I cannot imagine what sort of monster would be such trouble to maintain. If trimming it encourages new growth, well then trim it more often. Grass gets cut more than once a year, too. A shaky ladder on uneven ground can be remedied by having enough people on hand to steady it. It takes only a saw and some elbow grease to top the hedge or remove key branches. Can you post a picture of this behemoth? I am curious now. As urban neighbood gardeners, it's often necessary to roll with the punches and put up with light-robbing encroachments. That means rather than expecting "them" to do something about your problem (even if caused by their trees, hedges, cats, ineptitude), it's only you that can make the best of it. While painful, perhaps it's time to give up on the roses (or let them go into decline) and look to shade gardening, which is an extremely satisfying way to garden. Can you move the roses to another side of the house? Switch to climbing roses if those spaces are smaller? A compromise like that may, in the end, go a long way to making you feel better and maintaining your good relationship with the neighbors. At this time, you are as stuck on keeping your sun-garden as much as they are on keeping their hedge in this state. C. My neighbor, with an eye to selling his house, took an electric clipper to my huge cedar hedge that, so far, provided 100% privacy between us. It was growing through the chainlink but there wasn't anything on his side but grass, anyway. Guess he didn't realize that this hedge would NOT easily regrow (his side is north and cedar doesn't grow back well on old wood). So now, although still lush on my side, there are big holes and there is no more privacy. The hedge just looks dead on his side. What a way to reduce the appeal of your backyard! Wish he'd talked to me so that I could have done some selective pruning instead of shaving the branches down to stubs. (No point here, just ranting in response to Annette's tale of hacked forsythia)

HI,all! This is my first time posting myself. James ususally does it. Granny we will be bringing some of the Gold Nuggets Lamium with us. Allison we should have a few starts if your friend wants some. It is gold with a white stripe down the middle and has I think pinkish purple flowers. It stays nice all winter. We got the original from Franklin Park Conservatory. Bev James doesn't remember bringing that type of tomato. The poppies and lavender sound good to me. We have been out potting and weeding this morning. We have ready to go... golden tiara hostas bressingham blue hosta stilletto hosta un named varieties of hosta centuria montana zebra grass dwarf zebra grass gold nuggets lamium anne greenaway lamium lilacs(white) ostrich ferns japanese painted ferns vinca minor varigated stargazer lilies crimson pixie lilies crimson pirate daylily and probably a few more things. We have a small swap in Stasburg the week before. I also sent the swap info to my brother who had some people from his church interested. Can't wait to see you all... Michelle

It IS taking a long time to load, Bonnie. I was able to fold half a line of clothes waiting . . . Does starting a harvest thread make sense? I had lettuce in my lunch sandwich today but we are definitely down to the last of it. We'll see if the most recent transplants can overcome the dog days of Summer. Three beds of peas have been ripped out so far. I harvested the shallots from sets this week! A little early but it was either get them out of the ground or allow the weeds in the bed to run to seed! What is with the onion family? They offer ZERO resistance to weeds and trying to pull a weed beside an onion at almost any stage of growth means taking a 50/50 chance of ripping the onion out of the ground along with the weed! Fortunately, I've still got the shallots-from-seed left in the bed, uh well, 50% of them. I think they'll be able to grow to be sets that can survive a Winter. I'd be pleased to get another variety going. All onions are doing well where more attentive weeding prevailed. Altho' I am a little worried about my leeks. I blamed the American Flag variety for being so scrawny last year and went back to Lancelot . . . they seem rather scrawny, themselves. It looks as tho' sweet onions from seed will continue "bulbing-up" sufficiently not to embarrass me in o8. The sweets from plants are HUGE! The little leeks will get more fish emulsion tomorrow and maybe they can catch up. The 1st zucchini came off a vine nearly 10 days ago. Not much sign of anything else in the cucurbit patch with the exception of small Fastbreak cantaloupes forming! Oh, and it looks like I'll have a good sized pun'kin for Halloween. The earliest of the sweet corn has started to tassel. And hey, I've got the 1st Dusky eggplant for tomorrow's lunch!! Somehow, it seems like we should be later in the season . . . Maybe that's because we went from a cool Spring, to very pleasant warm weather, to some Summer HEAT, to today. Whereas it was 91° mid-afternoon yesterday, it was 63° with a smattering of rain showers at the same time today. Makes it seem like Autumn. digitS'

Well, all I have to say is, HOLY COW Susie!! :)))) My birthday came a few days early, that's for sure! You are so sweet Susie, I can't believe how much you fit in that box, it was stuffed full! And things were wrapped up so pretty, I had so much fun opening everything! And here are the presents that were wrapped: Well, let's see here, I shall attempt to list everything that she sent me: -A book about growing plants indoors, which is just great for me, because I sure do need help with that, lol! Looks like some good info in there! -A very cute windsock -Shower gloves, which look really neat, I've never had them before -tulip and hyacinth bulbs, which I love, and will plant in my yard in the next couple days! -Eggnog flavored coffee! I love eggnog and I love coffee, but I never would've thought to put the two together, lol! I will definately be trying this, I bet it will be quite tasty -A really cute santa soap -Some fruit-scented incense, which smells very nice. I really like incense, so I will enjoy these! -Some doggie biscuits just for my babies! Thank you so much for including them, that means a lot to me. -An eye wear care kit, which comes with some glasses cleaner, (which I definately will use because my glasses are always getting dirty,) some lens cloths, and a tiny screwdriver with several little screws, which is so funny, because one of the screws on my glasses has come loose many times, and I've had to take them in and have the screw replaced and have them tightened. So now I can do it myself, how did you know Susie? -A really cute little green notebook, which I really like because green is my favorite color -A package of foot repair lotion -A light fixture to illuminate paintings and other such things! -A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup scented lip balm, which smells very yummy -Some yummy chocolates, crackers, and licorice candies -Some homemade raisin suet cakes, which I'm so excited about feeding to the birds, they will just love them!!! I was also wondering if I could have your recipe for these? I always buy the storebought suet, and would love to be able to make them myself. A little stocking filled with seeds! A very special little snowman figurine, which is just so cute and I have it sitting on my desk right now. I couldn't seem to get a good photo of it, and this pic doesn't do it justice at all, it's just so cute! -And there were also some delicious little jelly candies, I couldn't quit eating them, lol! Did you make them yourself? -And a very special gift, a cookbook on preserving what I grow. Susie says it has been her bible, and that there's a wealth of info in it. It looks like a really great book, and just what I've been wanting, too. I know I will get a lot of use out of this, thank you so much for passing it on to me! Can't wait to try the recipes out with next year's harvest. I sure hope I have not forgotten anything! I think I've remembered everything, forgive me if I left anything out. There was just so many great things in this box, I was like a kid in a candy store opening all these gifts, LOL! Thank you so much again Susie, you are so wonderful, you have no idea how much you've blessed me with this package. I have really been through a lot lately and have been pretty down, but getting this box from you has really lifted my spirits, to know that someone cares that much to send me all this neat stuff. ~Summer