Man, if I had known row covers would help with mites, I would have had them at the old house! I did not see much sign of them here this summer, so maybe that's one I won't have to worry about. Glib, I think I'm using the term "row cover" more generally than you; your tulle and hoop house probably would both come under my idea of "row cover". I have never yet put any sort of barrier over my veggie plants, but it has become clear that I must. Especially if I wish to work in a larger scale, to help cut down on work (like constantly picking off looper and eggs from cabbage). I think maybe in the spring a floating row cover might be a good idea, maybe a little extra heat, but also to help keep the birds from destroying tender seedlings.

In response to your other questions, you can plant a potted rose just about anytime, but in the middle of the hot summer (or cold winter) is not the best time--although I have done it on occasion. In Zone 6, they are usually planted in the spring, after the last threat of freeze. That basically means the month of May in my Zone 6 (Kansas--not all Zone 6s are identical, however). The hotter it gets (July - Aug), the more care they will need--water, protective shade, etc. I've never planted roses during autumn, so don't know about that, but I'd worry about whether they had enough time to get their roots well-established before winter arrived. Perhaps other posters have had other experiences. If the roses are bare-root, they should be planted in early spring--let's say March, maybe into April (in Zone 6). As for soil, I wouldn't worry much about it unless you have extremely sandy or extremely clay soil. Dig a hole 1.5-2 ft deep and wide and mix some manure in the lose soil. You can buy manure in bags at places like Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc. In the autumn, do not prune. Pruning is an early spring activity. Exception: if a rose suddenly grows a superlong cane that might whip around in the winter wind, you might want to trim it back a bit. As for winter protection, I do not mess around with it in my Zone 6. I make sure when I buy roses that they are not unusually tender and therefore in need of extra help. However, my neighbors grow oak trees, the leaves of which blow into my yard, so nature provides some minimal natural protection. You could pile up some extra mulch around them if you are worried about how they will survive. I'm too lazy to do all that work--and I only have 60+ roses. Some posters here grow roses by the 100s! Harry--love that picture! Kate

Fully hardy to zone 6, possibly 5. It is a clumper (well-behaved, seldom seeds) reaching around 24-30". Seedheads appear in midsummer, are a deep rosy pink and last well into fall. Best in full sun for good coloring.

I read the word aggressive twice in this post and wanted to be sure it was stated that Miscanthus Strictus is not aggressive, it is a very defined sized clump forming grass. It concerns me when plants are called aggressive simply because they are grasses. Grasses can seem aggressive when purchased as a 2 ft tall 3 gallon pot and it grows into the 7 ft clump it was destined to be. Miscanthus Strictus (Porcupine grass) will grow between 5 and 9 feet (I've seen it in all these ranges as a mature grass), depending on conditions. Like most perennials, it will die out in the center and not perform as well after some years, hence the possibility of future division. When spacing grasses, look at the mature size...it will reach it within 2 to 3 years, so don't plant according to the pot it came in, but according to tag (or research). As a general rule of thumb, whatever the mature height, give it at least half that in planting space. So an 8 ft grass would need 4 ft of space minimum, more if you want it to appear as a specimen planting. Its a nice miscanthus...enjoy it!