Ingrid Yippee! I am celebrating with you!! These tiny darlings are truly our little rose babies. I have a RVR Botzaris that subjected me to similar parental joys and frets. When the postal stork arrived with it, Botzaris was just a minute green sprout tucked into its cozy 4" pot. I watered it and then transplanted it to a larger plastic cradle in a very special corner of my nursery. I checked on Botzaris several times per day, testing its soil diaper and nursing it diligently. One morning I went to the nursery to peek at its progress and discovered that...it was gone! Eek!! I practically stuck my nose in the dirt in my frantic search for traces of Botzaris. Then I spotted the remains. An 1/8" stub just above the soil line. The fluffy-tailed tree rats had struck my garden again. In a tearful panic, I ran to the garage in search of anything resembling armor-plating. I spied my rather expensive English riddle teetering on a shelf at the back. (This unique piece of equipment was purchased from Smith and Hawken back in the day when S&H was truly S&H.) Yes, the riddle would serve the purpose. But the riddle would rust and disintegrate in Portland's late winter/spring downpours. Hmmm. Rose. Riddle. Rose. RIddle. As you may have guessed, Botzaris--my precious baby Botzaris--won the debate. After keeping a watchful eye (like a mama hawk), enduring more stretches of constant nurturing including many gentle feedings of compost tea, I spied a microscopic stem with even dinkier leaves emerging next to the stubbins. My neighbors must have heard the WHOOP for blocks! I left the rusty riddle in place and maintained a constant vigilance against further attacks by fluffy-tailed rose assassins. When I finally witnessed my little white damask growing into a strapping young toddling beauty, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Ahhhhh. The joys of parenting! Please post photos of your first grandflower! Still cheering for you in PDX-- Carol

I have ordered several fig trees from Mr. Robin over the last couple of years. While talking to Mr. Robin on the phone he asked me if there are any Chinkapin trees in my area. If so he would like some seeds from the tree. I asked around and found out that all the Chinkapin trees in my area have died out. I asked my dad who lives in South Jersey if he knew of any Chinkapin trees in his area. Dad said that there was one in a small park in our home town. When I visited my parents I picked up some seeds from that tree and sent them to Mr. Robin. I did not put them in a box, but in a large envelope. By the time Mr. Robin got them the post office had smashed them to powder. The next time I went to South Jersey to get some more seeds, much to my dismay the tree had been cut down. If anyone knows where they can get some seeds from a Chinkapin tree would you send them to Mr. Robin. Other names and spelling of the Chinkapin tree: Allegheny Chinkapin, Common Chinkapin, Chinquapin. Vern

Very nice palms. I like the coloring on the leaf boots. I think it has to do with the boots still being alive and while they are drying out they turn that colors. The older leaf boots are dead and lost their color but they still stay on the palms

On my plants they lay green teardrop shaped cacoons that turm into the fly. The cacoons don't hang like butterfly cacoons. The kind of fly around here makes green cacoons on the top of leaves,laying flat on top with the fat part above and the pointed end below. The first cacoon I found a couple years ago I put in a jar because it was so small and I was wondering what it was. It only took a few days for a fly to come out.