Bees don't mix minerals WITH pollen; pollen contains minerals (along with lipids, sterols and other vital enzymes when bee bread is made by the bees). If Joe doesn't mind, I'll offer an answer as to a source for information about the adult honeybee consumption of pollen. See pages 56 - 61 (cc 1987) of "The Biology of the Honey Bee" by Mark Winston (ISBN 0-674-07408-4). Professor Winston goes into a fair amount of detail discussing the consumption and digestion of pollen by both larvae and adult bees. For instance, "It generally takes 1-3 hr for a pollen mass to pass throgh the digestive system. The digestive process is similar in larvae and adults..." If you're interested in honeybees and haven't read this book, I'd highly recommend it. It covers virtually all aspects of honeybee biology and is very "readable".

I haven't had Teas for that long but they are definitely amongst my best roses. In my hot, humid climate (10b), my favourites so far are: 1. Rosette Delizy - I think this one is my best rose overall. I love the growth and sheer number of blooms. I don't have any problems with balling and they only burn a little on very hot days, which doesn't really matter to me as there are new blooms opening all the time. No disease and fast growing. The blooms don't nod and last ages in a vase for me. 2. General Gallieni - I don't think many people love this rose but it's imperfection is the key to its beauty for me. You never know what you will get! I love the look of the blooms on hot days, where they look like they have been painted with watercolours. Doesn't ball or burn at all for me. Took this pic not long after it arrived as a tiny spindly bare root a few months ago, now it's 5ft high and rising! 3. G Nabonnand - some days it's my favourite but the blooms aren't as tough as the others so it suffers a little in the heat. Beautiful leafy shrub though and always in bloom, like everyone says. I think it has nice perfume too. 4. Duchess de Brabant - I didn't like this one much to start with but it's growing on me! Love the perfume and the number of blooms. Gets a bit of black spot here but nothing serious. 5. Climbing Devoniensis - wow, what a climber! It's my most vigorous climber by far. Actually I'm a little scared of it. My favourite perfume from all the Teas. Also gets a little black spot here. 6. Anna Olivier - mine is still young but it's graceful and has soft full blooms. No disease, not as fast growing as others but it's slowly making a nice full shrub. 7. Baronne Henriette de Snoy - not 100% sure about the growth and how the bush will shape up, it's a bit branching and angular and sparsely foliated at the moment. I'm hoping it will improve. Love the full pretty blooms though. 8. Reve d'Or - I don't even own it yet but I love it! It's on order! I've admired the mature bushes at the rose garden for ages, I can't wait to find a spot for it. 9. Lady Mary Fitzwilliam - sneaking this early HT in as it grows like all my other Teas - vigorous, leafy and healthy. I guess I can't be sure the rose I have is Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, given the contention, but I think it could be. Never balls, never burns. 10. Mrs B R Cant - wasn't too impressed with this one until I fell in love with the reverse of the blooms! So pretty (and huge!) She is sprawling at the moment and may get too big for her spot. Not as floriferous as others for me but very good blooms for picking. 11. Souv de Pierre Notting - here this rose loves the heat. The hotter, the better. I don't have a problem with the brown ruff of outer petals unless it rains. Last very well in the vase and an interesting shape. Love the tinge of pink to the golden blooms. Healthy but a little less vigorous than others I have. 12. Marie van Houtte - I adore this rose but it's a monster! Beautiful blooms that I prefer to most other pink/yellow combinations. Nice tea perfume too but it's getting too big for its spot sadly. Should be higher up my list, I just forgot about it. Ones that haven't impressed are Monsieur Tillier (blooms fry instantly and are tiny, so disappointed with this one), Francis Dubreuil (likewise), the imposter Noella Nabonnand (floppy wet rag blooms here that don't last) and White Maman Cochet (balling a bit, slow growing for me, not many blooms so far). I've ordered loads for next year so I'm sure my list will change! I'll be adding Mrs Dudley Cross, Tipsy Imperial Concubine, La Vesuve, Comtesse Riza du Parc (whatever it really is - Dr Grill? Mme Charles?), Souv de Therese Lovet, Souv d'un Ami, Mme Jules Gravereaux, Triomphe du Luxembourg, Etoile de Lyon, Archduke Charles, Duchess d'Auerstadt, Marachal Niel, Octavius Weld and Lady Roberts. Now I just have to make more room! A Tea I'd love to add one day is David's Dilemma.

Lol, I had absolutely forgotten about this thread. What actually got planted in the spot vacated by the privet was Callicarpa americana, hibiscus mutabilis, and muhlenbergia riverchonii. The hibiscus carrying the color for high summer to fall, callicarpa fall into winter, and the grass a fall accent (mainly because I didn't know where to plant it). With callicarpa americana being a loose shrub, I actually expect them all to co-exist. The callicarpa was a cutting from a plant I had at my parent's house, it's just going full berry production finally this year. The grass is beginning to open it's plumes too (earlier than I had expected). The hibiscus is colorful. Maybe I'll take a shot and edit this post later with what it looks like now. Ok, callicarpa is in front...loaded with berries which are just now setting, hibiscus in back, and grass kinda out of view hidden by the shrubs.

Locally written articles featuring local specimens. Plant of the Month: June 2002 Banana Shrub; Michelia Figo http://www.arthurleej.com/p-o-m-Jun02.html Plant of the Month: December 2009 Yellow Lily-Tree Magnolia Ernestii Figlar 2000 http://www.arthurleej.com/p-o-m-Dec09.html See also under MAGNOLIA relatives on page 244 of his 2006 book Trees of Seattle - Second Edition where he gives brief species descriptions, locations and sizes of local examples listed under their previous names of Manglietia chingii, fordiana and insignis, Michelia doltsopa, figo, maudiae and wilsonii, and Parakmeria lotungensis. If are actually interested in the comparatively small parted michelia types such as Magnolia figo for this project one of the upright growing, tree shaped named selections of M. laevifolia (Michelia yunnanensis, Magnolia dianica) such as 'Inspiration' that are currently present in the local marketplace (seen a few weeks ago at Swanson's, for instance, and more recently at Christianson's) could be the ticket. >There are some very long established and big specimens in older Seattle neighborhoods, likely D.D. Banchard< Blanchard ('D. D. Blanchard') wasn't noticed until the 1960s, with large scale production not being underway until 1980. The tallest Seattle example recognized and listed (with measurements) by Jacobson (same) was only 16 1/2 ft. tall at the time (likely 2004-5). Whereas he recorded nine other M. grandiflora there - some of them probably unnamed seedlings - 38 ft. to 46 1/2 ft. tall. >Edith Bogue is also a popular choice< I don't see that many of those here, and snow stripped all the side branches off a small one I had going in a sheltered nook on Camano Island. I would say by far of the more recently planted named forms 'Little Gem' was the most prevalent. Breakage under the weight of snow, foliage mildew and cold tenderness and all. Jacobson (same, pages 231-2) includes Blanchard, 'Little Gem' ("Becoming very popular lately"), Majestic Beauty, Russet, Samuel Sommer, 'St. Mary' and 'Victoria'. Most, if not effectively all of the M. grandiflora selections presented to us here these days are being trucked up from Monrovia. Of those they are offering at this time I like the 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' the best. It looks more like a normal tree than most M. grandiflora that I see here. I tried a small Alta on Camano and it froze there. The real estate office at the Camano Plaza has had a 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' for at least several years in a windy position and it is still holding up. http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/search/?query=magnolia+grandiflora