HM, that's a great idea! I have some pots, if they can buy potting soil and work on liming the (single) row they have rototilled. The blueberries were planted in a long row too, whole thing rototilled but clumps of grass left in there, I pulled them out, shook off the roots, and threw the grass under some cardboard they had in another area (I hope they don't plan on planting this year). Kind of a waste to till a 60 ft row for 12 bare root blueberry bushes (and then have to mulch) when we could have just dug 12 holes and mowed the grass in between. I'm coming a little late to the party, trying to help out. A little too late for planting (1 of the blueberries was starting to bud) but someone picked them up on Friday so have to plant them ASAP now instead of waiting for next year when the soil's been amended.

My P. nigra has done well in sandy soil and heavy clay soil. It spreads slower in clay soil and needs to be watered less often but is harder to divide, if you ever desire to do so. Sandy soil, or even store bought potting soil work great, but will need a bit more waterings. If in a pot or raised bed, it will also need more water than an inground plant. Spacing depends on how fast you want the area to fill in with bamboo. P. nigra is one of the most aggressive or possibly 'the' most aggressive that I grow. The first year I planted mine in the ground from a one gallon pot, it sent up a shoot 15 feet away at the end of the Summer, however that's not to say that there were culms everywhere. That was the maximum distance from the mother plant that a culm popped up. In a confined area, it will quickly spread and fill in the inside of the barrier area. The third growing season will typically be your first best 'grove' year, no matter how close you plant the boo. This is from my experience. Someone else in your area with a similar zone rating my be able to help you more. Good Luck. Kt

Sherry, I seem to be running a "Cat house" here in NE Oklahoma! LOL There is lots of hanky-panky going on. It must be the love season. Guess we could call it the "Love Connection--Butterfly Version".

Just went out to check all my leaves. The disease-resistant roses with glossy foliage all have 7-leafets: Kordes Flower Carpet, Pat Austin and Tchaikovsky. Kordes Flower Carpet doesn't have mildew in shade, but Knock-out (5-leaflet) has mildew. Other DISEASE-RESISTANT with 7-leaflets: William Shakespeare 2000, Duchess de Rohan, Excellenz von Schubert, Annie L. McDowell, Blue Mist, Poseidon, Cloudert Soupert, and Crown Princess Mag. ... all have leaves in set of 7. These can take wet soil well, like multiflora rose thriving in wet lands. But the blackspot-prone roses: Comte de Chambord and hybrid teas have leaves in set of 5, and much larger & round leaves. These prefer well-drained soil, and tend to blackspot with prolonged wetness & acidic rain. Multiflora-leaves are clearly a set of 7, see below pic: http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/invasiveplants/factsheets/pdf/multiflora-rose.pdf "Each multiflora leaf as 5 to 11 one inch-long oval leaflets with toothed margins. The undersides of the leaflets have tiny hairs and are paler than the upper surface. The base of each leaf stalk has a characteristic stipule (green, leafy structure) with hairs or a comb-like fringe along its margins. Flowers. As indicated by its scientific name Rosa multiflora, this plant has abundant, showy clusters of flowers which typically are white, though sometimes slightly pink." Below is Austin rose William Morris, which did terrible in slightly acidic wet & peaty potting soil, then finally died when I put in my wet clay made acidic with cracked corn. Note the leaves are in a set of 5, which means it prefer well-drained & loamy soil, and CANNOT take acid & wetness like those of set-7 leaves. Folks complain about WM being stingy and rust-fungal-prone. The drought-tolerant & disease-resistant Rugosa has rounder leaves in set of 9, plus very bristly canes full of thistles, see below: