Many people get food poisoning from commercially available products, and if you saw what went on in many restaurant kitchens, you'd probably never eat out again. In 2007 there were 4 cases of botulism linked to canned hot dog chili sauce, and there were cases of botulism from Bolthouse Farms Carrot Juice, and an update shows the serious effects of botulism. "All of the victims of the Bolthouse Farms Carrot Juice botulism outbreak developed respiratory failure and required lengthy ventilator treatments. One victim in the United States fell into a coma and died three months after ingesting the botulism toxin. A couple in Canada also experienced lengthy comas and nearly died after drinking Bolthouse Farms Carrot Juice. Two years after the outbreak, in December 2008, two victims were at home, two were at a rehabilitation facility and one victim remained at a hospital. At this time, two of the five survivors were still dependent on mechanical ventilators." Also in 2006 there were a couple of cases of botulism from some home fermented tofu, so it doesn't need to be canned food alone. However, when you think of the thousands of people with e coli from improperly handled beef and salad greens, the salmonella from improperly prepared chicken, from jars of peanut butter, from fresh cheeses, and the countless and endless recalls of everything I can think of, well, I'm a lot more comfortable eating my home canned food and home grown beef, even if I don't have the same equipment and may not have been diligent about following all the "rules". It's a good thing I like to cook, that's for sure. Annie

Never mind. I just discovered the FAQ--great question and answer there about iris that don't bloom. Very helpful. Have a good day. : ) Kate

I have an 'Annabelle' that flowers very well for me. Care instructions for this plant tells me to prune hard in winter, which I usually do in Feb when I can see a tiny bit of which buds look good. I prune to about a foot off the ground simply because I end up with the size of plant I want for the bed (about 4'). I give it water during dry hot periods but it puts up with a fair bit of neglect. It is on the north side of my garage and gets a bit of protection under the eaves, so this helps with the blooms flopping over after the rain. Sometimes after watering, I give them a shake and they bounce back up. I really love this plant because the flowers last so long and keep a nice white colour fairly late into the year. It's very easy & low maintenance. The pale green foliage & delicate blooms also brighten up the border. One thing I've learned over the years is that plants sometimes need a period to get happy in their new home. My personal experience is that in about the 3rd year, plants really start to take off. Patience, patience :) http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=S940

Thanks, it's good to know that this is normal for a new plant. When I dug up the ground, I didn't find too many roots in the area that I planted in, so I hope the competition isn't too bad. But I do notice that there is very little direct sunlight, since the arbor vitaes tower over both the east and west sides of the rhodo. A little dappled sunlight is all I have seen, and not much of that either. The lawn directly in front of the rhodo, does appear to do well and get adequate sunlight. There is a large collection of rhododendrons in a local park that is very impressive. Most of the plants appear to be in almost full shade and they all do very well, There are a few sunny areas, but that is the exception. This is why I was under the impression that rhodos were shade lovers. I hope I have better flowering in the future. The only fertilizer I have used is Holly Tone, so I hope the nutrients are in the correct proportion. Maybe I will just lay off the fertilizer all together for now.