Not at all Jackie. Potted, flowering plants aren't sold as something for you to actually plant. They are disposible, like a bunch of cut flowers. Some of the tags indicate they can be planted, but no aftercare instructions nor any growth size, flowering times, etc. are offered because those tiny pots of color are meant to be thrown away, just like the $10 bunch of roses at the grocery store. If YOU decide to put them in the ground, any issues are on you as the grower/creator had no real intentions of selling you a garden plant. Those are marketed as garden plant, not a spot of inexpensive color meant not to be grown on. Yes, many of the smaller potted roses sold in color are actually floribundas and sometimes HTs. When you see a four to six inch pot with two to three inch flowers, expect a larger plant with larger flowers. If the blooms are an inch and a half or smaller, chances are the plant may be smaller, too, but not guaranteed. You won't find background information on the majority of them because they aren't tested to determine that. They ARE tested to see how quickly and easily they root; how quickly they will produce a bushy flowering plant; under what conditions they can be produced to retain quality; how durable they are to handle and transport; how long they'll usually last under the boxed conditions, etc. Garden performance doesn't enter into the equation. You never get garden performance information on your florist azalea, hydrangea, etc. Usually, those aren't selected for garden performance, either, just as florist variety roses aren't. If we plant them, it's for the adventure of what we may get. Americans LOVE "pigs in a poke", the potential of getting something for nothing or nearly nothing. My client didn't care what size the roses might eventually get as they are whacked to the nubs regularly and perform as expected because they are mostly treated as they were tested to be treated. Cut to nothing regularly to create the dense, bushy flowering plant. If they start to get larger, someone mows them down, just as they did to propagate and produce them as the four inch pots they were. They were sold as potted color - rose, and that is all they were. If they perform differently than you expected when you "mis used" them, that's your fault. They gave you what was promised, a little spot of color - rose. Anything more is mis using them past what they were created, marketed and intended for. Kim

I tried to "budget" for certain things decades ago but found it really wasn't practical. Even being single I would buy, for instance, a case of toilet paper and paper towels when Target had them on sale. At the time it was much cheaper. I discovered quickly that keeping track of your spending would let you build a price book and LEARN what are good prices. Saving 10¢ on an item you buy once a year isn't significant, especially if you have to waste time/mileage to go get it. I know what's a good price and use that as a guide when shopping. When a local butcher shop has their meat sales, and things are a good price, especially for their superior quality, I'll stock up a bit. That would blow a budget. But then it would save for a while after which more than makes up for it. I'd suggest a price book or at least learn prices on things you buy frequently. Beware that the "club" stores do NOT mean the best prices. "Sales" do not mean the best prices. I shop clearance things frequently. That has the potential to be a savings but isn't always the best either. Stores like Aldi can save quite a bit, again, you need to know your prices. Even non-conventional places, DIY stores, dollar stores, can give some savings if you know your prices. Setting up the price book, logging receipts and looking at sale flyers and comparing them showed me that knowledge is power in saving money. Coupons? I don't use them very often. Too much time, too much effort and not worth the hassle. I'm not very brand-loyal on most things. THAT in itself will result in a big saving.

Today I went to Trader Joe's - haven't been there since very early coronavirus days. Limited to 30 people inside but there was only one person in line when I arrived. I can see why the limit as even with that you had to make a considerable effort to stay six feet away from people which everyone was trying to do. This is the first time I've been grocery shopping where every person I saw, except one, was wearing a mask. I think it may be the TJ clientele and/or the size of the store because when I went to Target across the street it wasn't like that - just a few masks. One woman and her child without masks walked right next to me in spite of a large, wide open aisle that would have allowed her to keep her distance. She seemed oblivious to the whole idea. I didn't go out quite as early today but I still found everything I was looking for including a package of disinfecting wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer - limit one of each at Target. I noticed they had some different brands of disinfectant spray - brands I've never seen before. May be that some company that used to make something else is now making this stuff.

I live in NYC and had been staying in my apartment up until a few days ago when I finally ventured out to get some fresh air and walk through a park near my apt. I was surprised to see many people without masks. Even tonight, after Cuomo said people must wear masks if they can't socially distance themselves, I saw people without masks. There is no way to socially distance yourself in the city. I'm wearing a mask but my glasses fog up. IDK how to solve that problem. But to answer the question, I was going out onto my fire escape for fresh air before this and there are many more birds in the area behind my building. I was thrilled to see cardinals, bluejays and robins. Before I lived in the city I was a backyard birdwatcher, so this made me very happy. They are probably always there, but with the new silence in the city they are more noticeable, you can hear them singing. I had a sparrow peeking in my window checking out my parakeet the other day, so funny! More creatures are comfortable coming out in the city with less people around. This is Riverside Park. Before this, the raccoons would just peek their heads out of those stones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLitqe60Jw