Hans is scary Sam...lol... I never tried to grow raspberries before Sam... Do you grow a lot of raspberries?

We have Penn State University ext.

http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases

Great looking blooms Straw! :-)

I have 6'x6' raspberries area. It produces 2 times a year and one set of canes dies off. Then 2 times next year once on old wood the Aug raspberries on new. Raspberries would fill the whole yard with runners but I mow them.

I bought the raspberries at Lowes for 3$ in a little paper cup. They took a few years. Now they are 8' canes.

I also have blueberries. But I think of Pennsylvania when I think of Blueberries.

My knockouts didn't have as many blooms due to the tough winters.

My heritage and Alnwick DA roses winter died to the ground maybe 1 ft. They are back 6' tall.

Thanks that they have good deep roots.

Actually Straw regular Knockouts did not do well in our area this year either...

Our local Catholic Church had 40+ Ko's... Mixture of KO, Double Ko, and other types of Ko's. They look like there down to around 20 roses and those all look awful!

Others Ko's in town look bad! I did see two Ko's that looked real good... The Ko's at town square had bad winterkill and are not very big at the present time...

I contacted a guy from Kordes to ask about Plum Perfect and growing in my climate. He wasn't sure... He said the Sunbelt series has done well in the South but not many people have tried to grow it up North here yet ...

Sunbelt series has South Africa, Plum Perfect, Savannah, Polar Express, Desmond Tutu

http://newflora.com/kordes-roses/sunbelt-rose-collection/

So I may wait longer to see if any reports come in from the North... I hate wasting money on roses that do not do well....

I have changed my mind about Watercolors Homerun for now also...

So the only rose that I'm getting for sure is Carefree Celebration... I have already ordered that one for next year...

I like to fuss when I feel like in the mood to fuss ... I volunteer at the local rose garden and enjoy pruning this and that. At home, I enjoy visiting with each rose plant to see how they're doing and maybe even give them a pep talk.

But there's also days when I rue the day I let my bigger/older roses (Touch of Class, Summer Love, Wild Blue Yonder, Grande Dame, Scentimental) get all wild and bushy. I dislike having to pick off old leaves, pulling out weeds in pots and getting scratched for my efforts. They are my good producers though, it just depends on the day.

Because it's been a solid month to month and a half without me giving any kind of extra food to the roses besides low sea stuff 1-0-4, I think it will be interesting to kind of notate the size of these blooms and then, when I add the magnum 8-10-8, to compare it. I'll add my experiment sizes and data in the experiment posting :)

Ok msdorkgirl...lol

I love to prune, deadhead roses, cut grass, pull weeds, add the compost...lol...That's not fussing to me...

Deadheading all those flowers we have now that's another story..lol

I just noticed Chamblees Roses are only $11.95... Anyone know what the shipping costs at Chamblees?

I might just take a chance on Plum Perfect after all... (Read my post above)... decisions, decisions, decisions...

What? I do have to earn my "dork" part in the name... and halfway through this particular experiment I'll probably mess up and either half-kill the roses or add another fertilizer to skew the results.

Chamblees -- sigh, only uses FEDEX apparently so shipping is atrocious to Hawaii. I did a check and for a 20 lb box it would be $130 to Hawaii just for shipping, and it looks like they only ship 1 gallon. I shouldn't even be looking at buying other roses (Jim, you enabler) :P

Sam: Thanks guys, for correcting me: it's Hans in action, rather than Gracie. Hans is quite scary jumping up like that. I love red raspberry ... My Mom used to have a hedge of them. I would eat them fresh from the bush, YUM !! The blackberries are really yummy .. they used to grow wild near the lake in Michigan. We used to ride our bicycles as teenagers to the lake just to pick those wild-blackberries. We made this pastry, called Crostada with black berry jam on top, then criss-cross with flaky pastry. It's like a jam-filled cookie. Those were good !! I love it when Msgirl post yummy deserts, I enjoy them even more than roses.

Jim: This is what I posted in the thread, "Rose Sale, Garden Bargains ..": If I had ordered 2 Austin roses, at $11.95 each, from Chamblee Nursery in Texas, the shipping cost would be $20.47 for two roses. From Chamblee in Texas ($11.95 plus $19.76 shipping cost just for one rose).

