My newer Winterberry is taking our hot weather pretty hard, it was purchased in June. I planted a Winter Red last fall, so it had a good time getting more rooted in, than my newly purchased Southern Gentleman. I have a couple TINY Sprite bushes that will droop if not watered often in their dry location. They have small root systems, even though they have been there 3 years. I plan to move them in Fall to a moister location where they will be happier. I am watering the Southern Gentleman every other day, after finding it crispy fried one day. I had checked it the previous day, looked fine. Next day the leaves were VERY shriveled, and I figured it was a goner. I pulled it up, moved it to a temporary place where I could check it daily, and watered it deeply each day and it resprouted new leaves. WHEW! I now do watering every other day, and it seems pretty happy with no wilting. The Winter Red (with better established root system) is getting watered once or twice a week, with a couple buckets of water. It seems pretty happy and not wilted. It is in full sun until about 8PM. Neither has any insect issues. So I would try going overboard a bit, watering heavily, daily, to see if the plant perks up. Probably a week of that treatment, should get it back on track so you can water less often. Still may need more frequent watering than normal in the heat, no rain, but it should perk up and not be droopy. My Hydrangeas are also often wilted in this heat and humidity, so they need watering more often than "normal" for this time of year. I will do this to keep them going. Good luck with your Winterberries. I want a Sparkleberry, it is on my Fall shopping list. I think because they are wetland plants, they need more water than normal, with my lack of rain.

I'm inspired by everyone's berries. I wish I had more. I have one Viburnum, plicatum I think, that doesn't have a single berry on it. though it is a gorgeous orange for fall. My serviceberry and crabapple are always so decimated by rust that I never have berries on them either. My serviceberry failures is one of my sadder failures in the garden. Does anyone have good luck with a serviceberry? Anyway, here are mine! Holly From berries 10/10/08 11:14 PM Ilex Winter Red From berries 10/10/08 11:14 PM Berberis From berries 10/10/08 11:14 PM Callicarpa dicholora 'Purple Pride' (my favorite and I need more) From berries 10/10/08 11:14 PM Cotoneaster From berries 10/10/08 11:14 PM

Since these are so hardy, you can probably get away with storing it in a protected spot on the north side of a wall or fence, with leaves piled up around the pot and held in place with netting, burlap, or just a few boards. All you need to do is to make sure the plant isn't in too much sun or wind and that the soil doesn't dry out completely (or stay swamped for too long). The dry leaves will help moderate temperature swings and will keep the rootball from drying out. If you don;t have dry leaves handy, a bag of bark nuggets would work well too; just don't pile it too close to the plant's stems. If you'd add your zone to your profile, it would be easier for people to give specific info. The instructions for doing that are on this forum ... a search should get them easily.

A bush that deer don't eat? Several come to mind. Plastic ones (though I'm not 100% certain), bushes that have a mean dog tied to them (make sure the dog never sleeps), and bushes that are currently on fire. All others are fair game. I have found that the deer don't bother my Chionanthus virginiacus (Virginia Fringe Tree), a small tree. Also, I grow Poncirus trifoliata that they don't bother. This one has dual uses, because as they grow, I cut some of the branches and hang them in other shrubs/trees to protect them. I have planted 150-200 species of trees and shrubs, and the ones the deer don't eat they rub. I can tell you that anything Prunus is a waste of time, ditto the Hickory and Oaks. Aesculus species seem to be like candy for deer, they even come up to the steps of the house to eat the buds, the leaves, the twigs. I've had decent luck with species Crabapples because they grow faster than the deer eat. In particular, Malus sargenti performs well. Same with Filberts, the deer browse them some, but they grow faster than they are eaten after they get established. They also browse the ends of the Button Bushes (Cephalanthus sp.), but seem to leave the rest alone. I also had good luck with Winterberry (Ilex sp.), and they don't seem to bother them too much. I imagine that also depends on the population pressure from the deer. My sister's place in Wayne County has nothing they don't eat. Even her White Pines were chewed to nubbins.