elleni, what lovely shots. i've never seen that azalea before; so special! Well, i think ken is right as almost always he is. his exact staking and burlap method is what we use for our hydrangeas tokyo delight and mariesii. works fine. here are words of wisdom from a local nursery here. best, mindy Winterizing Your Garden from Stonegate Gardens, Lincoln Ma. USA Watering One of the keys to plant survival is the overall good health of plants as winter sets in. Most plants continue growing until the soil temperature falls below 40 degrees F. It is important to keep plants well watered during this period while the soil is still warm. Deep infrequent watering is ideal. A general watering guideline for new plantings is two to three times a week when there is no rain. Make sure to begin watering again in spring as soon as the ground begins to thaw (this may be as early as the beginning of March). Protecting Bark & Foliage Deer and rodents may damage trees by feeding on twigs and bark in winter. Even small rodents can cause enough damage to the bark of a young tree to severely stress or even kill it. So a little prevention goes a long way. Plastic trunk wraps are available to help protect bark from nibbling animals and sprays such as Deer Off, Repels-All, and Shake Away (granular) are also quite effective for deterring animals. Winter winds, cold temperatures, and bright sunlight can cause bark to crack and foliage to scorch and desiccate. Broadleaf evergreens like rhododendrons, mountain laurels, and hollies tend to suffer particularly in winter. This can be avoided by spraying an anti-dessicant such as Wilt-Pruf on foliage to help preserve moisture in leaves. Spray Wilt-Pruf once in autumn on a day when temperature is above freezing and once during a midwinter thaw. In extreme situations where plants are unprotected and/or exposed to high winds wrap shrubs with burlap to create a windbreak to help ensure plants survival. Heavy snow should be knocked off evergreens to prevent branch and foliage damage. Please feel free to stop in or call with any questions you might have. Sincerely, The Team Stonegate Gardens

Hey Kim, I forgot to mention that I'm going to cut down my Miscanthus perennial grass after it dries out this fall and use to insulate the rose canes before I wrap them in burlap. If you don't have any perennial grasses, you could use straw, and I saw the long grasses at Farm & Fleet last night back in the duck blind section. I don't grow any red climbers, so I don't have any first-hand knowledge about their hardiness..just what I've gleaned about others' postings. I did grow New Dawn for several years until it contracted RRD last summer. The two New Dawns grew over a very large homemade trellis and stretched over French doors on the southern side of a walkout basement. They were about 10 years old, and during that time, I never winter protected them nor had to spray for BS. They had a great spring flush but just a very small flush again the fall, so if you are looking for continual bloomers, these would not be a good choice. The spring flush was magnificent, though. If you do choose New Dawn, you will need a very sound structure to grow it on; it is not a wimpy climber in my experience. It did get tall enough to reach the second story bedroom on a regular basis.

Northerner, Not sure if I responded on the mother forum, but I don't do anything to protect my Buddleias. I have two which have returned faithfully for 5 years since I winter sowed them. Others, winter sown 3 years ago, have also returned. I have some in quite windy conditions, but being on a bay next to the Atlantic is different than being in Ontario. Some Buddleias are fully exposed to the 'noreast', and yet they return to grow to their 6 foot height. Others, same exposure, barely grew this past year and I would not be surprised if they don't return. They are in rocky soil, but those in fair to good soil are doing the best so there is no dobt that soil conditions do play a factor. I have three newly planted this year which I am watching closely. These were winter sown 2007/2008 and overwintered in pots. They bloomed this year and grew to 5 feet and to my surprise, one of them was white. :O) Seeds were from a trade. They are planted in an area which is wind swept in the winter yet has wonderful moist soil. I will be mulching them today, but not too much. Wishing you all the best with your B!! Oh, I didn't know about not cutting them back at first and lost a giant one in year two when I first grew these. Don't even be tempted.

Sometimes....but I would never count on it, much to my suprise, I have a lantana that has overwintered 2 years at a house on a bluff overlooking the Southworth ferry dock in Kitsap County. It is next to the house in sandy soil and looks terrible in the winter but is covered with blossoms tight now.