That's a reeeeeal bummer! We had a 5-day power outage yrs ago when the boys were little and we still lived in the mobile home park. It wasn't exactly fun as I remember. But we got thru it. With the bad winter we had this last time, we lost power for only a couple of days, but we broke down and bought a generator. It's worth it. Saves your refrigerated foods, and keeps everybody entertained til the power comes back on. Now we have it for any future outages. I'm glad you didn't have any damage to your roses, or your home. I feel so sad for those people in TX and all over who lost their homes or had major damage due to the hurricane. That's got to be so devastating.

It's raining here. 43°. A good day for ironing my summer things that require a touch up. First, I'll have to bring up my ironing board that went to the basement when DD and DGK's were living here. I might make that crock pot steak dish again this afternoon. Mom really liked it too, and it is easy for her to eat, because I got the tenderized round steak. If the weather stays like it is right now, I'll probably sneak a nap in there sometime too. It's a lazy, cloudy, rainy day. I can't do the yard work I want to do. I have to trim back my butterfly bush, and my hardy hibiscus. Leslie How come I indent my paragraph's and when it's posted, they aren't indented?

Fall color is right for Cotinus: Cotinus fall color. These trees have a beautiful form to them which is similar to serviceberry - I can see why it was a suggestion. FataMorgana

No - I never tried Irish Laughter. I find a problem with red and white combination - they eventualy mutate to the point when the red is bleeding into the white. And tie-dyed effect is not appealing for me. Red - dark red with a white geneva edge - of Powder Keg - looks gorgeous under the lights. in the natural light.. dead meat. I do not grow Playful Spectrum right now, did before - I do not think it is specifically difficult - but it is very unstable propagation wise. It wouldn't pass 3 generations test for sure - but it is very beautiful -and should be treated as a chimera - suckers only. Mutation is often a result of the stress - you do not repot it for a year and more - strange things start happening. It is too cold, it is too hot, it dried up, or almost drowned - plant will start suckering like crazy and the the leaves will start developing birthmarks...next thing it will bloom - and you will have different blossoms. Out of variegated whites I grew Northern Beauty and Northern Exposure - both hybridized by my late friend and AV mentor Nelly Levine - we just had a Council Show dedicated to her memory. Both - very good plants, Northern Beauty is easier, Exposure is tricky. Top growers are not born this way - they learn through making mistakes and killing their share of plants. And curiosity and persistence eventually pay off. And after being a member of the club, Council and AV Society for over 15 years, attending the Shows and Conventions - something rubs in... eventually... but then you start forgetting things... Top plants do not come from windowsills, top growers without exception grow plants under the lights and on wicks. If the climate is drier - on mats - like we in Colorado, if the climate is more humid - on wicks and reservoirs. Deli containers with holes in the lids - and yarn wicks threaded through the holes. Constant feeding, wick watering. Every good grower has his own little secrets - by finding what works best for his conditions. (His-hers - majority of the growers are ladies, but many top growers are men.) Controlled environment - is the answer to all our AV troubles. A plant with a strong variegation will do significantly better under lights and on wicks. You can grow pretty decent Optimaras on natural light, if you turn the plants just a bit every day or so to prevent stretching to the window. Yes - plants in nature are not pampered and nobody provides them with an artificial light. And they have holes from caterpillars, birds stain them with their droppings and they use these droppings as a natural fertilizer. Nothing wrong with them, they are lovely - but it is not a show quality - plays do not care about being in a show - success in nature - survive and set plenty of seeds for the future generations. Yes - if you picked the plant that is hybridized locally, it will give you some advantage. If you grow your plants under lights and on wicks - it is not that important. Plants adjust. I talk too much...