When I have a rose or daylily [or other plant] that has a light green tint to it, I mix up a powdered iron supplement [cant recall the name of it now, but can probably get it at Lowes] with water, and water the plant well. It doesn't take long for it to green up and usually only takes one treatment. For holes in leaves, it could be june bugs [I killed one munching on a rose last night] or catapillars [they defoliated a rose completely - I sprayed and it has grown back its foliage]. For that, I spray with Safer insect spray - comes in spray bottle at Walmart. For blackspot, I have read that spraying every 3-4 days for 4 times with Mancozeb, then start the Bayer spray program. I understand and appreciate those who don't wish to spray, but I do spray - not on a regular basis due to being busy with other things, but I am trying to get on a regular schedule. In my area, don't have to do it much after it gets hot. I have horses, so have lots of mature compost. I have found one of the best fertilizers I can use is to put several shovelfuls of this rotted compost on my roses. I have seen it, with time, bring them into peak performance. If you know anyone with a farm or stable, you might check into getting some. I am going to topdress more of mine today. As it rains or when you water, it leaks the nutrients down to the roots. I have a Golden Celebration that has limped along for several years. Last fall I dumped a bunch of compost on it - it is now bigger and totally full of buds, more than it has had in the years it has been in the ground. I try to topdress all my flower beds spring and fall with a 2" layer of it - and my soil in those beds is wonderful. Good luck! Your rose looks like it wants to grow. Judith

We're still under a tornado watch until 6 pm and the 'depression' is taking its rainfall north. DH started physical therapy this morning, 3 times a week for six weeks. We had a better night last night. Everybody stay alert for bad weather. Thank you all for caring, and Kathy, you stay aware of your own surroundings. Gustav is upgraded to a hurricane this morning, still over Hispaniola, but headed for the open Gulf. You know what that can mean -- anywhere on the Gulf Coast and a long way inland if it gathers speed and force! Nell

Is it really OK to fertilize right after transplant? I didn't know that. On hand, I have seaweed and fish emulsion. I'm picking up more composted quail manure this weekend. Which one would be the best to use really diluted on it right now? Would B1 help? Can you use that on veggies and fruit? Ania

My goodness, your situation sounds exactly like ours! We were paying $250 on average in 2002 and decided it was time to take action! We are in Central CA, just south of SF Bay Area. Same conditions as your place. High enough on a slope that regularly has to 60-MPH gusts in Winter. During the last storm, warning in our area was for 75-MPH wind. In the summer, the exposed slope can heat outside to 115-F easily. Burning heat. Expecting snow the first part of this week. We are planning our retirement as well and setting up our place to hopefully last 20+ years with no more big improvements. I strongly suggest using windows with the following qualities: 1. In sun exposed location, consider using fiberglass or aluminum clad. In shaded location or less exposed location, vinyl may be OK. 2. In Wild fire zone, forget vinyl and stick with aluminum clad. 3. Have at least double-pane. 4. Make sure the window has Low-Solar-Heat-Gain Low-E II (or even III) coating. 5. If your elevation allows, consider buying those with argon gas filled in between the glass panes. 6. Sites that help determine best measurements for our locations. Main link: http://www.efficientwindows.org/ I did a search for windows appropriate for CA - San Diego and this link takes you there: http://www.efficientwindows.org/city_all.cfm?id=6 You can change the search by changing it to "All glass types" instead of "Double Low-Solar....." just to see. You can also look at CA-Daggett if that more closely approximate your location. 7. If you are in Wild Fire zones, be sure to use tempered glass. It will buy an extra safety margin. Low-E II (or III) is a coat of material applied to the glass so that it reflects solar heat away from the house in the summer and yet able to reflect the interior heat back into the house in the winter. We have them on ours and it is absolutely fantastic. THis is a must. Some will certainly argue that vinyl windows are cheaper and do as well. We still have two Milgard vinyl windows left in our house. As a home owner who wants to live peacefully through retirement, I will not use vinyl. Vinyl is inherently weak chemically so other chemicals must be added for it to survive heat and cold and so on. Why bother? If you are willing to spend for long term satisfaction, go straight for fiberglass or aluminum-clad wood interior windows. Fiberglass and aluminum are both stronger than vinyl and require no special additive to stiffen them against heat and cold. As for Argon gas, it can only be used up to a certain elevation. Reputable windows dealers will know this and know whether they can order the gas for you. The gas fills the airspace between the glass panes so that solar heat cannot easily travel by convection from the outer glass to the inner glass. It can cook outside up to 115-F and the inside remains a cool 75. It is wonderful! As for brands, we used Marvin Windows (bought 4 years ago now). They make a fiberglass version too. Andersen windows is a good brand as long as you buy the higher end versions that meet your requirements. My relatives use Andersen in SF East Bay Hills area, one lives on Santa Cruz mountains facing the sea. We last shop for windows 4+ years ago so I can say nothing about other brands now. Our experience is that we paid for what we got most of the time. Go cheap, for sure it will have cheaper performance. Do research carefully before signing anything. Be very picky and let the shop know you are "picky". A bit of hard work now up front will save a lot of angst later. For contractors, make sure they know what they are doing. Some charge extravagant prices if they think they can fool ya. Some charge too low because they cut corners. You will need to get good recommendations and learn a bit about how windows are installed and then quiz the contractors. Then watch them like a hawk. They will need access inside and outside. For ease of access, we basically cleared everything away from our windows so they could move safely and swiftly without hurting themselves or slowing the job. Better we give them lots of room than hurting them or having them accidentally break something. Finally, a side note. We installed a 10KW Grid-Tied PV Solar system on our property and have paid nothing to PG&E since. It cost $75K at the time, state paid $25K rebate so we ended up with $50K. At current PG&E rate, we would be paying close to $300 a month even with new windows. We will "recoup" our $50K in 14 years. With PG&E rate about to go up again this year, it has been a blessing. You do not need a 10KW system to save. Most families use a 5KW to reduce energy cost. It is worth considering for your location. Good luck and Happy Retirement!!!