first.. they will heal themselves.. anything you dream up.. is contrary to nature .... so dont get any bright ideas of how lonely old you.. can do it better than mother nature ... now.. talk to me about planting depth .. and reflection of sun off all that stonework ... why do they look like telephone poles .. going straight into the earth.. where is the trunk flare????? loosen some of that mulch.. and find the root flare.. and take a few more pix ... while you are out there .. tell us about how the sun moves across that patio and rocks.. and where the sun is.. according to the scars ... and you might want to add prevailing winter wind direction ... to my use of the words.. sun scald is frost crack.. they are the same thing ... the sun.. heats one side of the plant ... repeatedly .. all winter long.. while the other side.. remains frozen .. or the bark goes back and forth from freeze to thaw... as the sun works across that heat retaining patio .... so what caused it.. was it the sun.. or the cold.. frankly it was both ... over.. and over.. all winter long ... not surprising that damage would develop .... and it probably didnt happen this winter ... perhaps the winter after transplant ????? when the plants were at the height of stress ... come next winter .... block the sun from the trunks ... so the trunks stay completely dormant... without the back and forth ... and that will help ... regardless.. you have to figure out if there is planting depth problems ... the fact that the crack.. if i recall right [closed pix already] .. goes right into the ground... it usually doesnt ... because the root flare would stop it .... good luck ken

Hello Topie! you will love w/s! it's so much fun! I started in 2001/2002 season with Cool Whip and cottage cheese containers as well as 2 litre bottles...the bottles did not do well for me- we did have a WET winter, and I did not have enough drain holes in the bottoms.. the last few years I use Solo Cups and the strofoam cups that are listed as 'recycleable'- they are easy to punch holes in, and I reuse them too! I don't need as many plants now, because of w/s I have my little city cottage garden stuffed, so the cups do fine for me. I put plastic wrap on the top, held with pony tail rubber bands and punch holes in it for moisture/air the main thing I have found about containers: you can use most anything if you can get at least 3 inches of soil in it.. I have tons of seed to share- if you want to send me a bubble env- and 2 stamps- then you can experiment and really have fun! Linda

This is just MHO I contribute it to the UV rays are slowily intensifying. As I noticed back when I did landscaping. Each year it took less time to tan or sunburn. An noticed the older tree leaves scorched very easily. An am noticing now full sun plants can't handle that many hours of sun without shade clothes or breaks of shade. I agree something strange. As cool weather and clear sky days are scalding plants.

If I buy THREE cans of evaporated goat's milk I will have enough for THREE loaves of bread, lol! I don't know if I will even like the bread. My freezer is full of bits and bobs of stuff I never end up using, but I hate to waste food. I guess I could use it for a cream soup. I don't even like cow's milk except in tea and coffee.