Thanks for all your insights and support and for sharing your own experiences. Mzstitch, buford, lsst, it sounds like you've already been pondering these issues for yourself and making positive steps toward being healthy. Thanks for the tip about the vitamins and ways to make glasses work in a garden setting, mzstitch. Another easy tracking idea for all of us, even if we're not at risk, is to post an Amsler Chart (these are free - just google that) and look at it daily. It's just a plain grid of lines, but it shows you what the distortions look like if there are signs of macular degeneration, and my doctors have said that's the best tool to help you recognize when treatment would be the most effective, rather than waiting till it gets bad. Still, I find myself practicing flexibility in my attitude and breadth of gardening and other activities, for the same reason I practice flexibility physically - to lessen the impact of problems when they might come up. Predfern noted some great resources for gardening with limited or no vision, and it's a reminder that few things are impossible with limitations, it's just harder and has to be adapted to fit the situation. Like Erasmus noted among her family members, you find ways of working around problems and enjoying the small victories more when they're hard won. One thing I didn't enjoy on that list of tips was to "avoid plants with thorny branches", since that's the vast majority of roses. That wouldn't mean I'd have to give them up, though- I think if I ran into that situation I'd gradually shift with my garden from the fussy-pants zone pushing roses I like to grow for the challenge and settle into no fuss shrubs and cane-hardy plants that would survive and thrive whether or not I was as capable. Shifting slightly in that direction as I get older helps me not dread any of the down sides that might come with regular or atypical aging - physical limitations, vision declines, health and stamina limitations. I have disabilities on both sides of my family, and I work in a field with children who have significant disabilities, and there are ways to adapt a wide variety of activities to be accessible - reading, travel, interaction, gardening, sewing (I presume also quilting), etc. The problem comes when it's not as effective or easy a strategy as we're used to, and we have to decide if we're going to keep doing the various activities when they're not up to our own standards. My grandmother in her 90's didn't want to use any of the tools her doctor recommended to help her read or play cards, and preferred to give up her bridge games that she loved rather than use the low vision cards because "they made her look old". That was of course her choice, but I'd rather enjoy the limited rose gardening, or reading, or cards or whatever I could do rather than give it up entirely. I guess what I am gaining from this discussion is a resolve to not lock myself into being afraid of "can'ts" that I might worry about whether or not there's a specific risk, and start laying mental and logistic groundwork for how I "can" if I have to, for the things I've decided are important enough. I think having a flexible perspective is like exercise in that you can start at any age, but it gets harder as you get older, so I want to practice now. I COULD continue to rose garden (and interact with people and stay relatively independent) if I had decreasing vision or physical skills, though I'm going to spend my time appreciating what I can enjoy now as Erasmus said rather than worrying about anything I can't change. And the copperhead story is a great reminder to use the sight and skills I have now instead of taking them for granted. I've planted plenty of roses in the wrong holes because of inattention rather than any real excuse - why am I doing this if I don't stop and pay attention to the results? Resolution for rose season 2013 - spend as much time pausing to appreciate the garden as I do pruning and deadheading. It's a daunting prospect, but hey - I wanted a challenge! Thanks again for your insights. Cynthia

That's actually harder to answer than you'd think. Is it sandy soil where water flows right through quickly, leaving it dry? It is clay soil where it just sits there until it evaporates? Is it a loamy soil where it takes a little while to drain through so the plant has time to absorb some, then the soil remains damp? It is windy or fairly sheltered? Frequent winds evaporate more water from the plant and soil, faster, than fewer winds. Is there a lot of hardscape around them, increasing reflected, radiated heat, making them need more water? Or, is the bed they're in surrounded with lawns which reduce the water needs? There are actually several more variables which can affect how much water, how frequently, the plants may need. Can you give more particulars about where they are planted; any walls or sidewalks they may be up against; where you live so we have an idea of your heat/wind/aridity, etc.; soil type; exposure, etc.? Without more information, any suggestions you'll get are shots in the dark and may not be appropriate. Kim

My rather simplistic mind thinks that, although sandy soil does drain faster and dry out faster, it's increased air capacity and friability means that root systems are typically more extensive and expansive (both outward and downward) so the trees somewhat make up for the lack of wate rholding capacity by being better equipped to take up whatever water is there. Furthermore, sand absorbs the water faster than clay or loam, so there's less runoff and more water actually gets to the roots in a torrential summer downpour. Finally - water sinks in deeper. An inch of rain on sand might penetrate a foot down, where on clay it may only go 4" or so. All this means that, depending on species of course, a tree doesn't necessarily need more water on sand than on clay or loam, at least once it is established.

I received one as a gift and wonder how often/much I should water it. Can anyone please share their experience?