I have grown all of the Austins roses listed in the Chamblee's website at one time or other. They used to offer 'Spirit of Freedom', which is the one that would have been my top choice as a climber. I have 3 specimens that came from a single 1 gallon pot from Chamblees. They have growing to around 12 feet high or so in 4 years and have large, very full flowers with a strong damask fragrance. But SOF is no longer offered by Chamblees. Among the Austins still available from Chamblees, is Benjamin Britten. I am now growing Benjamin Britten and know that it can grow tall enough to train over an arbor. The canes are flexible enough that they would be easy to train. I have been to the David Austin Rose US headquarters in Tyler, TX and they have a number of the taller rose specimens on display that have been growing for a while. Benjamin Britten was around 12-14 feet tall and perhaps 6 feet wide. The repeat in my garden is not as fast as I woulld like. The red-orange flower color is interesting but would probably not appeal to everyone. If you consider Austin roses that are not offered from Chamblees, I would recommend The Generous Gardener and The Wedgewood Rose. Or two of the Meilland roses in their Romantica collection, Collette (pink) and its yellow colored sport, Lunar Mist. All of these have nice, full, medium large flowers with a good scent and repeat bloom with a reasonable frequency. Good luck with your selection, John

Okay, first you need some fig cuttings. Ideally, you get them in the morning from a willing donor (or you wander the neighborhood looking for damaged limbs, branches sticking out in the street or over the path et al . . . this is not recommended. Best to stick a note in the mailbox asking is it Ok for you to nip a few branch ends? Offer to give them a couple of the 'children' you produce (if you are lucky, you'll be able to give them a different variety should you do this with several trees. Do keep track of what they are if that is what you want to do.) You might also offer other plants, seeds, perennial divisions, firstborn male children, whatever you have spare. Now you have some legal branch ends (I find they work best.) Keep them in a plastic bag with a wet towel until you get home. Now, at home, put a kettle on to boil, and cop a few bottles from the recycle bin. Keeping track of the alcoholics in your neighborhood will make this easier if you don't generate enough Miller High Life containers on your own. Rinse them. When the water boils let it sit until it is not quite so hot and GENTLY pour about two inches in each bottle. The idea is not to let any air bubbles form, no shaking, just flat flat water. Sit the bottles off to cool further, and get your cutters. Wash them with alcohol or a ten to one dilute bleach solution (Ten parts WATER to one part BLEACH). Do not let your cutters get contaminated again. Be a real nit about this. It makes a difference. Put a bowl of water in the sink. You could use some of the boiled water but I do not know if it will make a difference. Now for your rooting hormone. You can use the gooey gel sort or the dust or the liquid : whatever you do put a little in a container and use that. You do not want to contaminate your hormone by dunking a cutting in it. Just put some on a saucer and use it up. Grab your first cutting. Hold the cut end under water in the bowl, and with your nippers, cut diagonally BELOW a bud. I like to have branch ends as there is always a nice bud at the tip, but try for about three below that one. Now you have a nice diagonal cut. Dip it in the rooting hormone, then set it aside. Repeat. Keep different figs apart, the Brunswick over here, the Alma over there, and give some of the Panachee, Italian Honey, and Petite Negri to me (I don't have those.) When you have done this to all of your figs, put them into the bottles (GENTLY! NO BUBBLES!) Stick the bottles on a windowsill and wait . . . . I like to dump the water out every couple of days and put more boiled and cooled water in. The little dots and bumps on the sticks will start to poke out a bit, like adolescent zits. Then they will get white. Then they will come out and be roots. ( Replace the fig cutting bottle and jump up and down at this point.) Let the roots get about an inch long, then VERY GENTLY put them in a container (a DEEP container you can cut off of them later, or gently pull them out of). Push soil about the fragile roots and water, with the boiled cooled water if you like (again, I don't know if it helps but hey it is cheap.) Some sticks will die but I have had pretty good luck. The baby fig trees are popular with kids who enjoy checking out their growth daily. I did this this summer, twice (I have my second batch sprouting white roots now.) So that is it. It is not that hard, if you follow the rules; keep the nippers clean, boil the water and be gentle with it so you get no air, and treat the little treelets with tender care. Good luck.

I know this is last minute, but I've told everyone at work that I won't be at the company picnic this year, and my boss didn't fuss, so I'll be there with y'all in San Marcos. I'll bring my hamb/cheese/bean dip stuff in a crock pot. I have kind of a nifty wind chime for a door prize. I'll bring as many plants as I can get into the car. I DON'T want to bring any of them home! I'm interested in rose cuttings mostly---------I've already emailed Redthistle. See you there! Linda by Bastrop

All the salvias are incredible . How did I forget about them. Shame on me. Salvia madrensis is good for part shade to shade-, Black and blue salvia makes a great bed in the sun to part sun, Salvia regla likes sun with a little protection from afternoon sun is a gorgious fall and spring bloomer but it needs drainage and might not like your clay.. If you can plant it where it gets a slash of setting sun hitting it late october to light up the blooms. what a treat. The Mexican sages like lolly jackson are great performers and beautiful Salvia invulcrata also won't mind the clay and moisture. Salvia farenacia is good. Salvia Augusta duelberg is a stunning white salvia and it will take full sun. blue oak salvia is sweet in ful sun. So many salvias will fit your bill. And don't forget the Texas sages (not a salvia)for late summer color.Intense sun won't faze them and no water will not hurt them either.Salvia coccinea are anual salvias that will seed themselves in full shade and part sun. cedar salvias will seed themselves and form a groundcover slowly under cedar trees.