our local nursery(s) had DA and Jackson & Perkins but the local Lowe's mostly had flowercarpet and knockout, etc... I heard Jackson & Perkins was having some problems...? (ie insolvency or something? ) I don't know, don't take my word for it. They're still shipping and selling, etc. so. But maybe they have less big-box store presence. I order most of my roses online anyway so that I have more choice.

Ginny, we have some fat ones here to - usually they are smaller. I have to put a wire cage around the feeder and thought it would keep out the starlings but no such luck. I was going to make the cage holes smaller but the woodpeckers wouldn't be able to get in then and now the fat chickadees wouldn't be able to get in either! When we put up the feeders we planted 2 pear trees close by, now every morning we get up to see 2 dove trees with chickadees interspersed. Rosie used to chase the smaller birds but now there's bigger game - crows & ravens! Marg

Austin has some pockets of really truly cr@ppy soil, and some good stuff. Soil tests are our friends. Learning about the different solutions for amendment. I have heard that some people with red death clay have brought in some composted HARDWOOD native mulch and tilled 6" in and then not done anything with it for a year and let it rot. Others have loaded on 6 inches of compost and let the bugs cary it into the dirt. Sounds almost to good to be true. I used to live on clay. Not red death but a river cut bank with round river rock in it. Everytime I was out their with a shovel, I had compost from the Natural gardener to work into it. It got to be glorious dirt. I could grow everything. I thought I was a good gardener till I moved to 30 miles west of Austin on a high limestone hill with caliche and marl with mostly not much topsoil in the area around the house.. Many natives need to have the clay worked into loam by the bunch grass roots. that have broken it down. Find native grasses that want to break down the clay. Find a way to create structure in the clay. Gypsum, expanded shale, compost . Be aware the adding sand or decomposed granite has to be done in conjunction with more than equal amounts of mulch. One has to add at least 50% sand to have the clay not go back to cement. Research research research. I live on caliche now and I created raised beds in some areas where I grow vegetables because it was easier and immediate. I recommend compost tea. Geo Growers and the Natural Gardener for soil products. If you have a recurring bug or decease problem, step back and let the soil heal itself. I had to step back from squash because of the squash bug. I am giving my whole garden a rest this year and growing green manure. The arugala, leeks, kale and chard have not heard that I am not growing anything this winter.. When it is hot, I start vegetables in pots in the shade.

I stand corrected. Behr now labels their Premium Plus paint as self priming. So, Behr makes Behr Ultra which they call "paint and primer in one" which is more expensive. Behr also makes Behr Premium Plus which is labeled "self priming". Go figure. According to my wife, a former Home Depot Paint Department Head, Behr Ultra is recommended by Behr for high contrast color changes such as white over black. Behr Premium Plus is recommended to cover light colors with light colors. Mainly, she's been told by Behr, it's the amount of solids in the can that makes the difference. Additionally, not all paint and primer or self priming paints are created equal, some simply dump in more titanium dioxide and call it self priming and/or paint and primer in one. The whole concept of paint and primer and self priming is a misnomer. Of course they do not have what is traditionally considered primer and paint in one can. I included a web link that helps dispel the myths. Back to the original question: Jodukus ultra pure white is grayer than the original. Did she ever find out why? Here is a link that might be useful: Paint + Primer In One