Kimcoco, what are the names of the clematis that you have already planted? If they are type IIIs, they get pruned every year sometime during the winter (I do most of my type III cut backs in December-mine are already done for this coming year). Type IIs typically should be cut back the first if not the second year they are in the ground just so that they can get a good root system established. As for fertilizing, normally you do it initially in the early spring once the buds start swelling. How frequently you do it and with what is really up to you. Some people use compost and/or compost tea, alfalfa pellets, grass clippings, tomato and/or rose food, purchased organic or synthetic granular time released fertilizers, soluble fertilizers such as Miracle Grow, etc. As you can see, there is a wide assortment of fertilizers you can use for clematis and if you ask 10 different people what they might use, you could get 10 different answers. As to how frequently to do it is going to depend on which fertilizers you use, how fertile your soil naturally is, and why you might want to fertilize them. I will typically cut my type IIIs and type IIs back by anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 after their initial bloom period to get another flush later in the season. When I cut them back, I refertilize them with whatever I am using or have on hand. Organic fertilizers tend to be slower release so you don't have to worry as much about over fertilizing when you do fertilize them using this type of fertilizer than if you used a synthetic/dissolvable type of fertilizer which is more immediately available to the plants. Some people go way overboard with fertilization of clematis as far as I am concerned and you have to judge how the plants are performing or aren't to determine how much you need. Needlessly dumping tons of fertilizers on any plant just for the sake of fertilizing is not fruitful and can lead to a lot of green vegetative growth with few blooms. As far as fertilizing when plants are blooming or coming into bud, it can be done provided you use a slower organic type of fertilizer. I have often forgotten, gotten sidetracked, or ignored fertilizing my clematis in early spring only to remember to do so when the plants were budded up or blooming and done so with compost, compost tea, mushroom compost, alfalfa pellets or some other organic fertilizer and not had it affect the bloom cycle. Hope that helps some!

Heather - I have been away from home for several weeks now and won't return until mid-Jan. My wife tells me that the package did arrive. I'm sure that what you sent is fine. Many thanks for your dedication again. John A

My guess would be that the ones nesting in the front yard now are a new pair, or they would keep coming when they hear that whistle. Most likely when the backyard pairs nesting fledged the new pair took over that territory. While it is possible to get two pairs of bluebirds with a house in between, it won't always happen. It all depends on what the first male thinks is his territory. Once the nestlings fledge though they go out of their territory so they no longer have one persay. The new pair probably took up residence in the other males absence and now they rules the yard. Whether or not the old male comes back to reclaimn his backyard territory is now up to the front yard male...depends on where he thinks his territory is now. A bluebirds territory is approx 100 yds around the nestbox. Your old pair may come back..sometimes it takes a week or two to start another nesting...but they might not come back now either because of the other male in the front yard. Hard to tell what will happen...you will just have to watch and see. You may need to train the front yard blues now to come to the mealworms. Good luck! Donna

Thanks arielitas_mom! yes,my plan is to make a nice, big, luxurious tiled shower along the same wall that the corner shower is now. Probably about 39" w x 6 feet long (unless that's TOO long...). I do feel like this is a compromise, since a 3BR/2BA (and lts face it, most people will use it as 2BR/2BA/office) feels like it's step down, as far as the target market, from the 3BR/3BA/office we'd planned when we bought it. But it's good to hear some positive feedback from you folks about the compromise, because it really would stretch us too far to do the addition. Thank you! So what do you all think about the fact that there's no proper dining room? The DR area is really more of a dining "nook" and there's no place to put a really big dining table. ?????