But the cliffs aren't littered with the dead bodies of hang gliders. Alot of sports have reasonable risks. The problem at Everest is that there are hobby climbers who are seriously unprepared for the challenge. There's a difference between them and those who train and get experience and are realistic about their talents and limitations. One of the guides said that anybody that's reasonably in shape can get to the top of Everest with the help and support of a team of professionals. But that's where things can go terribly wrong as happened in 1996 when one of the professionals made some bad judgments. In potentially dangerous situations, whether it be mountain climbing or scuba diving, you must be able to handle any situation and make good decisions by yourself. Beck Weathers book was an encompassing look into the mind of a driven hobby climber. In 1996 he was poised to lose everything - his marriage, his family, his hands and nose, his career and possibly his life. His wife had made the decision to leave him when returned from Everest. His passion to climb was not a passion but had become an obssession and his "mistress". He was left for dead twice on the climb. On the verge of death and out of oxygen he had a vision of his family. He dragged himself several hundred feet to where he thought the tents of high camp to be. His wife, upon learning first hearing he was dead and then that he was alive but near death, mounted a rescue effort from her home. She enlisted the help of a Nepalese military helicopter pilot who risked his life to attempt a fly out. Weathers has had to come to terms with the chaos and pain he has caused others and himself. Another good book on the subject is by David Breashears. This is from another viewpoint, that of a consumate professional who has been climbing his entire life. The first episode chronicling the 2007 climbing season features a woman who is dangerously unprepared for the climb. She's a journalist who interviewed a member of last year's team and caught the climbing fever. She hasn't climbed a mountain in 10 years and has forgotten climbing technique and is unfamiliar with the newer equipment. She claims to be a fast learner. The expedition leader reminded her that advanced base camp on Everest is no place to start.

OK. I am brand new here and not even an orchid grower. I would not know how to pot one up if you paid me the current Lottery Prize. But sometimes, I come on over here and read a bit and see your stunning photos. I am, however, a gardener myself. I grow sweet peas, hippeastrums, narcissus, and many other things. I once went to a professional orchid show just to see what the fuss was about. There were many, many different types of orchids and colours and arrangements of them. It really was quite a show. I remember most of all some yellow and velvety brown ones and they were something! But the memory that most stands out in my mind is that of a visit to my hairdresser. On this occasion, there were three Cattleyas in an amethyst bowl on the nearby credenza. They were pure white and very large and had a very frilly, deep purple throat (almost the same colour as the bowl). The picture is still in my mind: that is what an orchid is to me. If I could grow them, I would get that one. I read this thread just to see what kind of remarks you had to make about general tips for beginners. I must say that you all are one polite and nice bunch. I have seen some people get some nasty remarks from others on some forums but so far this one is as you say, very decent. As one member said: just because this is the internet it is not an excuse to forget your manners. I was raised with them too; and I appreciate all of your helpful advice and polite and friendly manner. One should not have to defend oneself on a visit to GardenWeb, after all. You have a great Forum here in the orchid section.

If it were easy, and things would grow just because you plopped them down on the ground, what fun would that be ? We grow to cherish the plants we worked hard to establish, right ? :) Plus, just think of all the weeds that would also flourish right over the tops of the desired plants ? Hee, no, give me semi-arid for the maintainability aspect. I know that eastern woodland climates are much much more prone to weeds. We got between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain yesterday...I'm not carrying water to the fencerow naturalization project for at least a week. And everything is so happy. Too bad I wasn't constitutionally able to plant the allium stellatum, vernonia letermani, or habranthus tubispathus...I just couldn't bear to move pots of flowering plants into the row away from the house, till they finished flowering. In about a week, I'll be ready to plant the remainder...just as the soil gets dry enough to require buckets of water again (if no more rain). Oh, and I have seedlings of coreopsis lanceolata (yes that weed), and engelmannia peristenia to plugs in...they're growing by pairs in plastic Dixie cups. I drilled a hole through the stack of cups, and they made perfect 2-3 inch pots to grow the seedlings up to potential rabbit snacks (yes, even by the house, they've nibbled and not liked). They go sometime next month...I want to get them a little bigger before they face the wild world w/o me looking at them 2-3 times a day.

I think the test fields are moving to Ohio simply because Gardens Alive is located there and that is where their other R&D facilities are. Makes sense to have it all in one place - and saves money. Gardens Alive bid for J&P and even though their offer was, I believe, more than Blackstreet it was not accepted because they would not guarantee they would keep the all the jobs in South Carolina where Parks Seed and Wayside are. Too bad as I think they would have been better owners. Personally I think Weeks is in good hands. Garden's Alive have good people there who actually know something about the plant industry. Keith Zary is a good example. I don't know if Tom Carruth is staying with Weeks but hopefully he is. Christian Bedard also knows his stuff. IMO California mainly grows large roses because of Dr. Huey. It simply pushes larger plants. But Dr. Huey does not do well in my area (or most areas this side of the country) and keep in mind since it cannot be grown from seed RMV is a result of it being used. Personally I'd be happy to see it vanish as a rootstock. There is a lot of growing in Arizona these days and I suspect we'll see more there. And don't count out Tyler, TX. But I think in the end that won't matter. The trend is heavily towards own-root and towards liners finished in pots. Much of the public and quite a few garden centers don't want to deal with bareroots. At best I think we'll see one year field grown own-root crops for wholesale use but I'm not holding my breath on that continuing either. As to retail I think you'll see more and more 2 quart pots being used for mail order - even from the big boys. The traditional bareroot budded crop takes two years from planting to harvest. That means you are attempting to guess what the rose market will be in two years. Think of all those growers who planted crops in the winter spring of 2007/2008 for fall 2009 harvest and spring 2010 sales only to see the bottom fall out in September of 2008. By then the planting of the understock and budding (read the most expenses) were spent for a crop that was now likely going to never sell. With liner production you are almost producing on demand and that means you can react to the market far more quickly and keep losses under control. And conversely bring in larger profits if a rose, or the rose market, heats up. I think the changes in nursery ownership and nurseries closing aren�t the only big changes we are in the midst of. Paul