They are indeed small, they must be like first year seedlings. About 7 years ago I became an esteemed Arborday member and I didn't really have a place to plant my 10 "free" trees, it was curiousity more than anything. The 2 trees in these photos are from the same 10 Arborday trees deal, planted in mid 02'. I gave all mine away, 2 of them are thriving today. I think the rest just perished in some way or another. I think my Mom was repeatedly running over some with a lawnmower. I can't find a photo of the Redbud when it was tiny, I only have two 4+ mos. ago photos of it. The Crabapple is growing good at an Aunt and Uncle's house. The first 2 photos is the Crabapple then and now and the last 2 are the Redbud. They are just tiny trees, but trees none-the-less, it just takes a few years until they get big. I also think that the Arborday foundation would like everybody to think they're this great charity, I think their all about profit. A few years ago I visited Arborday's headquarters up there in Nebraska, it is really a production. The place is like an amusement park, it IS worth a visit though. They have a nice park there, oddly enuff it is called a state park, I'm pretty sure its not really an official state park. The whole thing must be about a half billion dollar complex there. Heres some photos of the park entrance and the lodge (see the plaques before the trees?). The Arborday photos will be the last two. I think they'd like everybody to think they founded Earth Day..lol, although they did found their Arbor Day holiday which is real close to Earth Day. I must admit I do kinda like the Arborday jingle before Earth Day. "Plant a tree for you and me"!

Just a side note.... Even the spouses and dependents of our Military members must comply with the laws of the state they reside, even tho the service member can keep their 'home of record' license and plates. As a 24 year "camp follower", I have had to be licensed in more states and countries (yes, countries) than I can count this morning.....while DH retained his 1954 drivers license until he surrendered it here in Oregon in 2004.(I could be wrong about that year, as he did have a different class license for Ca for some years...and may have had a newer one after he retired.) I ran into this problem when DH was serving overseas and I was living in a different state....much to my surprise, I needed both plates and matching DL asap. I do wonder if any of those laws have been changed (for our Military since the events in the Middle East)...but somewhat recently DD had the same problem when in Florida with a car (in her name) and DH stationed there....including bill of sale and other stuff.

Sharon- Jan's was on the Golden Mile and yes she did have cancer, but she is doing well. That Golden Mile really got built up since we moved here. After Jan's closed my sister opened up a salon Studio One that was there for nine years, right across from the old Strouds. I lived in Lopez, which is only seven miles from Dushore. My Mom still lives in Lopez which is where we spent thanksgiving. I'm sure I went to school with OConnors, no one that I graduated with. The one Reardon that I know of, was a older lady named Dorothy, who was killed a few years back crossing the road Christmas Eve to go to church in Mildred and a car hit her right in front of the church. So sad. Doreen

In my experience, Sunrise Sunset will eat that entire cinder block space for lunch. Oh, it starts out relatively compact for a year or two, but it now totally obliterates a huge arch, even more than the other two or three actual climbers on it. Here it is pretending to be a "small" 2' rose in its second year: This spring, here it is absolutely demolishing the arch, swamping a 7 year old Illusion climber that's supposed to be huge and is barely visible in the red blooms at left vs. the Sunrise Sunset climbing up the arch. And it's not even at its full growth - I can't imagine what it'll look like in August. Here's a closeup of the base of the rose - you can see three or four other roses just barely surviving the canes enough to peep out. Sunrise Sunset has already killed several other roses that used to be at the base of this arch. It's a 2' high, 20' wide monster of a rose. You have some excellent Easy Elegance roses and they'll look nice in that spot, but you really will have to move Sunrise Sunset somewhere else or it'll kill off the others. I'd put it in the front bed you mention and give it a lot of room. All of those other EE roses should be hardy for you in zone 4, as I have most of mine in a zone 4 pocket of my yard and they laugh off the cold. Here's High Voltage - it also gets larger than advertised and is a good 4-5' tall. It can bleach out in the sun to a cream color, but it starts out a nice yellow. It'll probably want some support in that spot, like a tomato cage or green wire fence around the outside to hold it up. You can see the 2' high green fencing at the bottom of this shot, and I really need to add a taller support. Como Park so far is staying smaller, but it's only in its second year and will probably be more like High Voltage when it grows into its height by its third year. It's already putting up some long canes you can see toward the top of this photo that indicate it'll get bigger. Music Box also gets taller than advertised, and mine are around 4-5' tall. It's not as narrow as High Voltage, so it can mostly hold itself up, but it gets a good 3' wide as well. I think the colors of these three will blend well, as the yellow of High Voltage complements the yellow centers of Music Box, but both fade to cream which contrasts nicely with the red of Como Park. As for what to plant in the center of those cinder blocks, I'd fill in the holes with dirt and alternate spring, summer, and fall blooming perennials (but I love chaos). Creeping spring phlox will start off the season and drape nicely over the blocks, and it's pretty indestructible in cold zones like ours. Pick any colors, as it wouldn't overlap with any of the roses or other plants. Then Moonbeam Coreopsis will bloom in low yellow mounds that will cascade a bit too, and that blooms all summer. For the fall, you can pick a low-growing aster or mum, and if the other two cascade that one wouldn't have to. Have fun with this space - you're off to a good start! Cynthia