What a touching and loving thing for you to do; your husband is a very lucky man. I too am not from your area but would think some of the smaller tea roses like Westside Rose Cream Tea would be wonderful; it blooms all the time and is bushy with lovely large blooms. There are wonderful climbers like Reve d'Or which bloom practically all the time. Cl. Pinkie is a darling rose you might consider. I hope that people from your area will chime in to help you with this wonderful project. The old roses like teas, Chinas and noisettes are beautiful and romantic, and will actually do better than many modern roses in terms of vigor and disease resistance. Chamblee's is a good on-line vendor in your part of the country. Have a look at their site and find some things you like and then you can always come back to the forum to ask advice about these. This is a wonderful project you're undertaking and we'd love to help you make it something beautiful, something your wonderful mother-in-law would have appreciated, and a peaceful spot for your husband to spend time being with her. Ingrid

At this time of the year I will let my feeders go 4 to 5 days-especially since I do not even have any birds yet. As long as it is in the 50 to 60+ degree daytime temperature range that is very safe. Some people go longer than that-but I never do. I must say that in July and August when we are in the 90 degree range I change my feeders daily. I do not have many shady places for my feeders so it is a must for me to change daily. I will have a total of seven feeders up in late may on to the end of the season, because I have so many birds feeding and most are very territorial. Believe me it is a chore to change 7 feeders daily-but well worth it as my feeders are so popular. If you have just a couple of favorite hummingbird plants(butterfly bush or quince or trumpet vine) you are very much more likely to have hummers. If you have some good plants for them they WILL find your feeders. May you have a yardfull this year! Vicki

I just have junk to deal with -- good thoughts and wishes to those with health problems! Magazines are not my issue. My town's yearly bulk pick up is next week and I've been cleaning out my garage, basement and attic. The basement is basically done except for about 50 cans of paint that have to be dried out and discarded. That's a project that will be on-going for awhile. Don't keep paint cans is my advice. Pour some into a small jar to keep and get rid of the can. If you need more than a touch-up, go buy a quart. I have a huge walk-up attic that has been a dumping ground for everything we have not wanted to deal with for years. I have been filling contractor bags with junk my kids brought home from college (youngest graduated 4 years ago!). I'm trying to recycle what I can, but I have reached the conclusion that I can't let that hold me up. And I have to go through everything - I found some gold earrings my daughter said she's been looking for and there are papers with SS#'s and other sensitive info. Whenever I've upgraded a lamp or a chair the old one has gone to the attic for the kid's apartments. Guess what - they don't want my old stuff! I have a charity picking up anything worthwhile. It's gotten to the point that I have run out of room to sort things around the piles that have to go out. I've hired a few young men to help me get it all to the curb this weekend. I can't wait to see how much space is left. Another purge will have to happen before it's really cleared out, I'm sure. You would not believe the electronic equipment that needs to be disposed of - who has 7 turntables? ME! The garage is a whole other problem. There are cabinets that are filled with half-empty cans of solvents and stuff like that. I have to box it up to wait for the toxic chemical dump day. The cabinets are going on the curb. I think that cabinets in the garage are a bad idea - the more storage you have, the more junk you keep. My DH used to work in a hardware store so we have discontinued displays of entry sets, doorknobs, and towel bars, plus coffee cans filled with every size screw and nail. That's all going to a Habitat-type organization near me. It takes a lot of effort to keep stuff out of landfills, but I'm trying.

I fertilize with urea (0.2 lbs./inch of trunk dia.) beginning in the second growing season and apply no later than July 1st in my N. WI climate. This site has a table giving application rates for other types of fertilizer. https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/fertilizingfruittrees.html