Pinching off the buds seems to matter more for those of us in cold zones, since we need more than anything to have a strong root system established before winter. Second to that is a strong cane or two, and blooms are not necessary in the first year except to establish that you have the right rose. People in warmer zones don't necessarily have to pinch off buds since they have a much longer growing season and a less harsh winter, unless they want to pinch buds to build strength to survive the hot periods. In zone 6, it will help your roses build strong roots if you pinch off the buds, but for stronger cultivars well suited to your zone it may not matter as much. Basically my philosophy has become to pinch off buds of anything that looks weak or is less than knee high with several branches, even if it's a year or two old. I can stand to do that because I have a lot of roses. Once the rose wants to bloom faster than I can pinch off the blooms (like Southern Peach or most of the Easy Elegance roses this year), I don't bother pinching and figure it's already strong enough. Bottom line is it's not necessary but it can make a difference in relatively marginal or small roses in your climate. Cynthia

What kind of citrus tree is this? If it is a Meyer lemon, this is its normal growth habit - bush-like. Depends on the cultivar, and what type of shape you're after. It doesn't appear to be rootstock growth, but scion growth to me. But, up to you. If you're after a more tree-like canopy, I would prune the branch off at the trunk. If not, I would leave it. Also, you can upload your photos to a photo sharing site, then copy and paste the HTML code right into the body of your message, thus embedding your photos right into your message. A little easier for the busy folks on this list to see your photos, than having to copy and paste the URL to each photo into a new browser window. Patty S.

Lily, can you provide a photo of where this wickedly thorny branch is emanating from? The front normal branch is obscuring where the thorny branch is coming from. We are all thinking that you've possibly got a (massive) rootstock sucker, but we can't tell unless you can give us a photo of where this branch starts exactly. If it is emanating from below the graft union, it is rootstock, and should be removed. Patty S.

If you understand the issues around fresh chips, then you can work around it. Fresh chips try to decompose. When piled up, that facilitates the process and the pile heats up. The process requires nitrogen to work, stealing it from nearby areas if necessary. You can minimize problems with using fresh chips by 1)spreading them thinly (no more than one inch or so), 2) sprinkling a little extra fertilizer with nitrogen (10-10-10 is ok) in the area so that any decomposition doesn't rob your plants of the nitrogen that they need. Otherwise, if you need to use it thickly, then I'd let it season until spring. And watch it steam most of the winter!