose nursery since long and many a times he sents a few roses free of cost Penelope (Hybrid Musk, Pemberton 1924) Brandy, (HT, Herbert Swim 1981) Memorial Day (HT, Tom Carruth 2001) Elizabeth of Glamis (Floribunda, McGredy 1958) Black Caviar (Astrid Grafin Von Hardenberg, Shrub, Tantau 2001) Daftrausch (Senteur Royale, HT, Tantau 1986) Andre le Notre (Betty White, Meilland 2000) Niclole Carol Miller (Grandiflora, Meilland, 2005) Pink Peac, (HT, Meilland 1958) JFK, (HT, Eugene Boerner, 1965) Souvenir de Baden-Baden (Pink Enchantment, HT, Kordes 2000) Princess Alexandra of Kent An un-tagged rose I already have two bushes of Princess Alexandra but he sends me a third at his own. No problem. I am not paying . I am fascinated to have Penelope, Memorial Day, Black Caviar and Andre le Notre. Have heard good things about these roses. I spent whole friday afternoon planting these roses... On Saturday morning me and my sons went up Margalla Hills for hiking. Margalla Hills National Park starts less than a km from my house. Here is one of the biggest trees that I saw in many years.... growing on the foot hills of Margalla. Yes, this is one tree. It is certainly hundreds of years old and Banyan tree do spread like this over the centuries; each root that touches the ground becomes a tree. This was last week. This tree is not that old but it is located high up on the Margalla mountain. We reached this spot after 2 hours of hiking. And here are few photos of one of my favourite palms, growing in the wild in Margalla National Park. Phoenix rupicola is indeed makes a majestic bush when fully grown. Phoenix rupicola grows up in the Margalla mountains at medium ranges. Here is one majestic specimen, isn't it? Another specimen This one has been through a jungle fire. The trunk is old but the leaves on top are few. Look how majestic this one looks. I am quite certain that if I grow this plant in my house (which is just 2 hours walk and in aerial distance, around 5 km from this place where this plant is going naturally), it will perhaps never grow this well. This is what I try to discover during my hikes. In nature, what makes the plants grow so well. What is God's Recipe for this lush growth? I think Straw would be interested to know this.... So many Phoenix rupicola growing naturally near the top of the mountain. I am so lucky to have this place just two hours hike from my house (in distance, it would be around 5 km aerial distance). Since there are no rose pics to show.... I thought we can talk about Banyan tree and Rupicola Palms I guess All photos shown above have been taken by me during my hikes in Margalla mountains. best regards