Are there any canes left that are NOT new, long, etc. that look different from the new ones? Are there any blooms left that are not the new red (Dr. Huey, I agree) rose? The only way your rose can be "fixed" is to get rid of Dr. Huey, but unless you have some of the original rose left that's not much help. The Dr. Huey new leaves tend to be reddish, or green with a sort of red outline. Once you have identified which part is Dr. Huey, and which part is the original rose, -DO NOT CUT OFF THE Dr. Huey canes! You need to dig next to them, until you find the place where they are growing out of the main trunk of your original rose (this will be below the "lump" described above, which is called the "bud union". The hole needs to be deep enough so that you get below the place where Dr. Huey's canes are coming off the trunk. Then rip them downward until they rip off the trunk. If this does not work you can make a cut along the side of the trunk, taking off the Dr. Huey canes. The important part is to be left with just the original trunk, with NO bits of Dr. Huey canes left. Then cover the hole up again with dirt, tamp down, and water. They I would feed your rose, and hope that it recovers. Jackie IF it

I agree about root spreading, but even wild asparagus has very long roots if its well established. The smallest plants should be dug only, as bigger ones will have lost their most important roots that can travel down over 10 feet or more. You mentioned 'going to seed'. If these wild ones produce small pea sized berry pods, these can be the best way to grow them. A few of my plants are female and these produce a few seeds every fall. I harvest these green pea sized pods and allow them to dry out a month or two indoors. Then, I pop the the pods open and remove the small balck seeds. These get further drying, and by January, I plant the seeds singally in individual 3-4 inch plastic pots with good quality seed starting medium. Once they germinate (up to 30 days or more), they start sending up new, tiny, spears. By the time early summer arrives, they are about a foot tall and are healthy ferns. These get planted out in my expanding asparagus patch. With these new plants being as small as they are, they still have lots of long thin roots which look root bound in the small pots. I spread these roots out a bit by digging a hole, and building up a pointed cone shape soil mound in the center of the hole. This allows the roots to spread out in a wider radius. Plant them about 3-4 inches deep, measuring from the surface of the crowns They will grow very well, and by fall, will usually have 2-3 foot tall ferns. Allow the ferns to remain until they die back, then cut them off the soil suirface. The following year, add a bit more rich soil or compost to the surface, as these also tend to expand and get exposed to more of the crown of the plants. Adding bone meal during the summer will help stimulate rooting. My patch as expanded three times now, and is of a size that is suitable for me to harvest several meals of asparagus. Every year, the crop gets a bit bigger. Have patience, they take several years to produce good sized spears. Wild ones may never reach the sizes of store bought, but would probably be much more tasty.

Yes it could go way over any budget. But would it be worth it? We are going to see it next weekend, so I will have a better idea of what it looks like. Rusty

karigraphy & gina_w - I forgot to mention, we did serve Two Buck Chuck. We didn't tell them till after they drank it. DH's brother considers himself someone what of a wine snob and only buys $10+ bottles of wine. After they commented how good it was and asked what it was, did we tell them. Surprise! compumom - Maybe & No! karigraphy - "Nobody's dead yet." That pretty much sums it up. I am going to try out all these recipes, one or two a week. I look forward to the pear and blue cheese one especially when my Barletts come in. Thanks everyone. Clare