The new growth - which consists of emerging leaves, not flower buds - is an encouraging sign. Anything you can do to avoid any kind of stress over the summer will help. This means mulching well and watering when it's needed. Protecting with evergreen boughs or a burlap screen next winter will also help. As for fertilizing, the "don't fertilize stressed plants" should not be regarded as some sort of iron clad stricture. It depends. If, for example, a soil test indicates the lack of an important element such as nitrogen, that is part of the stress the plant is experiencing and should be corrected. Don't fertilize without first testing the soil, but if the test indicates a need, using a slow acting organic based fertilizer is a good, even necessary, practice.

I have to admit that i have been trying to get 2 climbers, blaze improved & white dawn to grow in a location adjacent an arbor where i previously had a perfume breeze climber. i removed the perfume breeze because it never attained the height i wanted relative to the arbor. It was in the location for 3 years. This spring i ammended the soil with lots of compost, manure etc, and yet these 2 roses ( mentioned above) have been sitting there for months now. It’s like they are just in idle. I’m baffled why they won’t break new canes, show any development. Roses nearby are all exhibiting some kind of growth / change post flowering in late May/ June. i have read about this as well, but i suppose without scientific data to completely answer our questions, well I suppose we remain in the dark. Go ahead and make your changes and see what evolves. good luck.

Hi! I have an excellent 1997 Hardback Reader's Digest "The essential guide to chooding and caring for houseplants" by Jane Courtier & Graham Clarke. It is a hardback, and I have loved it so much that it does have permanent dividers in it (so that I could refer to it without getting the pages dirty!!) for some of the plants I have used throughout the years. Please let me know if you are interested... my gardening interests are pretty broad, so if you do want it we can think of something to trade.

You are welcome - ask and you shall receive (if I can)! (like I said, I DON'T WANT TO SEE A ^%^#%!!@#! FIG FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!! - I did a lot of them to meet the demand!)