Hi Everyone! I was actually going to buy a cockatiel. I had visited with several hand fed babies and found them quite tame and loveable! I was actually in the store, about to put a deposit down on one bird I fell in love with when I got the call for the baby! So, we have a brand new baby. I do mean brand new, she was 3 days old when we brought her home on thursday. Things look really good for us that we will be able to adopt her. Of course, since it is foster care, nothing is 100%, but she is really not likely to be going back. We are all really excited and tired. Celeste wasnt so sure about her at first. She is actually smaller than her baby dolls! LOL! She is only just over 5 lbs. But, yesterday I let Celeste hold her for a while and they really bonded and now Celeste really likes the baby. Its so strange, I still dont feel like its real, it hasnt sunk in yet!

THANK YOU so very much EVERYONE, for brightening my birthday! I enjoyed all of the photos and well-wishes from all my rosey friends. I am always grateful that my birthday falls right during peak rose season here in my zone 4 garden! The old roses were especially lovely this year, but short-lived....we have had thunderstorms and torrential rain for several days which pretty much wiped out the delicate blooms. There are fallen petals everywhere! But as I go outside on the deck every morning with my coffee, the lovely, wafting fragrance of over 300 rosebushes in full bloom starts each day off right. My days are very long and full, taking care of my elderly mom who has Alzheimer's and a broken hip, taking care of all my gardens, pets, and husband & last child left at home. I ALWAYS check this forum every day, even if I haven't the time to post, and was delighted to be remembered. Thanks, Carla, for starting this post. I have been happily snapping hundreds of luscious rose photos of my gardens, and will share them here soon. I love you all! Kate....what a great memory you have! Yes, I did receive Night Owl for my b-day last year. That's the great thing....everyone knows to buy me a rosebush for my birthday, so I've added several more to my gardens. My son gets me one for Mother's Day and one for my birthday every year. Night Owl had some dieback over the winter and was cut back to about 2 feet, but is sending out lots of canes and blooming its head off. It is especially dark purple this year and absolutely stunning. Photos will be forthcoming. Celeste

If it were my plant, I would move that pot away from the wood pile first and see its reaction giving it as much sun as can be provided. I used to have a wood pile just like yours in corner of yard next to our old wooden fence. The wood started to decay and have spots of fungus growing on it as i could not use it fast enough. Also it would stay damp in that area very damp all the time. In my opinion the tree is in a very humid damp area in that location. At night i bet the leaves get a heavy dew on them having plant there. Try moving container away from that area and see its reaction and make sure the soil in container does not stay damp for long periods of time, get rid of the bad looking leaves. Yes it looks like FMV on that leaf pictured but usually its on more than 1 leaf on a whole plant. If you do this and it does not work then the chemical route whichever that may be might have to be used if it keeps spreading afterwards. I do not use any chemicals other than fertilizer if possible. Others may have ideas as well, this is something i personally would try first. Martin

I live in Zone 8B Austin, Texas. My experience is that fig bushes (multiple-trunked trees) are the best way to go for our area. After you plant a young fig tree, don't be surprised if cold snaps kill it to the ground the first couple of years. If it is a cold-resistant variety, the tree will be more resistant to cold as it gets older. Trimming the tree back in the very early spring a week or two before the tree breaks dormancy is a very good way to stimulate multiple suckers (new sprouts) from the base of the tree. In regard to Celeste dropping its fruit in hot weather: If the tree is stressed for water in hot weather, it is much more prone to drop the fruit, particularly if it is potted. Mature in-ground Celeste trees in this area, where it is not unusual at this time of year for the temperature to approach 100 degrees F every day, seem to do fine. Although a number of my Celeste variants are still maturing fruit, mature in-ground trees tend to mature their fruits in June and July in this area.