I like tomato byproducts such as spaghetti sauce, ketchup, and salsa. Both my husband and I dislike "raw" tomatoes. Scientists have done studies and discovered a certain percentage (about 10%) of the population dislikes the taste of raw tomatoes. Tomatoes are in the same family as nightshade, which is poisonous. Some scientists believe certain people developed an aversion to the taste of tomatoes as a way staying alive. People just avoided eating anything in the nightshade family whether it was poisonous or not. I am growing tomatoes this year to make my own salsa and maybe spaghetti sauce. I am sure my husband will use some of the tomatoes in chili. One way or another I will have to learn to can. My mother in law will be very happy to teach me. She's always trying to get me to spend more time in the kitchen. (In my house I grow the food, and my hubby cooks the food.)

me thinks you doth protest too much .. i dont see any problem with either ... sans a micrometer.. i see no difference in size... and the slightly different bloom period would .... in my world .. mean an extended show time .. rather than both ending at the same moment in time ... but it is obviously personal choice.. in fall .. when the other trees start turning colors ... the plant will basically be dormant above .. i would start by digging a new hole .... then i would cut them down to about 2.5 feet ... and get to digging.. starting out about 3.5 feet.. so i could end up with a 2 to 2.5 foot ball ... and than hook a chain to them.. and DRAG them to the new hole.. re-measuring first.. and resizing the hole if need be ... and drop it in there ... back fill .. no amendments .. no fert no nothing ... water PROPERLY ... mulch well .. and be responsible for all PROPER water next year ... IMHO.. they are nearly RUN OVER WITH THE TRUCK plants.. i wouldnt worry too much about it all .... [plz correct me if i am wrong, and althea is foo foo] ken ps: you leave the 2.5 height.. so you have something to rock it back and forth.. while you search for the big roots underneath .... pps: frankly.. i would go buy two new ones.. and put them where you want them.. and just kill these two.. i work smart.. not hard ... but on my 5 acres .. i would just let the stumps rot where they stand ... unlike yours being right out there ... and if you are going to have to dig them out.. may as well try to save them ... what do you have to lose?? .. a little exercise??? ppps: rejuvenation pruning would be in its future to get rid of the 2.5 foot branches.. in the next 5 years or so ...

Randy, that's a lot. I bet that makes growing Adenium even more fun! Lovely offspring with nice shape and flowers. They are small pieces of art. The parents - and trainer - should be proud.;-) Looks like the first one has some somalense in it (lanceolate foilage with white veins). I like that. Regards, Martin

I bought four big Needlepoint holly bushes (summer close-out sale at Lowe's - 75% off!). They are loaded with red berries. Going to move my roses (again) and other flowering plants over into the former potager garden with the irises (some new and some I dug up, thinned out and transplanted in there. The lavender cuttings are growing really fast and are already 2+ feet tall and very bushy. They are planted along the terrace edge. The roses will go in there. I planted the rosemary plants I rooted in there. The climbing Don Juan will got next to the entrance arbor, opposite the yellow climber on the other side. In the area where the roses are now, I am planting some St. Augustine grass in there. I got it from my dad's yard. He dug starts of it out of my yard in Louisiana 20+ years ago and now it will come home, so to speak. I want to plant one of the hollies on the south end and move the Dogwood down to that area to provide shade in summer. I need shade at the back of the house so I can sit out on the patio, since I never got my covered veranda (pergola). I want to add more evergreens for winter interest and create a cool, lush area around the patio, but nothing right against the patio on account of snakes. I hope to extend the patio area out into the new lawn. I planted one very blue Colorado Blue Spruce last year on the upper side of terrace behind the patio. It was small and since they tend to be rather slow growers, it will be awhile before it becomes the lovely specimen tree I dream of it one day becoming. I have a friend who works at a place where they sell recycled Rail Road ties. "Just bring your little red truck and we'll filler up"! Those will be the new "bones" of my patio terracing. I want to build it up about 3 feet above the patio area. I think it will look pretty nifty - perfect in my "rustic" country cottage style yard. I have a little round preform pool to set in the ground somewhere...just a little reflection pool in a cool area of the garden with my little garden girl statue set beside it, as if she is looking into the pool. I have a great place in mind. Well, that sounds like a lot of "bones" to dig up and relocate, but I already have a bit of a start on it and if I do it like that, a little at a time, by mid-summer next year, God willing, it should look like it has been that way for years and it shouldn't be too hard on MY bones. (hehehe) ~Annie