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

Optimum levels of organic matter in solils is btween 5 and 8 percent, so while not quite there you are getting close. Soil pH, for most plants, is in the 6.2 to 7.0 range, so while a bit low yours is okay. Nutrients you want in balance, not too much of one and too little of another which is where the problem lies. Nutrient imbalances create more problems then they solve. Nitrogen is dependant on soil warmth, bacterial activity. When soils are cool and there is little bacterial activity there is not much N available, but as soils warm, and the bacteria become more active more N is available to the plants. Nitrogen sources with readily available N, soluble types, can make it look like there is ample N in the soil but that will also wash out of the soil quickly with excess water and is the source of nitrate pollution of ground water.

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

How often will depend on the size of your containers, the type of container mix you use, and how often you have to water them. But many of us find that container plants require regular, evenly spaced feedings unlike those planted in the ground. Since it has been 6 weeks for yours I would say they are well past needing to be fed. Personally I feed mine weekly using a well-balanced liquid fertilizer that also contains micro-nutrients (many brands available) via a fertigation system set up to run though my drip irrigation system. Other growers here who regularly use containers have posted they feed even more often than that using a 1/2 strength diluted liquid fertilizer. You'll find several discussions about this over on the Container Gardening forum. While setting up a regular feeding schedule now won't really help bulk up the existing stems - they are what they are for the most part - it will insure stronger, better developed future growth. I use some Earthboxes in addition to my in-ground gardens and, like others who have posted about them on the Container gardening forum, I have never found the single band of fertilizer applied at planting time to be sufficient for the season. So mine get regular supplemental feedings too. Also keep in mind that if your plants are leggy it is usually due to insufficient sun exposure. Hope this helps. Dave