I don't personally have G. Nabonnand, but have heard many people on the forum say good things about it. If you're really interested, you might write a separate post and get reactions from people who actually grow it. Well, I hope Malcolm and all you Mrs. B.R. Cant lovers out there are happy. After having sworn over and over again that I would not buy another rose (and being really sincere about it), the thought of not having "the world's greatest rose" simply would not leave me alone. Over the last few days I've studied my place endlessly, searching for a large flat spot to hold this rose, and there simply was none that had any sun. This morning I had a Eureka! moment as I stood outside the house and looked down the driveway. It's very long and the terrain along it is hilly, but more than halfway down there is a flat spot where what we call the studio is located. About 20 feet away from the studio I found my spot for this rose! It just hadn't occurred to me to plant roses that far from the house but there is a water connection there and a huge rose like that would be a wonderful introduction to the roses around the house that aren't visible until you go around a curve on the driveway. Sanju, it just goes to show where there's a will there's a way. I need another rose like I need three eyes in my head but I've become convinced I have nothing quite like THIS rose in my garden. Oh gosh, how many times have I said that, and it's always been true. They are all different.... Ingrid

1.) What difference does it make how cold it gets in winter, when snow cover is such an excellent blanket insulator for the soil. We have an average frost depth of 32" here, but I assume Ely's is quite a bit deeper. But how does that affect cold hardy plants? Because Ely's frost goes deeper, the surface and near surface temperatures of the soil are colder also. Certainly not like the air temps, but just as significant, as root and crown hardiness of plants don't evolve to be hardy at colder air temps, simply because, over the millenia, they have not needed to be. Indeed, woody plants are more vulnerable to temperature extremes due to their above snowline exposure. Yes, fava beans would be a good example of what can be grown in zone 4 and not in Ely. Other shelling beans, okra, cotton, some winter squashes, most varieties of muskmelons and honeydew melons will grow in Ely, but don't perform satisfactorily (a subjective judgment) compared to zone 4. Just like most places where the terrain is changeable and not fairly flat, soils are diverse in the Ely area too. Yes, they are all very acid based, sandy gravelly rocky for the most part, often thin, but sleuths and valleys soils are high in organic matter, yet comparative poor in nutrients. This is due to the relatively slow breakdown of organic matter because of much cooler temps, lack of worms (non are native, even in most if MN) and the kind of organic materials that predominate. I wouldn't call the climate/soil there finicky. A perusal of local gardens will reveal a multitude of well grown perennials and annuals, and vegetables. My parents and grandparents lived in Ely. One Grandmother fed her husbands logging crew of of 5 to 10 men, largely with what she grew in the garden. She had large cold frames for her early crops since 1915. My other Grandmother grew pole beans from seeds brought from Slovenia, as did many of the immigrants in Ely. Northern climates are not necessarily unworkable, just different. You've seen photos of the giant cabbages they grow in Alaska. That's something we can't do here. Likewise there are just plants that are adapted, or adaptable to an Ely climate, and locals don't see it as an amazing feat. Grandma had rotted horse manure applied annually to her huge garden, but the color of the soil was still sandy brown, yet very productive. Remember too, that even though the season is shorter the farther north you go, the days are longer and the sun more intense. Things may not grow as large, but they can produce more. Rick

Tim, it is entirely possible that he is still around. I hope so anyway...however mom is full capable of raising the nestlings on her own too. Helping her with mealworms would be good though. One year during incubation I had a male go missing for four full days..he returned on the 5th day. During that time I had trained the female to come to a mealworm feeder. After he returned she taught him how to use it. Then another year on a nestbox check I found a dead nestling. This box was at the back of our property so I couldn't observe things as much. After watching for awhile I was convinced the female was gone so I started feeding mealworms twice a day. I would put a dish on the roof of the nestbox and Dad would use them up immediately and then I would take the dish back home, didn't want to leave it and entice any other birds. Well after a couple days there was mom getting mealworms too! So she was there, I just was never seeing her when I watched. This year just last week, my male went mia for half a day and I was freaking out. Mom is incubating 7 eggs and their were four fledglings still needing to be fed. Mom seemed rather stressed too. I watched all morning and was convinced something happened to him but just after noon he returned and then started feeding the fledglings again. This box is in the back yard very visable from the house and they come to a mealworm feeder on the deck so I knew he wasn't here for that time, just mom and the fledglings were. Later that day I saw another female in the yard wingwaving with our male! I have read that males and females will mate with more than just their partner during nesting season so I am assuming my yard male was out on a fling that morning. I do know when my female was laying her second clutch there was another male around too, I am guessing she mated with both him and her normal mate. Anyway..hopefully this is what you are seeing and he isn't really gone. It does happen though sadly...hope you see him again! If not your female will probably find another mate but he wouldn't help her with these nestlings at all. Keep us updated! Donna

oceanna, your mock up is gorgeous! i am so happy you went with the colors he wanted instead of catering to that rug. i guess i was trying to say that when i suggested i had willed my taupe rug into participating:-) then, this am, i had another thought-- you know, real limestone is both warm golds and cool greys-- basically, taupe. so why can't you pick up on the warmer colors in the carpet, as if it were stone? everything does not have to match....and i think this proves that once again. spirit over rules.... you are a wonderful mom and i laughed so hard as you described his reluctance. i have a male friend whose home i help decorate and i have gotten used to hearing "um....okay, but is it going to be too much x?" i too sold him on a paint color by calling it whiskey and tabacco, alternatively. never thought to call it beer, though-- brilliant! i love the curtains and colors in your mock up. it's everything he said he wanted. he'll get used to the paint color; it's just new and i've noticed that men have a rally tough time visualizing color and accepting change. lastly, i've noticed that men like lace curtains. very, very strange. and same man will start twitching if you mention floral prints or animal prints. where's the taste?:-) can't wait to see a pic when you are done painting! hope he had a great b-day!