Hi all, I'm just loving these posts, they really lift the spirits on these very dull days. We're still dealing with the fog up here, I've never known it to hang around for so long. Seriously now, I have another plant that I just had to have and I need some help on how to grow it. A few years ago I bought a rooted cutting of a shrub named Dichroa febrifuga at the U.B.C. plant sale. It 's evergreen, has lovely blue flowers,then berries, it growth, in opinion is like a hydrangea. I believe it comes from Asia. It doesn't winter well for me outside so I've dug it up, planted it a container and it's wintering in the greenhouse. I'm guessing it's marginal here in Z7/8. Any ideas out there? A......

Unless something strange is going on with Shi-Un, it is not a climber. It just appears to be growing rather tall. It is on the south side of the tree so it is getting plenty of sun. The bottom part of the bush is in the picture, and the top of it sticking out at the lower level is taller than I am. Boulie's Dream only has a light fragrance to my nose. It does have a good supply of flowers when it blooms in flushes. It also wants to get quite tall.

OMG I saw a MOTERCYCLE outside!!!!!! :) You sound like a person who needs to relax. Not only are you worried about being woke up the minute or so he would start and leave, you are worried about not getting back to sleep, and driving sleep-deprived on dangerous highways! Relax.. Doesn't sound like that big a deal to me. I live in a house and have had noisy neigbors. Right now the guy accross the street parks his truck in front of my house and blairs his truck stereo for 30+ minutes in the middle of my sleep pattern. I have learned to tune it out and fall back asleep when he leaves.

RJ, From your continual complaints about whiteflies, your infestation must be out of control. If it's as advanced as your complaints seem to make it, your infestation is beyond your plants ability to outgrow it without some help from insecticides. Insecticidal control can be difficult with whiteflies because they're resistant to some of the synthetic insecticides recommended for other garden pests. Always read and follow label directions when using insecticides. And find out whether the insecticide you're going to use is effective against the target pest. Before using a product for whiteflies, make sure it's really whiteflies that are infesting your tomato plants. If it is whiteflies, you could try horticultural oils which work by smothering the white fly effectively at all stages of this pest. Insecticidal soap or neem oil can be used to spot treat areas heavily infested by white flies. It worked for me earlier this summer. When applying the insecticidal soap or neem oil, make sure you cover the infested areas. The immature stages of white fly are easily overlooked because they are usually pale, nearly translucent and tend to blend with the color of the leaves to which they are attached. The first instar nymphs, which resemble small mealybugs, only move a short distance from the egg before flattening themselves against the leaf to feed. The remaining nymphal (developmental) stages do not move and may appear similar to other scale insects. You want to smother as many of the nymphs as you can with your insecticidal soap or neem application. You probably can't get them all, but you should inspect the leaves of your tomatoes and adjacent plants for the eggs and nymphs. Get'm before they hatch into adult whiteflies which live for one to two months and are just plain bothersome.