All I can tell you is my experience. Caladiums will survive in the ground here -- some years -- so the teeny bulbs left behind when I dug the big ones will sprout out when conditions are right. Usually that's when the nighttime temperatures hover around 60 degrees. Last year I started mine early in pots in the unheated (but well above freezing by March) toolshed. Guess what? They didn't grow any faster than the ones in the ground -- they just kind of sat there until it was 'time' to sprout. Here's what I would do: since they're already planted, I would leave them. If the soil gets dry, I would give them a small drink of water rather than a good soaking. As soon as you see little leaves begin to unfurl, step up the watering. They still can't go outside in the ground until the nights are warm. Nell

Good advice above. Here's another choice. I'm in Zone 6 and have often planted bareroot roses in the 3rd and 4th weeks of March. Admittedly those winters weren't as cold and crazy as this winter has been, but I notice already that parts of the garden are quite diggable, and I transplanted a rose last week to a new spot in the garden--worked out fine! So my advice would be to soak the roses in water, keep them in a cooller place (unheated garage is good) with little or no sunshine, change the water each week, and when you encounter a diggable day in the garden in the next week or two, go ahead and plant them. Good Luck! Kate

Marcia, Please help me find out what kind of snake I came across today. While I was at the local dog park (near Orlando) I came across a yellow with black stripes snake. It looked to be between 3.5-4 feet long and did not appear at first glance (that was all I gave it out of fear) to be shiny. I was about 3 feet from it and didn't know it until my dog almost stepped on it. She obviously didn't see it either. The snake seemed a pit peeved about the whole thing but it decided not to attack and to slowly slither towards ME to get away from my dog. Needless to say, I took off in a different direction real quick and hollered for my dog to follow. I am not like you or others on this site. I am not a fan of snakes and am extremely afraid of them. Although, I don't mind the black racers that seem to have taken up permanent residence in MY back yard and they love to procreate often (or so it seems). I have seen a lot less field rats since the racers moved in and that makes me very happy. Anyway, can you help me figure out what this snake was? I have spent hours and hours online tonight trying to find it and just can't seem to find anything that looks like it. I am guessing that it is not dangerous to me or my dogs??? I am scared to take my dogs back through those woods that they so dearly love. As soon as I told them, "No more woods until the snakes are gone again," they "told" me to find it if it was dangerous or not and if it isn't that they want to go back again. So that is mostly why I am asking you for your help. We all love the walks but I am afraid of the snakes. Please help me feel safer about going back. Thanks in advance for your help.

But mostly, I want seed from this plant. It is so tenacious about living, that I want some copies next year. I'm worried that it's too late in the year, but I'm going to try and grow this one out far enough to get some seed. **** with those blossoms and you being in Atlanta it shouldn't be a problem to get mature fruits. But I do hope you get some single blossoms b'c with so called megablooms you can get fusing of the fruits and then there's a greater chance of getting crossed seeds b;c of the possibility of different blossoms in that one megabloom being independently X pollinated and then the several fruits becoming one. And I noticed you weren't bagging blossoms but perhaps this plant is far enough away from others to help ensure no X pollinations. OTOH seed for Big Rainbow is readily available at many places. ( smile) Carolyn