The pictures are incredible. Thank you. Last spring I was potting orchids when 2 hummingbirds flew into the GH. They were flying into the plastic at the top of the ceiling and I was afraid they would hurt themselves. They seemed determined not to dip low enough to exit thru the door or the ceiling vent. I went and got a broom which I hoped I could use to gently guide them out. They didn't want my guidance! One eventually landed on the bristles of the broom. I brought it down to head level and walked outside. Off he went. The second hummer decided the bristles were evil. I had heard that hummers have to rest about every 20 minutes. It's the price they pay for being so hyper. He soon landed on a nearby orchid. I picked him up with my garden-gloved hand and took him outside. He didn't even say thank you! They stayed nearby all summer to sup at my feeders, but never came in the GH again. Our antique shop faces a sidewalk in a courtyard that runs between two streets. We have a seed feeder and a hummingbird feeder near the front window. One morning a Cardinal had perched above the feeder to look around. A Ruby-throated hummingbird flew up close to him and zigzagged up and down all 360 degrees around the Cardinal looking him over closely. I think he was looking for a port to drink from. The cardinal just watched the hummer with curiosity and maybe a little concern. How I wish I could have taped it. Sherlene

Lyn, our summers are hot and WET -- July is our hottest month, and also the month with the highest average precipitation (just over 5"...our driest month is February, when we get a smidge under 3"). I know that wood mulch is basically all carbon, and that as it decomposes, it requires the addition of nitrogen. I hear that it gets it from the surrounding soil, but I also know that rain contains nitrogen (dissolved as gas from the air as it falls to the ground), and wonder if that would be a significant source -- we get a lot of rain here east of the Mississippi. Also, the nitrogen taken up as it decomposes is re-released into the soil when it's finished -- it "borrows" rather than "steals" nitrogen. The mulch I got was rather hot and steaming when it came. It's composed of shredded fresh tree and shrub debris (not just bark or wood, but also including green leaves), composted for a year, then shredded again. While digging deep into the pile to load it into the wheelbarrow, I'd often encounter spots that were uncomfortably hot -- like hot water from the sink. For it to be getting as hot as it did, I'm assuming there had to already be some nitrogen in there. But in any case, I wanted to use it very thickly as a "base" upon which to build soil, sort of like sheet-composting. The leaf-litter-layer that is under it is composed of leaves cut while still green, and thus still nitrogen-rich. They browned over time, but unlike Autumn leaves, the tree didn't re-absorb the chlorophyll first. The roses were also growing in a planting mix composed of 1/3 dehydrated manure, with a generous amount of Jobe's Organic Knock-Out rose food mixed in, and a few feedings with fish/seaweed emulsion. Next year, I'll be using fish/seaweed emulsion in a hose-end sprayer. The roses will be fed individually with more Jobe's Organic Knock-Out. I'll also be getting coffee grounds as often as possible (I bought a garbage can specifically for collecting the grinds from Starbucks), and I found an out-of-the-way spot for two compost bins for food-waste and Sammy's "used" newspapers from his cage. I think if I feed the mulch often with all this stuff, it will build into a nutritious organic mix to feed the roses. As far as weeds, right now I just wanted to smother anything that was there before. Under the mulch is the tree debris, and under that is cardboard. Anything that was growing there before is (hopefully) long dead by now. New weed seeds that germinate will be in a very loose medium (relative to the clay soil here), several inches from the true soil, and will be easier to pull. When all the layers of companion plants are in-place, there really won't be much room for weed seeds to germinate, and the few that do will be easy to remove by hand. After I finish with companion perennials, I'll be planting self-seeding annuals. Hopefully they'll fill any bare spaces before weeds can get to them. By that point in time, I'll be in school again, and the weeding and general tending of the garden is what I wanted to have as a calming activity between going crazy with school and work. :-) ~Christopher Here is a link that might be useful: Average Weather for New Brunswick, NJ

Jo, if my memory serves me correct, I believe you are in the Barrie area? If so, to get to Riverbend, your best bet would be to hop on #89 at Cookstown and follow all the way through Mount Forest, and Harriston. Just out of Harriston, #89 turns left at Gray's Auction, but go straight (it then becomes #87). Continue on to Gorrie, turn left (south) and go a few miles. C Line Rd will appear on your right, on a curve. Take this road, and you will find Riverbend perhaps 1/2 mile on the right. Shirley is the 'hosta queen' of the area, with over 1000 varieties, most also in display beds. Husband Al is the daylily aficionado, with an equal amount of daylilies to Shirley's hosta. Of course, on the way there, you practically cross ninamarie's driveway, so stop there as well, she's always got some good ones....If you need a navigator, let me know...! Now, I need to take another look at Hosta Choice...

I got a box from Linda today! Yay! Although...I wonder why the words "fragile" & "live plants" always seem to incite a postal-sorting-room game of box football? This thing looks like it's been through several games & a tie-breaker inning! LOL! The only casualty is the Russian stonecrop Sedum. Poor guy looks like the specialty shakes that the local health food store whips up. *humming death march* I'll give it a decent burial, though...no worries. :o) Here's everything else: ~Magnetic note pad ~bunny socks! always LOVE printed socks!! ~scented jar candle ~gnome pot hugger ~cute button brooch/pin handmade by Linda! ~cats & kittens (hens & chicks)- from Linda's grandmothers house- she always called them cats & kittens! ~liatris (which Linda says reminds her of a toilet brush...now THERE'S an image! LOL!! ~pineapple sage (which she got from Dan...COOL!) ~torch lily (my first) ~california poppy (I've never been to CA, so this is as close as I'm likely to ever get!) ~snow on the mountain (I have fire on the mountain growing wild, so this will look neat next to it!) ~peony - always love these! ~lambs ear (Aubeni loves these plants!) ~rose of sharon (a favorite of her grandfather AND his middle name was Sharon...NEAT!) Thank you, Miss Linda, for a great box! I love everything. They're all soaking right now, and I"ll plant them tonight. I'll even plant the stonecrop....maybe it'll bounce back... I'm optimistic. :D (hugs)