I am a bit like yourself glaswegian Not always on the garden web forum but like to keep in touch some I remember seeing you on the Brugmansia Forum. To bad you could not bring plants from your garden I was fortunate on the occasion of my last move that I was able to bring quite a bit along But I found as well, that the plant sales of different horticultural groups and various fundraising plant sales found me with lots of inexpensive basic plants. Kind of nice isn't it to have a blank canvas. With your expertise in no time at all you will have marvellous gardens. Hope you are going to stay put for awhile Moving for sure is not just simple. There is a grower of Brugmansia in Quebec that my youngest daughter ordered plants from, but is to late I expect for this year You might even be able to simply drive to the Brugmansia grower in Quebec. Will look up the name of it if you are interested All the best

There are plastic fabrics made by Agribon that offer cold protection down to about 8 degrees. There are several differnet thicknesses, and that 8 degree range is the thickest of all. Because the fabric must not be in direct contact with the leaves of the plants, you would need make some kind of half hoop tent or other raised trusses to help hold the cloth away from the plants. Beans, can dry off the vine, and beets can survive a some frost as they will only lose foliage. If the beans arent ready to be dried as seeds, you can always salvage any that are now big enough. You would be surprised as to the size of the beans inside some pods. Pole beans are easy to find as seeds, there are many, and Vermont Bean has more varieties than most bean varieties than any other seed dealer. Buttercup squash will probably not make it, but if the plastic fabric cloth helps to keep some warmth in, it may give you a little extra time. Buttercup not even ripe now, would need at least another 30 days to ripen to hard green color. Over nights are usually when frosts hit, and even in Z5, they are usually only a few nights in a row, then most of the time it gets a bit warmer again, especially during the daytime. Any coverings you plan to use must also allow light through as well as water, so a plain cloth sheet may not be appropriate. The site below offers huge rolls of Agribon, but you should also be able to find smaller sizes. It also is reusable for several years, provided its folded and kept dry after use. I have several thicknesses here, and covered a whole peach/plum tree when it blossomed and we had a sudden frost in full bloom. Only lost a few of the flowers and leaves to frost, but that was because it was just draped over the 25 foot tall tree (try doing that without a ladder in the late afternoon!). Root crops should be fine. Because this product is a non woven plastic, I use an impulse heater to bond two sheets togther to make a larger size or double up on the thickness if necessary. Hope you get well soon! Here is a link that might be useful: Agribon plastic fabrics

Fran - The 1st plant could be a large number of different cultivars as there are probably more japanese types of 'pinks' than any other color... Ipomoea nil with dwarf type genes can cross with many other I.nil and anything is possible... The 'Blue Silk' can sometimes throw a plant that progressively develops a purple-lavender and until I get (and translate) the japanese romaji name for it I have been calling it Lavender Silk http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/176115/ The lavender may take several generations to stabilize into a definite purple-lavender and intermediate colorations that are 'sort of' still blue and lavender are what occurs in the interim... The pinkish bloom can also come out of the blue silk and I've been referring to it as 'pink silk',although there is a definite romaji name for it that I need to re-locate and translate... The stigma and anthers on your almost lavender silk are very dark and this is characteristic of premature senescence...when either the anthers and / or the stigma prematurely senesce they will not function to produce pollen or seeds...this reproductive part dysfunction is the result of being highly bred...there is no 'cure' and you just have to be sure that any flowers that produce good pollen producing anthers and / or a good looking functional stigma are hand pollinated to insure seed production... TTY,... Ron

Have you looked at your local hardware stores? Craigslist? For inspiration photos, see our Gallery. Here is a link that might be useful: Bathroom eye candy