Good for you sorting out what issues you want to deal with and planning this way. Its possible to buy some of the commercial green bean varieties, I think Contender is one of them. Look for the type that set their beans in clusters either above or below the leaves. The thing is, commercial bean varieties are bred for uniform ripening and ease of mechanical harvesting with flavor a long way down the priority list. You'll get much tastier beans from varieties that are intended for home garden use. Blue Lake is a very popular, tried-and-true variety. Your local farm supply store is likely to carry varieties that do well in your area. Check out the bulk bins rather than the racks of little envelopes. I don't know about Colorado, but when I was in zone 5 in Massachusetts I had great results with Royal Burgundy (an improved version of Royalty), purple-pod beans. They are a lovely purple raw but turn green when cooked and have the advantage of being easy to pick because they are more visible against the leaves. If Mexican Bean Beetles are a problem in your area purple and yellow beans are less attractive to them. I used to plant Contender as a sacrificial variety to keep the beetles busy while I harvested the Royal Burgundy and the Dragon Langerie (aka Dragon Tongue). There are a number of early tomato varieties that can ripen in even the shortest summers. Its been a while since I've gardened in zone 5, but Oregon Spring comes to mind and I know that the past 10-15 years have seen the spread of a lot of Russian tomato varieties that do well in shorter, cooler summers. Some of the early-ripeners are smaller in size, but Early Girl is a time-tested, early-mainseason tomato in a quite decent size. The really big, longseason beefsteaks may not work out for you though. In theory, your local nurseries would carry varieties that do well in your area and if you can find a place that starts their own that theory could work out. Unfortunately, its increasingly common for large, greenhouse conglomerates to capture the market and supply the same varieties to everyone. So you'll need to do your research before you shop. PS -- I've never had to deal with groundhogs or gophers, but my mother-in-law had success with a .22 rifle.

Rose fragrance is a very ephemeral and touchy thing. The rose has to make volatile chemicals to make that fragrance. Soil and water chemistry do make a difference in what raw materials the rose has to work with. Weather makes a big difference too. Not least, our own noses are not at all reliable, that's why we have dogs. Our perception of fragrance changes with mood, weather, age, health. That said I've never noticed that drastic a change as you're describing! I don't use Bayer so I can't say if it's a factor or not, but I would not rule it out entirely. Of course by moving the plants they're in very different soil now too, and possibly different microclimate and sun exposure, all of which will influence their fragrance. And the weather is never the same from one day to the next, let alone one season or one year. Let us know if they revert! they just might go back to their old sweet ways once they've settled into their new home.

I have that same coreopsis and if you got your plant from Lori's swap last year there's a good chance you got it from me. I also gave some away at Silvia's swap this year. Don't know what type of coreopsis it is but it's one of the toughest I've ever seen and is a favorite of mine. It will spread by seed and is drought tolerant. I thin mine each year and share it with friends and family. There are still a few plants in my lawn where it seeded from last year that I have to move to new spots in my garden. Kara

I'd tend to say a wimply looking scaedoxus.