Heritage and other primocane (current season growth) bearers are OK to buy in pots, but it's a waste of money unless you are in a big hurry. I have sometimes planted local nursery sourced Heritage this way when it's too late to order BR's from a better source. My customers tend to not be very used to waiting for something they desire. You can plant a potted plant in June and get berries in the late summer into fall. Heritage doesn't seem to have much trouble with virus related disease so I don't know how important source is as long as plants are vigorous. Of course if you are also planting summer bearing types you would want to be sure all your plants are "clean". A healthy raspberry in a pot will have no trouble growing into soil and establishing into productive plants, in my experience, and I often throw some of my surplus into pots in case some customer wants some later or I don't have time to plant them in the spring at someone's site. Please disregard anything that I suggested about Caroline because my experience with it was at a problem site where nothing did well until I solved the problem. If you want sweet raspberries it is often helpful if canes are adequately thinned to about 6 to 9" apart. Excessive shading will reduce sugar whether it's caused by clouds, trees or other canes. There's bound to be some regional influence here, depending on how strong the sun is. It's been very rainy here but my Heritage summer crop has had better than usual quality because they rely on rain for all their water. Water is crucial to quality and quantity as well. Lots or rain is helpful right up to the week they start to ripen- then you hope it stops. A soaker hose or water delivered without wetting the fruit and nearby leaves will increase consistancy of yealds and quality considerably in the long term.

The "Texas Sweet oranges" if low in seeds, are probably Marrs. If they are very seedy, then they are probably pineapples. It is my understanding that "Louisiana Sweets" are also pineapples. I was once on a dove hunting trip with a long past friend and citrus buyer. We were on his brothers place near Donna, TX as he pointed out the adjacent grove as the place of the original Marrs orange. Marrs is a bud sport (mutant) of a navel. Some Marrs oranges are reverting back to navels. Before you run out and buy a Marrs tree, be aware of the fact that the sweetness of Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus is due to the combination of local climate and the sour orange rootstock. On the upper Texas Coast, the Republic of Texas orange is sweetest I have seen. Those trees have been growing on the Caldwell Ranch in Brazoria county since before the Civil War. The oranges slightly resemble Parson Brown. Some tan-tangelos such as Page and Fairchild are sold as oranges. I have heard reports of Fairchild with 28% sugar. Last year my Pages were sweeter than my Fairchilds. The acid in tan-tangelos is higher than than round oranges so the sugar/acid balance gives a greater combo than pure Mandarins or pure round oranges. Ponkan (Chinese Honey Mandarin) is sometimes an exception to this general rule. You will find that growing citrus is similar to grapes. Some vintages are much better than others. Always plant what does best in your area. Larry

Christin, The phloz I have is 'Phlox divericata', wild Blue Phlox. Here is what my North American Wildlife book says about it: BLUE PHLOX Phlox divericata SIZE: 6 to 12 in. tall; flower, 3/4 to 1 1/2 in. across WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Flowers light blue (light blue violet) with 5 petals, often notched, at end of a slender tube, in clusters atop a sticky stem; Leaves in pairs, lance shaped. (shiny) HABITAT: Rich woods, clearings, fields, bluffs IN BLOOM: Apr.-June (I added what is in parenthesis) What it doesn't say is how deliciously fragrant this little flower is. It fill the air with its sweet fragrance. Everyone who visits asks, "What is that sweet perfumed flower I smell?" They are always surprised to discover it is that little plant on the ground. Even more fragrant than summer garden phlox. - It likes full sun or partial sun, btw. It has survived many of our severe droughts too. It is a ground cover, so it spreads, but I let it go where it wants to go as it fills in the bare spots between my spring bulbs and does not crowd out its neighbors. I can send you a few starts of it with roots. I started out with only two little plants that I dug up along the Illinois river in Northeast Oklahoma. It was growing on a cliff overlooking the river. I was white-water rafting at the time. I parked my canoe on a sandy gravel bar and climbed that rocky cliff, bagged two sprigs, and then dove down into the river with my prize in hand and swam back to my canoe, continuing on my 21 mile trip. Yahoo! :). That was such a blast! Anyway, it is just a wonderful little spring flowering phlox. I have taken a start of it with me every time I move. (I'm not moving again. Got too much junk and too many plants and rocks that I would NOT leave behind.) I am sure you would love it. ~Annie

Yeah, CP. This is a 5 year old thread and the QUESTION is always new. The search for the " Best Tasting and the Most Sweetest .." tomato continue. This is a never ending thing. OK. My definition of good tomato taste is not "the sweetest". I like a tomato with a delicate balance of sweetness and acidity, with a juicy texture and nice color when sliced. I have found one such tomato: ANANAS NOIRE (pic below ) Another one is CHEROKEE PURPLE PLE