Sorry guys I've been busy workin'. Thanks Inga. The monarda is interesting. I planted a lot of it several yrs ago, but this one is the only one that really comes back very well. I dunno why PURPLE TIGER did the white spotty thing. Kinda interesting isn't it? Thanks Seil! Poor GEORGE BURNS has to compete with that horrible Bermuda grass. That area out there is engulfed in it. I don't know what I'm going to do to get rid of it. My husband says we should dig out all the roses and get in there and annihilate the Bermuda grass. But it would be way too much work. We'll just have to keep trying to yank it out the best we can. "We?"... What am I sayin'? I mean "I" will have to do it. Like he comes out and helps me... Harmonyp, SCANDIA is a gorgeous rose. It's one from Certified Roses. I've had it for many yrs. It really is a beautiful pale lavender and sometimes gets a hint of ruby at the edges. Thanks Mzstitch. POLYNESIAN SUNSET really is a nice rose. I got it from Vintage many yrs ago, and it's taken a long time to establish. I love it when it blooms! Kathy, you should see all the brown, "crispy critters" all over the yard! LOL OMG, they're just fried. Most of these pics I take in the early morning, and by late afternoon, they're pretty much toast! Gotta love summer!! LOL Renee, those two would look great together! I actually have a bed that's themed in mauves and corals. It is a striking combo. Tammy, PURPLE TIGER is not a very easy rose to grow. Mine never gets very big. I've had it since the yr it came out. I had it in a pot for the first few yrs, and it didn't do much better. It always seems to die back a lot and regrows. Stays about 1ft. Ya know, come to think of it, it actually did do better in the pot. Maybe I should dig it up and re-pot it. As for the hummers, I never really had very many in yrs past. It's taken a long time to get them to come here. And now they just fight over the feeder. I tried putting up another feeder, but none of them would go to it. They always fight over the first one. They're funny. Thanks Serena and Lesley!

With the mustard solution, worms come to the surface within 15 minutes. If they don't, wait a while and try it again another day. By worms "disappearing" it means they will die and decompose. In your garden it shouldn't be a problem. But if your dead worm concentration is too high, they will make a slimy mess in the pot. If you can repot, that's what I would do. I think that should take care of most of the problem. You can always get more red worms if you want to start composting. There is a lot of stuff online about worm composting. It's easy but you do have to keep at it or the worms will die. Dryness and high or low pH are the enemy of worms. But I don't know the ideal conditions for growing lemons, you wouldn't want to hurt your tree trying to get rid of the worms. Repotting seems like the easiest thing to do, or try the mustard treatment or an electrical probe, which I had never heard of! Cooperative Extension may be able to recommend a less toxic chemical treatment, one that breaks down easily. Pyrethrum is a good insecticide in that respect, but as I copied above, apparently it doesn't kill worms. Of course that is a GOOD thing if you are using it in your garden!

my bf being who he is, wasn't ready to talk on tuesday but was ready on thursday and we had a very productive talk and him agreed with what I had said tuesday and we both admitted we had done things wrong. I read a thread posted by thurman about respect and realised that I hadn't really being showing my ss respect so why would he then show it to me! tbh I sometimes overreact to him as I find everything he does irratating, annoying and out of order but alot of what he does is to get that effect. There are things I can do to try and improve our relationships and there are things my bf needs to do as well if anything is going to be successfully. he admitted he was fovouritising his son because he felt threatened by me and was protecting him from being screamed and shouted at all the time. The weekend was surprising successfully my bf was firm and fair with all the children and my ss hated it and pushed his dad all weekend I took advice from the 'respect' thread and disengaged myself from the arguements between the pair and my ss's stupid behaviour around the house as I think he does this for attention. I have made a reward chart and made a visual poster of our house laws when these are broken consequences agreed between my bf, myself and my ss means he and my bf know what happens when ss steps put of line. I dobn't know if there is anything more I can do at the moment other than sit back, watch and wait!

I just about give up on my apples, and then I get a bumper crop. Seems like every other year or so, the blossoms freeze off, no fruit sets, and then the next year it is gorgeous and tons of apples. I've just learned to roll with the punches on that one. I do feel for anyone who's livelihood is affected by adverse weather, though. Ski hills around the Banff area are feeling the lack of snow situation as well as on the West coast. People with livestock, and especially rotten weather around calving season, those with market gardens who lose their crops to late frost in the spring, and early frost in the fall. Even in the 21 century, we are still held hostage to Mother Nature.