Msgirl: Yes, to experiments. Thank you for testing them with pots. Things work differently in pots than in my alkaline clay. Pots leach out nutrients, whereas clay retains them. High-phosphorus fertilizer worked well in pots when I tested them on petunias. Petunias bloomed more, but DID NOT INCREASE IN SIZE. What increased in size with petunias was fast-release calcium via gypsum. Here's what I posted in 2013. Pink is Eglantyne Austin rose, deep-red is Stephen Big Purple, plus petunias made huge by SOLUBLE sulfate of potash & gypsum:

October 11:

Msgirl: I was hoping you would join me in the "mad-scientist" gang ... Ha! Ha!

A lot of my experiments are "accidental", which happened through my being cheap. SOLUBLE Gypsum used to be cheap at $10 per 5 pounds, The years that SOLUBLE gypsum was cheap, I used that together with sulfate of potash: I got big blooms, one-per stem, and none of the silly cluster-blooming. Then the price jumped to $17 this year, I didn't want to order that, and I didn't want to use the cheap $4 per 25 lbs. granular gypsum, which leaves sticky-residue behind. So I used only potassium via red-lava-rock, and get lots of blooms, but in clusters.

What made me order the $17 SOLUBLE gypsum, for 5 lbs? I mixed the cheap granular gypsum in a bottle, and it glued up at the bottom ... I had to use 6 cups of vinegar to dislodge that sediment. I realize that the cheap granular gypsum is coated with "cement-like" clay, which doesn't help in my already rock-hard clay.

So I ordered the $17 SOLUBLE gypsum, and I'm able to cut Wise Portia for the vase for the 1st time this year: it starts to bloom one per stem, larger bloom with more petals. Before that with red-lava-rock: cluster-blooming, less petals. After my experiment with Azomite (has both calcium & potassium & 60+ trace elements) ... I realize I don't need to use nitrogen to attract thrips, aphids, etc... Azomite alone is enough to give growth-spurt.

I still use alfalfa hay as mulch to keep roots cool, plus to feed the earthworms underneath. Alfalfa hay helps to neutralize acidic rain, plus it's cheap at $8 per bale, enough to mulch 20+ roses. Like gypsum, Sulfate of potash is a natural mineral, mined from the earth, and it's NOT a man-made chemical like SOLUBLE phosphorus fertilizer. Earliest potassium was made from wood-ash, others are from "All commercial potash deposits come originally from marine deposits and are often buried deep in the earth." Wikipedia.

I can't believe I still test high-phosphorus fertilizer, despite failures in the past, let's list them through the past 15 years: 1) Year 2000: kill a dozen geraniums by topping them with bone meal, the colors were vibrant, but the leaves were brown, crispy-burnt.

2) In 2013 tested monopotassiumphosphate from Kelp4Less, NPK 0-52-34. Thank God I only bought 1 lb., to inflict damage on Golden Celebration and Sonia Rykiel. The blooms' quality were not as good as sulfate of potash plus gypsum. That soluble DID NOT increase Sonia Rykiel's bloom size, but the high phosphorus crystallized my alkaline clay, and made Golden Celebration's soil into concrete. I didn't realize that until I dug up Golden Celebration this weekend. Even when I mixed that SOLUBLE NPK 0-52-34 in my tap, plus vinegar, I found crystals at the bottom of the bucket, and had to dissolve that in pure vinegar.

3) Posted a pic. of tomato burnt by bone meal in the planting hole last year.

4) Killed a gifted $30 thornless lavender rose by using that soil rich in bone meal.

5) Made a few roses break out in blackspots with high-phosphorus rice-bran experiment. From one University Extension: high-phosphorus drives down zinc, and zinc is one of the anti-fungal agent ... that explains for the black-spots.

6) Year 2001: Put too much high-phosphorus fertilizer in a petunia in pot, and made leaves brown WAY before frost hit.

7) Lastly, last month bought NPK 4-10-7 and burnt a few roses: Yves seedling, Sonia Rykiel, and Sweet Promise. I was testing to see if fish bone meal would deepen the color of blooms. It burnt the leaves to a crispy brown, along with salty horse manure .. also roses broke out in black spots, from root-injury.

Straw, seriously I would do almost anything to have possible bouquets like yours ... I love the colors hence me buying only white/nearly white roses lately.

I'm pooped ... even if I had my nephew as my helper:

We repotted Distant Drums (from 3 to 15 gal), I gave it to him so now it's his to admire and call his.

Earlier went to Home Depot to pick up potting mix ... saw:

My pictures don't show the thrip damage, but it was bad. If only they took care of it just a little bit, the roses would be beautiful.

Nice pictures.

