Okay. I put in her name in the top search box, but I got every trade and other message out there for her on GW. So maybe she doesn't have a rate and review yet. I just wish they had it like the old forum where the rate & review itself had a search box. I put other people's names in there, along with "rate & review," and I still got all kinds of other posts, messages, etc. Thanks for your help, though. I figured I was doing something wrong. I actually have a link on my Ideabook for my rate & review page. Makes it easier for people to find me. Just click and you're there to review me. :)

Hi there, A winter gardening book is "The Winter Harvest Handbook" by Eliot Coleman. He is in Maine, and has lots of good ideas for season extending. He does grow crops all year, many in unheated moveable greenhouses, and under row covers and so on. He has all kinds of good ideas. If I really wanted to garden somewhere, I would go to soil conservation service maps and find the best soil in the area I was looking at, that I could afford, to begin with. This might save time and anguish later. I did this when I bought my house, and I am glad I did. I really think that it mostly takes wanting to have a garden, and then the rest of the details sort of fill themselves in. Every area has it's good and bad features. I would just pick where I wanted to live, and then make a garden on the best soil I could find. Think loam.... Also, check for covenants before you buy or rent a new place. Some places around here won't even let you have tomatoes in pots on your patio. Good luck!

I've got Odee's Pink and Sorority Tea in pots, as is Frances Dubreuil. So far, so good. The OGR bed doesn't have space for more in-ground plants. This year I took out a pathetic Compte de Chambord and replaced it with Cecille Brunner. CB can grow in a container but she's a polyantha, not a tea. Also, you have to watch and make sure you're not buying the CL Cecille Brunner which can get huge. Sounds like you're in for a major climate shock moving from MI to TX.

Feel free to message me (click on my name and then on the message button in the upper right corner) if you have specific questions. One thing you might want to do if you will be posting much in the GardenWeb side of Houzz is to add your growing zone and general location to your profile so that it posts by your name each time you post. That will help folks share advice appropriate to your area. Here's how: Go to Your Houzz in the upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone. If you add info on your state or the nearest large city either here or on the profile page under the name posted, you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures. Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.