jackie o, Thanks for writing in and offering your ideas. I haven't noticed a lot of denigration of English garden writers on the forum or elsewhere, but then I'm not British so these comments would probably be less irritating to me than to a Brit. About "warning" other gardeners about the differences in rose growth caused by different climates and cultivation practices, I suspect that gardeners are divided, by temperament or philosophy or whatever, into two camps: the help out the ignorant newbie; and the let them take their lumps: they're grownups, after all. I belong to the first camp. I became interested in gardening when I was thirty and started from a point of abysmal ignorance, a state I remember well. I was fortunate: I happened to have an older sister who was an experienced gardener, plantswoman, and garden designer, who gladly offered me expertise, moral support, and plants. Not everybody is as lucky as I was. I offer the kind of basic (kindergarten level) advice and warnings I enjoyed when I started gardening and that helped me so much. I don't understand the other point of view, but then, as I read recently, it's not necessary to understand other people, but only to accept them; and I do that. Concerning your last comments, there's a difference between offering elementary knowledge, explaining what a perennial is, or a once-blooming rose, or that there's such a thing as soil ph; and dictating how another gardener should go about cultivating her garden. All gardening is experimental, even if not all gardeners know that. I regard myself as a tolerably experimental gardener with her own ideas about how I want to cultivate my garden and how I want it to turn out. I'm happy to tell anyone who's interested how I garden and why and what the results are, but I certainly don't insist on it as a model. It's neither my business nor my desire to tell other people how to grow their gardens. Melissa

Well..if you trim the huge ones they will be shrubbyier.If were planted close I imagine could grow as hedge if that was an a idea.They all grow a lil different and also depends on the soil.the richer& moisture the better it is. I don't have any grown together,but have thought about it.I have a few stand alones,but most are like a backbone stuck here& here& there.I had one grow 10 ft this year....and next year I'll keep that one shrubby.The 1st yr hubby "accidently" topped it in half when it was just reaching 2 ft.I actually liked the way it grew that way better.It had alot more flowers,but we were dryer this year also.

The towels look good hanging on the hooks, but it might help to see the actual hooks you're using. Teacats, I love the pictures in your bathroom. This mornings Gordman's ad shows the pictures of the ladies in dresses. The bathroom we're redoing is the main bath for the house and it seems to be on the formal side. I never know how rooms are going to end up they just seem to evolve during the remodeling process. It's really fun to see all these beautiful bathrooms, though. I love seeing all the different design styles!

Yes, withholding fertilizer would be one technique, as well as under-potting. It's easy to chop parts off if the appearance becomes displeasing, which leads to having more individuals, which you might want to keep or give/trade away. If you are able to share pics, you could get some feedback, per plant, about whether each is already somewhat mature or otherwise.