Thanks, Sharon, I'm glad they're helping! Keep whatever you're using as a stock WELL watered. You want it to be growing as vigorously as it possibly can, pushing as much sap as possible up those canes so it keeps the buds well hydrated. The higher the sap pressure, the more sap it flows up that stem, the faster it's going to knit and push growth. Go out and start hacking up suckers and any other trimmings from your roses to become familiar with what the cambium layer looks like. The easiest way to see what it's like is to break a prickle off a newly growing stem. It's the brighter green, juicy, wet tissue just under the bark/skin. That's the key ingredient for any of this to work. You want that layer of tissue on the exposed "wound" in the stock as well as on the back of the scion (bud). As long as there is SOME on each, they will adhere to each other and form precisely the tissue needed to supply nourishment to the new bud and force it to grow. It honestly doesn't matter which method of grafting/budding you use. They ALL work as long as the sap pushes, there is cambium layer to cambium layer contact and you don't let them dry out. Once you are past allowing the process to intimidate you, it becomes FUN, fast and easy! I am careful not to cross bud roses which might expose potentially uninfected types to RMV. I will rebud a stock in which the bud has failed with the SAME rose as I had previously used on that stock and I don't mix roses on the same longer whip. I know some of them are already infected. I just don't want to be the cause of something NOT infected, becoming so. With all those older HTs from your mother in your garden, you must have some prunings you can play with. Give them a try. It really does make it so much easier than waiting until you have spent time rooting stocks and finding THE rose you've always wanted. If you need something to play with as a stock, just ask! Yup, you're pushing right through, bluegirl. Good job! Congratulations! Amazing how EASY it can be, isn't it? Your mist set up definitely helps push things along quickly. Of course, your back ground of grafting fruit trees absolutely helps, too. I'm proud of you! Thanks. Kim

Please use new listin. Thank you. Ron S

Wow, great shots of some handsome birds. We only discourage House Sparrows which are not native. It appears to me you have an American Tree Sparrow because of the dark upper bill, and the yellow lower bill. My pictures have been terrible lately because it is always too dark out. You got some really nice action shots there.

Oh No---- I apologize, I didn't mean to be so confusing! Now that I have re-read my second post I can see where my answer just didn't make any sense. I was referring to the papal election when I first posted Habemus Papam. That is what I first thought of when I saw the cloud. All those years attending Catholic school will do that to you. Although Patti's cloud is much grander than that little wispy thing at the Vatican. But we do use that little phrase when someone answers a hard question- especially the Final jeopardy category. Thank you Patti for not embarrassing me- I managed to do that all my myself. LOL