Here is a neat story about how Elaine Ingham put the native Texas prairie back at the George W bush library.

https://youtu.be/l3EObE2rWFg

Straw

I think you might like it.

Thank you, Sam, I watched that, awesome how microbes & soil organisms break up clay, and the key to handle drought is fluffy soil & deep roots up to 10 feet.

MsGirl: I love that pic. of your nephew holding Distant Drums. That rose is like from another planet: so big & vigorous & super-healthy. Some roses are better grafted on-Dr. Huey, let's see if my grafted-Pink-Peace survive the winter, it's went from BS-fest to the healthiest rose, after I put dolomitic lime in the planting hole. Singing-in-the-rain vs. singing-the-blues. Below is singing-in-the-rain: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=20367

Wow! so many buds in "Summer Fiesta" .. Hawaii roses have much healthier foliage than the mainland, thanks for Hawaii's tap-water being the softest in the nation, or closest to rain-water. I got that info. when I researched on the calcium and magnesium levels of tap water across the country. Hawaii also has the lowest rate of heart-disease in the nation, thanks to higher magnesium compared to calcium in tap water. In the mainland, it's the reverse: extremely high in calcium, like my Chicagoland tap-water, that's why I have to take magnesium pills everyday, and my kid eats mint like a bunny ... mint is high in magnesium.

First off Great pics msdorkgirl! I always enjoy the pics you post! As I enjoy Straws & Sams pics!

Thanks for sharing that video Sam!

Straw & msdorkgirl, wow shipping from Chamblees is expensive! Sadly they are the only vendor at this time to sell Plum Perfect...

Here's a pic of a first year Plum Perfect: Pic belongs to blueKYstream(6)... This rose is planted at his/her mothers house in Ohio...

Pretty colors Jim, that would be a nice addition to your garden.

Yesterday at Home Depot, I was drawn to the purples too, Singin' in the Rain and they had a Barbra Streisand. It was soo tempting but I resisted (they're $20 bucks per bush here and thrip-ridden).

This morning's pictures:

should probably change the water out of these vases from Saturday night

Tahitian Sunset is acting very English for this bloom

Great photos msdorkgirl! :-)

Had a accident happen in the yard (D Ko bed).... A hurt bird got into the D. Ko bed and our cats started chasing it through the flowers then our dog got into the act and ripped and smashed a lot of flowers.... So had to pull out all the Petunias and cut back the Marigolds... But that's life with pets...lol

Hunt bird? Never heard of it ... maybe I'm too sheltered here. Glad you still have color on your yard tho... that must have been fun to watch.

Hurt bird...lol... It could run but not fly... Sadly the one cat got it...Our pets did a lot of deadheading for us...lol...

Better pic... I got it looking neat again...

Here's the other "stuff" that interests me:

Looks very good msdorkgirl! Now I'm hungry...lol

This year I'm letting the Marigold roots into the soil until next Spring. That way I'll know where to plant the new Marigolds next year and Marigold roots secrete stuff into the soil that might help with insects.

I'll be planting Garlic around the roses next month....

I'll be adding new compost to the D. Ko bed probably next month...Other roses will get more fresh compost also so they can have a great start next Spring...

That Palabok looks yummy. I just got done with VN Beef Noodle soup (pho). It took 2 hours of work !! The wife of FaceBook founder (Priscilla Zuckerberg) .. her parents run a Pho-noodle-restaurant. The easiest dinner I made was ribs in the oven .. I gave Jim that recipe one time. 15 min. of prep, 2 hours in the oven, and froze 10 portions. I hate cooking, since my hubby & kid are so fussy. Msgirl: Single life is simple: you please yourself. Married life: I spent 24/7 pleasing everyone else, roses is the only time for myself, that and gardening. Honestly growing healthy roses is easier than what to pack my kid for her lunch for school. I wish she would just eat lunch at school ... we put plenty of money in her lunch account.

Jim: Glad to hear that you go ahead with Kordes Plum Perfect (purple). Darker color looks best after heavy rain. I re-post the ribs-recipe I gave to Jim:

Finally got barbecued ribs right: I use Penzey's Northwoods seasoning (has maple syrup) sprinkle that over pork-ribs (or make your own rub with equal parts of brown sugar, paprika, granulated garlic, smoked salt). The rule is to cook at high temp. 420 for 5 min. per lb. of pork. MAKE SURE TO COVER IT WELL WITH FOIL. Since I have 4 lbs. of ribs I set the oven at 420 degree for 20 min. (4 x 5 = 20). Then I lowered heat to 250, cook for 1 hour more, then I take it out, pour barbecue sauce over, re-cover with foil, and bake at 250 for another 15. It was really tender & delicious. Total cooking time: 1 hour and 35 min for fresh ribs. Cooking for 2 hours is better if it's frozen & thawed ribs (has more water).

