Good morning everyone. Thank you for your kind comments. MCR ~ I love my crepes too. We've only had the Queen about 3 years now. The pink ones are always giving me babies that I can dig up and move around the property. soxxxx ~ I love bottle trees too. Actually, mine is a bouquet. I used some kind of bendable tubing that we had, and put them inside a 3' tall or so terra cotta drain pipe for my vase then arranged the blue blossoms. Seeing it always makes me happy. I've got another terra cotta section, and green bottles that I plan to do another arrangement with, just not sure where yet. GP ~ We 'found' that cat curbside. He does add whimsy. Tom ~ I'm surprised things have done as well as they have this summer, and am thankful for all of the survivors. GGG ~ Yes, it's been horribly hot and humid. Yesterday was really bad, with dense cloud cover, and the air was thick. Couldn't stay outside long at all. I am so ready for cooler weather. aimeekitty ~ Thank you. Renee ~ If you can grow the Queen crepe in your zone, then I think you would love it. Thanks again and Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady Here is a link that might be useful: FlowerLady's Musings

Patti ~ Where are you, since you aren't at home? If you don't mind my asking. Will you have a lot of snow at home to shovel? I've heard about others covering the bases of their plants with snow because of the insulation. Don't work too hard. I know, easier said than done. : -) Natal ~ I do think most things will be ok. They will probably get wind/cold burned like you say, but should bounce back as this isn't supposed to last. I had some lovely double impatiens turn to mush one year. Kathy ~ Oooohhh, you've got really cold temps coming your way. I've heard about using Christmas lights for heat in little greenhouses. Which reminds me, I need to cover my little greenhouse with something. Most of my gardens are pretty protected, so I hope they will do fine. Right now it is 49 and feels like it is 38. Brrr. We'll see how cold it really does get tonight. It may break a record which was in 1962, for this time of year. FlowerLady

Denise ~ Thanks. Have and open garden? Yikes! I don't think so. :-) I'm a selective picture taker, and my gardens aren't ready for touring, except via the web. After looking at all of the wonderful gardens here, I've still LOTS of work to do in mine. It's an ongoing project, one I keep learning with as I bumble along. Some of my OGR's are in the ground, others are in pots. I do this on a shoe string. Haven't bought any new ones in a few years now. I read about OGR's when I first got interested and they are more hardy and can handle poorer soils. I know mine don't really have the room they need, I'm just working with and around them. Jellybobelly ~ Thank you and you are so right about the pictures everyone shares being encouraging and inspirational. Looking at pictures can make one feel a tad 'green' at times, yet they make one want to get out and work in their own gardens. I wish scents could be shared also. There are so many things I'd love to smell, lilacs, peonies, and much more. Felix ~ Thank you. I'm sure you are giving your roses way better care than I am. After all, you've got some wonderful free fertilizer and you're great with plants. I really don't do anything special. I give them a dose of Miracle-Gro every now and then, sometimes a scattering of epsom salts, and sometimes a drink of stinky alfalfa tea. I need to do that again. I talk to them, sometimes nicely and sometimes NOT, like when I get stuck with a thorn or three or four. :-) Gardening is a learning experience that is never ending. It brings much joy, in spite of all the hard work. I've learned and been inspired here in this forum and others. I've traded seeds and a few cuttings and have some wonderful additions to my humble gardens. Thank you all once again. FlowerLady

flowerlady ~ Thank you for sharing. As always, your photos are lovely. We await the arrival of warm weather. Here in the Northeast it's been nothing but cold and rain, rain, and more rain. And did I mention rain? DH has been (unsuccessfully) trying to get outside and till the garden, but to no avail. We can't wait for the warm and sunny weather ;o) Nora