If there were no deadheading needed, I probably wouldn't be as interested in the plant! I love to fuss, and pull off dried/yellowing leaves, and dead head. That's my time (in addition to the watering and weeding) to spend unwinding from the day, for me it's like therapy. But on the other hand it can be time consuming if there's too much of it to do (and I get real cranky when I see the need to clean up my containers/garden but don't have the time). This year I grew a sweet little plant called gypsophilia (miniature baby's breath), and only periodically ran my hands over the mound to shake out the seed and bugs (aphids, although it didn't appear the bugs slowed the plants at all). Then I got to them a day late with the watering can and they looked a bit fried, so I took my scissors and sheared them back by half, fertilized and was faithful to future waterings and within 10 days they were well on their way to being covered with little pinky/purple flowers again. Another colorful addition to your containers that need little care and are not bothered by any bugs (in my zone 3 area anyway) is coleus. Such an array of designs and colours, and the colour is there right away when you plant. On the seed grown ones you would need to periodically pinch off their flower spikes, but the work involved is minimal compared to deadheading petunias! ~ k ~

There are specific fungus species that can infect specific plants. For example, here in Wisconsin, oak wilt can spread from one oak, to the next, if the root systems are in contact underground. It would not be practical to make compost if it had to be sampled and analyzed for pathogen bacteria and fungi on a regular basis. Many people, myself included, routinely add diseased plant material to the compost pile. Our pile is relatively cold, it is an open pile, and it is rarely turned. Instead, I rely on extra time to make sure that the compost is ready to be used. In the spring, the pile is forked to one side, and the pit underneath is dug out. This material will have been in the pile for at least 18 months. I am not seeing evidence of any unusual diseases in our garden, or around our trees and shrubs, where the compost is used. In general, I would avoid smothering a plant with compost, it is better to spread the compost in a ring, and leave some open space at the base of the plant. We have soil high in clay content, and it benefits from being dug up and mixed with compost, but that is a lot of work...

NO. I think the same way as ebse - my husband and i slog it out to make money, get no benefits for being responsible with money, just keep seeing our taxes shooting up and up as a reward for our hard work. So, I buy the best value for my money. I hate my old GE profile cook top and am waiting to get rid of it. My fridge is a sub-zero and pretty much every thing else in my kitchen is not american. BTW/ we have never owned an American car - but, our last european car was manufactured in South Carolina - so maybe that is not true, after all. I am american, but have worked for 12 years in a Japanese semi conductor company with huge operations and thousands of american employees in California. So, what is American and what is non-american anymore? This is a global economy whether we like it or not. So, I am always happy to buy the best quality for my money without any pressure to buy american. If some american companies suffer (especially in the auto sector), it is not because of our lack of support, it is because of the poor business strategies - and anyway, Congress is always there to bail them out with my tax $$$$. So, no worries, I am supporting them by working hard to pay my taxes :)

Hi Dev and Hobby thx . Meyers like you said Hobby are finicky I thought it was a goner it had about 4 leaves left on it when I brought it out . It could had been from no insulation on the lower north side of the GH where the tree was sitting or maybe fruit overload it was really coated . It has really filled in fast and it should look back to normal by the end of this coming week . The intense heat and humidity that we are enjoying now is really brining on the new growth on all of the tree's. Brian