Dadgardens: Wow, how did you get northern highbush blueberries ten feet tall? I have some plants that are 25 years old in pretty much ideal soil conditions, and they are still not much over 5 feet. Agree with TCStoehr about blueberry renewal. Blueberries are not really "pruned" as such; older, thicker, woody canes are removed completely at the base to encourage the growth of vigorous new canes. Old canes tend to decline both in berry size and productivity. In my experience, the life of a cane is about three years before it should be taken out. The number of new canes that will grow in is usually self-limiting, but they should not be too crowded. 6-8 canes is usually enough on a mature bush. At some point in the life of a blueberry bush, say after 25 years or so, an extensive woody base will develop above the roots and berry size and productivity will begin to noticeably decline. Flavor of the berries can still be very good, but there are a lot fewer of them. Very old plants cannot be "restored" in the usual sense of that word, and it is better to take them out and replace them with vigorous young plants. I just removed and replaced two old blueberry bushes this week myself. As you describe your blueberry bushes, it sounds as if they may be at that stage too. Taking out the old bushes is quite a job. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I had to come back and ogle some more. Your picture of Clementina Carbonieri makes we want to cry. I had this rose and loved it but in my dry heat the flowers dried up almost as soon as they opened so I had to let it go. You obviously have the ideal climate for these roses. I hope you don't mind that I added your photos to my file of memorable roses. That way I'll still have CC in my life in some small way. I share Christina's admiration for GN. Unless these are the only roses you have in your garden we hope to see LOTS more pictures. Ingrid P.S. I feel a little better that I'm not the only one who planted her roses too close together. But how else can you fit in all the ones you crave?

Well, I don't grow these in Florida, but I do grow/have grown them here in the midwest so i do have a few notions about them. Gold Medal is a wonderful rose. Easy to grow as it is vigorous, disease resistant, and winter hardy, and it blooms freely and repeats quickly throughout the growing season. The blooms are large and golden yellow with a light red/dark pink edging to some of the outer rows of petals that is very attractive. There is a definite light scent that I like. The blooms open easily and is not particularly affected by hight temps here though I note that you will more and higher temps and humidity than we experience here. Full sun is very good for this one as it makes it most vigorous and healthy. The bush stays about 6' tall and isn't unruly or out of bounds at all making it a good neighbor. Mr. Lincoln is a bit different matter for me here. The bush is vigorous enough getting to about 5 1/2' tall and stays fairly healthy though I do see a little BS once in a while and often see some PM in the late Fall when the humidity and temps at nightime are higher. It is very important to keep your leaves of Mr. Lincoln's foliage dry especially at night to discourage fungal growth. Blooms on Mr. Lincoln can be very pretty and always have a strong old rose scent to my nose that is very pleasant. The blooms are of good size but you do have to watch that this rose I think needs a little protection fro the sun when it is at it's hottest as it will cause the petals to blue/brown and crisp up especially on the outer rows if they are continuously overexposed to high sun and heat. I think that Mr. Lincoln is a stingy bloomer and doesn't repeat bloom as quickly as it should so bloom production was always less than what I wanted. I eventually shovel pruned Mr. Lincoln after about 5 years of growing because I knew there were freer and more vigorous blooming dark reds available. This rose just kind of bored me and paid the ultimate price. Personally I would suggest Veterans' Honor, Olympiad, Beloved, Firefighter, Ingrid Bergman, Liebeszauber, Royal William, or Grande Amore if I were choosing a good dark red rose for my garden. For medium reds I would suggest Pride of England or even Let Freedom Ring as they are reliable garden roses that should do well about anywhere. Just my two cents!! John

THANK YOU Brandon for an answer to the pruning question!!!! Will be sure to keep the cuts above ground level!! And to clarify what you and Ken are saying about a view to the utility boxes- ...actually, forget it... I just typed out a huge long explanation that I just deleted...lol ...in short (or @ least shortER) with the height of our deck and where our seating is located, the size of the smokebush, and my intentions (clearly understood at least in my own head- haha) don't worry guys, I'll be fine. I always envisioned a multi-stemmed tree, which would still hide the view of the utility boxes. ...don't think I will end up trying to do tree-form after all but do plan on pruning off many shoots and thin the boy down! as always, i appreciate the input from you all :)