For roses, the union is most commonly at soil level or just above -although in the colder zones it is recommended to plant the union a few inches below surface so that some part of the cane above the rootstock can survive a severe frost. However, even in milder zones, there may be some advantage to planting deeply so that roots will develop both above and below the graft. Roses grafted on briar rootstock establish very much faster than roses on their own roots but own root roses are said to have an indefinite lifespan as compared to grafted. Planting deeply can be a way of having the best of both worlds. Trees, on the other hand - do not take well to having their bark underground. A nurseryman friend tells me that one of the most common reasons for newly planted trees failing is that they are planted too deeply.

Nancy, As I was reading the posts, I was wondering when someone was going to recognize the ready-made planter that said friend was kind enough to provide! You missed pointing out the advantages that it is a movable planter, though, and since we don't need the friend to "find" said keys (I suspect they were never really "lost" in the first place--just too lazy to do the right thing), if the location is not ideal, you can put it right next to the back-filled pond. It'll be a nice accessory: have water, have boat, have garden. Sounds like heaven to me!

Thanx for the attempt Anney. It is really frustrating. The first that bugs me is they work! I put one around a BC (Black Cherry) plant and NOT one around the BC right next to it. Right now, the one that had the WOW around it literally twice the size of the one without it. It was kind of funny because the one with the WOW did not have to put up with the wind and as soon as I pulled the WOW off, it fell over. It's staked and doing well now, but it was amazing how much better it is doing than the rest of them (thin stem and all). Next, it's not like I did anything wrong. I followed the instructions. I placed a 5-gallon bucket over the plant, filled the WOW's 2/3 the way up and pulled the bucket out. They stood fine, telling me that it is not a problem with uneven ground or anything. I go out there the next day and there they are, laying in a puddle of their own water with a now very unhappy plant underneath them. I have bought two boxes of three and out of each box, one has worked as advertised. I think I'll just use them around the cages from now on or find some other way of "staking" them. Finally, forgive my venture off topic here, but since we are talking about Global Warming on a tomato thread, let me throw my nickel in: Corrie, the reason for Global Warming is to control you. First, GW (Global Warming, not Garden Web) allows the Gov't to control your energy, which is everything you own. They can regulate your car, your home, your computer... everything. For example, they can tell you that your AC is on too much. Then they tell you that your house is too energy efficient and regulate the efficiency of new homes (make them smaller). Finally, you will find yourself in an apartment. They will not only tell you what kind of car to drive, but they will start to tell you WHERE you can drive it. Eventually, you will be allowed trips to the grocery store and work only without special permission (papers please?). Or you can take public transportation (read: Government controlled transportation). Also, if you are wondering about the warming and temperature data, look at whose paying for it. If the research is payed for by government grants, it is suspect. Whoever pays the bills is in control! Never trust research that is payed for by politicians, especially when the data gives them more power (I'm looking at you, IPCC). The next step is to put government in control of health care. That means that the government will control everything you ARE, meaning your body. Whoever pays is in charge. When the government is pays, they will be in charge of not only which doctor you see, but what that doctor tells you. They will be able to tell you what to do, what to eat (home grown vs store bought tomatoes?), how many kids you can have and so on. Once those two things are in place, you are under complete government control. That's what it is all about, control. OK, my tin-foil hat is off now. Back to talking about tomatoes! I'm getting blooms on my Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Eva Purple Ball, Black Cherries and Texas Star. What are the odds of these actually setting fruit on foot tall plants? (again, please forgive the off-topic-ness)

Yes, mine has opinions, often strong ones, and I really appreciate them. He has pretty good taste, quite compatible with my own, and a fantastic eye for color. He gets overwhelmed and shuts down if presented with too many options - normally more than about five - so I usually do all the research/legwork and bring him the final three options I've whittled all the possibilities down to, and then we choose from them together (or he says "I hate all of them and this is why", we discuss it, and I start over with that input). I always feel very bad for the husbands who get "steamrollered", who would care about how the house is decorated if they were allowed to, and end up living in a home that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to reflect them - the poor bugger ends up camping out in what amounts to being HER house. I'm not saying that every room has to have taxidermy critters and hockey jerseys in it if he's into hunting and sports, but it's his house too (and it's rather sad how he's so often expected to pay for all this decorating that doesn't take him into consideration at all). He may want something as minor as not having a zillion pillows on the couch, or preferring landscape photography to antique floral prints. There are several men on this forum who prove that men can and often do have excellent taste in decor when they don't buy into the bullpuckey that the presence of XY chromosomes means they automatically have no clue about decorating.