Hello Everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted, or even read anything on the rose forums. I first want to say something to Sheila. A couple of days ago I read your sweet thank you post for recommending “The Gopher Hawk”. I decided your post was the perfect opportunity to get back into posting again. I wrote one of the longest comments I’ve ever written, full of personal gopher stories, Gopher Hawk experiences, Millie‘s thrill every time she hears that spring go “POP”, and lots of (what I thought were), interesting facts about gophers and their habit. It took me so long to finish that my phone battery was almost dead. I went to plug it in to recharge while I wrapped it up and submitted it. As soon as I plugged it into the charger, the page refreshed. I lost everything I’d written! I don’t think it was Houzz this time, just my own foolishness. I was so discouraged that I had to walk away and forget about it for a little while. A few days went by, and I forgot about it TOO well:-) In case I forget to go back to it AGAIN, I do want to say that someone here on this forum deserves the real thanks. I wish I could remember exactly who it was that recommended The Gopher Hawk to me! It might possibly have been Deborah. I remember posting that The Gopher Hawk wasn’t working for me at all. That’s all changed now that I know how to set it properly myself. If she’s reading this, please speak up. I’m ever so glad you recommended this trap. It sat in the garage for many months until I discovered that one of my sons hadn’t used it properly and bent one of the claws. No wonder it never caught anything! I’ve had great succes, now that I’ve fixed the problem. Thank you, Thank you, to the member who made the original recommendation to me!!! So much going on in this thread since I last read it! I‘ll have to read it over more closely. I love the wildflower pictures, and big congratulations to Lilyfinch! How exciting to adding to your family! I bet Lucia will be such a proud big sister! Kristine, I’m so happy that you finally have little Azalea with you. What joy she’s going to bring to each day! I know that you know from experience how quickly that sleep deprivation stage goes by. In no time, you’ll be wondering how she grew into a walking, talking, little girl so quickly. It doesn’t change that sleep deprived feeling right now, though! I’m just thrilled that she’s in your loving care. I’m getting a little tired from typing, and I don’t dare try to attempt to attach any pictures to this. I’ll try to do so separately. Things are really blooming, but not too many roses yet. The roses are coming along, though. My delayed pruning led to delayed blooming, but that’s alright. There’s plenty of other things that are proving colorful blooms right now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share a few in a separate post. It’s great to read about everyone, and their gardens! Lisa

Lilyfinch, I saw your cute bubble pics on IG. Lucia is filled with such joy. She and Henry are delightful. Lisa, you had me laughing at your dwarf SdlM. Goes perfectly with my non-blooming variety. But, your poppies! Wow! Now, that's a poppy! How long do Baby Blue Eyes bloom? Had to look up Bubble Bath. How have I never heard of that one?! HalloBlondie, I'm going to suggest he just add on to the small barn, which is more of a big shed. It houses his ATV, snowblower, lawnmower, wagon trailer and junk. We have just under 6 acres, but the out buildings are all clumped together near the house. Not the best look. Altorama, I'm torn between pampering my Edens and neglecting the heck out of them. Maybe I should send them to you for a few years, then you send them back to me once they get the hang of it. Sultry, the answer to your question is - not a clue. He asked me to find some barn pics to show the builder. He said I should choose because he wants me to like it. Can't be too upset with that! Lily, you'll soon be growing things you couldn't before and your growing season will be almost year round. Only a couple hours away is Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach. You'll love all the garden bling in addition to the huge plant nursery. Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach is fun and Pageant of the Masters is incredible. There are the missions all up and down the coast. San Juan Capistrano was a favorite. If you like Mexican food, you will find that it is so much more authentic than Mexican food in the midwest. You'll love the jacaranda trees, camellias, gardenias and being able to grow your own citrus. I'd grow citrus for the scent alone. The fruit is just a bonus! Plants that were annuals in TN will be perennials in CA. You can visit Grace Rose Farm for a day trip. Sounds like they're gearing up for visitors, big time. The entire Santa Ynez area is worth staying a day or two and visiting Solvang, and a little further up the coast is Carmel and Monterey, wonderful get-a-way spots. At least, they used to be. A stop in Santa Barbara is a must. And, if you like antiquing, Summerland, just outside Santa Barbara was always a must. Not sure if it still is. Deborah would know. These places are not especially close to San Diego, but more like day or weekend trips. And, I am positively green with envy you will get to visit Lisa and Ingrid.

How are we supposed to get any gardening done with this thread moving like lightening and photos I can hardly tear myself away from! Lisa, those pale pink and pale yellow roses are my kind of colors. They would be dreamy together in a bouquet. Your garden is exploding this year. I had to go back and look once again at your front garden photos, Dianela. Some of you have gardens that are so inspiring and motivating for me to work a little harder on mine. I'm on my way to Northland to pick up another Raspberry Cream Twirl for $9.50, the special of the week. This rose gets such good reviews, I think I need two. I WISH she would cover an arbor like yours, Dianela!, but I can't expect that here. Here's a pic from Northland of their mini roses. I might pick up a couple of these to tuck in some open spots in the garden. Northland's photo. Last week, these two round tables were all blue and chartreuse annuals and perennials. I could just move in and live happily ever after.

Thanks mantis for suggestions. That side of the house gets full sun most of the day. I know from past experience that bulb foliage gets ugly during the die back and sometimes the daylilies grew so fast that they hide the flower buibs. Another question. Have you grown dahlias? I purchased some this year to experiment. I know they can't go in the ground probably till May but your thoughts on growing them and if you had to dig them out at the end of the season. Julia