PV, It's 54 degrees here today and it feels so cold after yesterday's nice weather. Warmth is coming and I bet we get a week or 2 of nice warmth and then it's in to the sauna after that. Anyway here's what I found germinating today 5/5/07 zinnia swizzle balsam impatiens nicandra viola yesterday,today and tomorrow alyssum carpet of snow alyssum rosie o'day purple petunia cosmos bright lights 5 different kinds of morning glory 1 tomato jubilee out of 10 1 tomato warren's yellow cherry out of 10 things will really explode this coming week. My japanese cherry tree usually blooms exactly 6 weeks after they are blooming in DC. this year for the first time in 25 years, it's 9 weeks. The lilacs have a long way to go before they bloom and they are usually on mother's day and I'd give my mother a huge bouquet of them on mother's day since the plants are from my grandmother's gardens and are over 30 years old. It's going to be an interesting growing season this year. After such a late start in long established perennials coming through the ground, which means a late start for blooms and seeds germinating later than in past years, wonder what the blooms will be like and the length of time it will take for them to bloom. You know that old saying, "you can't fool mother nature?" Well looks like we can't fool her, but she can sure have a great time fooling us. Fran

Sara Ann, we are in the same zone, and our weather this last year has been pretty bad. I am not sure what affected my roses more, the drought or the cold, but I had to make drastic cuts to my roses to have a decent garden. We have to make choices when things are bad, and I chose to cut almost to the ground. That means that the new growth has nothing to hang onto. Many of my new shoots are being knocked over by the wind. I never spray the entire garden. Recently I have sprayed for little beetles that seem to be heading for the house, but I do not spray for insects or fungus. The thrips are bad, and the roses will get all sorts of problems this year before they get larger. Tracing your Perfume Delight to the ground, what does the cane look like? You know that a badly infected or damaged rose will often put out a good spring show, then fizzle. I think there is some energy in the cane that allows it to do this even though the cane itself is dying. Leaving the canes for the show is good, but sooner or later they need to be cut as the new ones often grow. What I think is important is the entire rose, and new shoots. Considering your second bloom, I bet your rose is fine. Sammy

One has to adapt. When I first bought my house I bought a lot of hibiscus because the flowers were so beautiful. After a few winters and lots of digging and replacing I was cured of the normal hibiscus. The Rose of Sharon and the Turks Cap were keepers. After the severe freezes of last year I started buying plants that were listed as surviving in zone 8. I bought perhaps ten different types of salvias and others that bloom and attract hummingbirds. My roses, camellias, azaleas and gardenias drop flowers, but don't really mind the cold very much. I have sweet bay magnolias for tiger swallowtails and they like the cold weather. That said, I still have a lot of plants that get hit hard by the cold. The ones I really treasure I put in big pots and haul them into the garage when the weather turns very cold. Lots of work, but it's more work having to dig them out, buy new plants and go through all the time and effort pampering them when they are young and waiting for them to bloom.

Thought I would give an update on the researcher I had hired. This is the report she gave me. And yes, we know we have the right Daniel D. Ward. Final Research Report Daniel Demott/Dimmott/Dimmitt/Dimmock WARD Research Question – Where was Daniel Demmot WARD born? Findings Since Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services was asked to check the birthplace in Prince Edward Island (PEI), and the marriage in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia (NS) to Margaret FULL and Harriet Newell COOKE, two queries to sent to PEI and one query was sent to NS. A query was sent to the Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society on 18 February 2015 , and the answer was “ I checked for Daniel D Ward today, and as I suspected nothing found. There are plenty of Wards, including a John Stentford Ward who died in June 12, 1890 at age 78., a native of Devonshire, Eng. And a John Stentford Ward who died on Dec 17m 1898, a native of Lancashire, Eng”. A further query was sent to a private genealogist in PEI, and he said “You are correct there are limited sources for the early part of the 19th century but sources worth looking at are land records, leases and conveyances, court records, limited church records and a number of other others”. Further, a query as sent to Argyle Archives the 03 March 2015 which posed the same question, and the answer came back on the 18th of March, and it said “I have looked at every possible early record for both Township of Argyle and Yarmouth. I have spoken to our Archivist and we have no knowledge of this family other than what you have. Have you tried the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives? Just maybe they have something. email yarmouthcountymuseum@ednet.ca/archives. Good luck in your search”. Suggested Further Research It is suggested that the genealogy of Daniel WARD be checked again to make sure that that you have the correct Daniel WARD. This would necessitate that you follow that genealogy back to Daniel WARD through New York, and up to London, Ontario first, and if necessary, back to Yarmouth, and then back to Prince Edward Island. This would mean that records in archives, libraries and genealogicalties would have to be checked in New York, back to Londowhere you would check the same archives, libraries and to make sure that you have the correct Daniel Demmot WARD, because there are a number of Daniel WARDs in London area, Ontario, and they do not always have the middle name included.