Thanks Mike. I moved those plants there to take pictures. I normally have the Hoya in a south facing window, but don't let direct sun get on it too much. I need to be more careful about not letting it dry out so long. I have a rooting going from it that it doing pretty well. This forum is getting me enthused about acquiring a different variety, so have been trying to find a good resource to find one. I have only fertilized it a couple of times, maybe that is why it never bloomed! Yes, that is one of my Beef Steak Begonia babies. I have a huge plant that I take cuttings from for those.

Jennifer, I feel you pain. I installed a cedar deck in 1991, I wish lightning would strike it. It is so much trouble. I powerwash mine every year, and I have caused the boards to become very rough because the powerwashing blasts away the soft wood fibers while leaving the harder grain untouched thus causing the roughness. My deck gets a lot of shade so mold is a constant problem. I have tried many products but nothing lasts very long. Lots of work power washing then sealing. I have thought about flipping the boards powerwashing then painting. I have also thought about replacing with TREX. Sorry I wasnt much help, just trying to forwarn you. Ron

Well you don't have to worry about the zoysia anymore! There is some green stuff. It doesn't look too ornery, so maybe it's fescue. If it starts to spread before your eyes, then that stuff is Kentucky bluegrass. Many people in the north will seed with a mix of those two grasses to get the benefits of both. What do you expect your summer high temp to be? You might be able to seed now if you hurry. Spring seeded lawns usually die out from the heat by July, but coastal lawns often get away with it. Fall is the time to seed northern lawns, so start planning for that now. For you the time to seed might be as early as late August. You want to do it early in the fall to make up for any mistakes you might make before the first frost. Established lawn's should never be watered every day. It could be you prekilled the lawn with your kindness and the -18 temps took advantage of the damage you had done. If you ever get temps in the 90s, then you should water no more than once per week. With temps in the 80s (probably more your summer temp), then you should water once every 2 weeks. When you water apply 1 full inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans in the yard and turn on your sprinklers. Time how long it takes to fill the cans. That will be your watering time from now on. Every time you water, do it for that time. My time with my water pressure and my hose and sprinklers is 8 hours. It might be as little as 20 minutes for some high flow systems. You'll have to check your system.

Hi Jessica Can you that another photo of the top knockout. On the left side about 18 inches up where the bunching growth is located. I'm not sure whats going on there. Other than that a good pruning is called for. When pruning cut back to where the center of the cane (pith) is white. As mentioned above check how much sunlight they receive and may be a covering of mulch just keep it back a bit from the rose canes. Paul Zimmerman does have some of the best pruning videos out there and it is much easier to see him prune and explain at the same time. Try if you can to post that additional photo. So we can be sure your knockout does not have a disease.