Hotzona, I don't buy a truck load of bark. I go in with a pickup truck and they load one yard of bark into the bed for me. I did buy a dump truck load of 10 yards of coarse sand. I've nearly used that all up. Took 3 years, but it is sure nice to have it there to shovel up any time I need it. Yes, decorative bark is the same thing. But bark comes in all sizes and you want the small stuff, not the big chunks. I just bought a yard of bark fines that are great for potting mix but I think they are too small for gritty mix. So I will be going back for another yard of the next size up. You might be surprised how fast you can use up a yard of material if it is sitting there, ready to be used. My yard of bark fines cost $26. Just the same price as two big bags of Miracle Grow potting soil and about 20 times as much material.

I live where blackspot pressure is high, and I don't use fungicides. I also have a handful of Bourbons in my garden, and some do better than others with regards to keeping nice foliage. For me, the cleanest is 'Souvenir de Victor Landeau', followed closely by 'Mme de Sevigne' -- which is like a "free-standing climber" version of 'Mme Isaac Pereire'. I don't know if it's that they're inherently less susceptible to whatever fungal strains are in my area, or if they just quickly shed affected leaves and replace them. In any case, they keep their leaves almost perfect until about November. 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' doesn't seem to get blackspot, either, but does get a touch of mildew in Spring before the first flush when it's cool and damp. This disappears on its own when the temperatures get into the 80s, and doesn't return until about November, when we often have had some cold spells followed by warm spells. In any case, its "ugly times" are when there aren't any blooms, so I don't pay it any attention. "Sophie's Perpetual" is usually listed as a China, but I think of it as a China-leaning Bourbon -- since it smells like a Bourbon. Mine gets touches of blackspot, maybe only slightly more than the others I mentioned, but since it's still small and growing slowly, one affected leaf is a higher percentage of the total number of leaves. So maybe I notice it more. 'Honorine de Brabant' keeps healthy leaves most of the season, but starts to lose those on the bottom foot to foot and a half. To give perspective, it's currently reaching over 6 feet tall. When it loses leaves lower down it doesn't replace them -- instead focusing on extending the tips of its canes and leafing out there. 'Mme Dore' and 'Mlle Blanche Lafitte' both go naked or nearly so in July, after the first flush is over. They then leaf out again, only to go naked once more by about October. These two are slower growing, for me, which probably relates to how quickly they refoliate. 'Mlle Blanche Lafitte' has me scratching my head, because it does have a few stout canes about 3 feet tall, but it seems to focus on making just one cane at a time, leafing out, then blooming. Maybe I'll give it a harsher haircut in Spring and see what it does. 'Mme Dore' I know doesn't get big, so I just snip off Winter damage and leave it alone, other than dead-heading. "Maggie" is new to me, having come only this year. So far, it's kept its leaves, but it's also still small. We'll see how it does. Then there's poor little 'Eugene de Beauharnais'. I originally planted this at the base of a tree in my front yard, where it got too much midday sun which burned its blooms. I moved it to the back, and it took some time to get adjusted again. Now I think I'll just turn it into a pot-pet, but that will wait until Spring. Why keep it in a pot? Well, I keep hearing how much of a wimp it is on its own roots, and I prefer wimps in pots filled with my "magic mix" to get them to be their best. "Huilito" is a bit of a mystery. It's usually considered a China based on its growth, but anytime I see a "China" with that fragrance, I think it's something else genetically. Maybe it's a Bourbon -- I don't know for sure. This arrived only last Spring, so it's still new. But it keeps healthy foliage for me. So there you have it -- a small but rather diverse group of Bourbons in my garden. Some stay clean, some don't. I may be trying a few more in pots, and if they do well, bring them down to my cemetery project. It's really hard to say for sure what will work unless you hear from others in your area, or are willing to try them out for yourself. :-) ~Christopher

I bought my Korean maple approx 5 years ago at one foot high for $30 (2 gallon pot). Maybe I just lucked out on finding a good one, or maybe I have a good sheltered spot, but it's done well for me (zone 3, though sheltered city lot). It never developed much in the way of fall color until this year. I believe itÂs because itÂs in a shady spot (3 hours sun). Not as brilliant as MikeÂs photo, but it did get an orangy hue to it with some of the leaves on the branch ends reddish. Nice to see as most of my other plants get yellow fall color. As my tree gets taller however (6 feet tall) the top of the plant isnÂt as shaded by nearby buildings. My only complaint, and itÂs not a big deal, is that here the leaves seem to get frost bitten, then stick onto the plant, instead of falling off. ItÂs just a minor complaint because now I have a tree with crispy leaves ready to fall off into my small pond nearby. According to some sources, this tree can get quite big, but I am happy that it is slow enough growing (at least here) and seems more shrub like than tree like. I also have a couple of Japanese maples, though smaller height ones. For winter I take a box, remove the bottom flaps, place around the tree and essentially fill in around the tree with peat moss, then leaves. Once it snows, mound lots of snow. TheyÂve come through 3 winters this way. I know they will never be huge, because any portion of the plant that I donÂt winter protect wonÂt survive, but itÂs kind of neat to be able to grow at least a couple. I know they too can gain great size with age, but I sort of view these as miniature trees. Glen

I think I'd also go with the smoked ham/pork hocks. We always asked Carl to smoke the jowl bacon when we had pigs slaughtered and packed, although he said very few others did. I guess they just didn't think about that part of a pig! The stuff I had was actually leaner than regular bacon from the belly, so the hocks are going to be similar but you'll have to deal with the bones. Annie