Haha I just had combo pho.... congrats on making it, that's amazing. I wouldn't know (nor am I industrious enough) where to start.

Keep em coming msdorkgirl! Nice photos!

Here Thomas Affleck & Easy Does it....

One of Thomas Afflecks 5 buds was deformed so had to cut it off so only 4 buds left...I think he will bloom much better next year...

Easy Does it

Thank you, Jim and Msgirl for posting great pics. of your roses ... I don't need to grow more roses, since I can enjoy them through your garden. Bad news: My air-conditioner broke down, thanks to my turning it off when it kicked on through my programmable thermostat (it was cold last night). Fee for service to come over $89, fee for fixing: between $200 to $400.

Years ago one of my gas-burner on my stove broke, thanks to my cooking bean-soup & spilling beans over the igniter .. the serviceman charged hundreds to fix that one, but my other 3 gas-stove-top-burners were fine. But he was nice enough to left some parts, and told me how to fix, in case the other 3 go out.

The GOOD NEWS: At first I felt really guilty for shutting off the air when it kicked on, then I learn NOT to let a broken-air take away my happiness. We get over a decade of use out of that. I appreciate the vital-people of our society: the fixers: car mechanics, plumber, air-conditioner & heating service, garage-door service .. they should be paid accordingly for fixing problems. At the same time, I don't see any logic to pay money to create problems, and buying more roses is creating more problems to solve. So my air conditioner being broken, took away my greed & neurotic desire for certain roses.

I have enough problems to solve with existing roses: tiny own-roots I received from a friend, but they are free & I treasure her friendship, so it's fun to solve those problems. Only when I paid $45 for two Eglantyne that I lusted, after sniffing their fragrance at the rose park. Those 2 gave me hell, plus I was disappointed at Eglantyne own root's wimpiness & lack of scent .. That's paying money to create problems, and not worth it. The best things in life comes accidentally and free, rather than what we madly pursue .. just to be disappointed later.

We had a older stove (12 years old) which worked good! I accidently slipped reaching for something and broke the control knob off...It would of cost as much to fix as to buy a new stove so we got a new stove last year...lol

Four years ago while installing a brand new smaller air conditioner it slipped and fell two stories to it's death...lol... My wife was so so mad at me! The warrenty would not cover it so I had to buy another new one... Ouch so don't feel bad Straw.....

And as far as roses for awhile in the past this guy below me was my best friend! LOL

But things have greatly improved from those days...lol

Mike McGrath says if you add rock phosphate it last 3 years for the supply. Or I read about some sort of rock dust added to the compost to boost blooms for 3 or 4 years.

I put down rock phosphate a few years ago so I am due for more.

I think this is similar to the Azomite.

Our phosphate levels are already high here Sam so I can't add anything high in phosphates...(I'm not familiar with rock phosphate or rock dust?) Studies have found very high phosphate levels actually to not help blooming but could actually harm the soil esp. mycorrhiza...So I avoid anything that has high phosphates in it since our soil is already high in phosphate...

That would probably be better for people that have low phosphate levels in there soils...

I had another rose bush in the same location Thomas affleck is now... It was only in there 2 seasons (BS) but it bloomed heavy so I think when Thomas Affleck is ready he will too...

Jim: I love your best friend "Mr. Shovel-prune", that's funny! Thank you for sharing with me your mistakes & I don't feel too bad. I really appreciate your honesty. I pray that my husband can fix it by replacing the blown fuse, that would save us $200 to $400 in service call, I already pledge the saving to charities. When I save money on things, that goes to my Charity fund. My sister is a retired doctor, she does missionary work overseas (Asian countries). My brother is also an M.D., he does charity work for a clinic in Ecuador, he speaks fluent Spanish.

when a spot is previously occupied by a rose, that's when it's most depleted & plus lower pH due to acid-secretion of previous rose in doing "acid-phosphatase" for blooming. That's why David Austin book said "NOT to plant a rose in a same spot previously occupied by another rose" Or else one needs to replace the soil entirely.

When a rose has less petals, shatters easily, or blooms deformed, that's the 1st sign of mineral deficiency, esp. in calcium. After my recent mistake, I won't ever put solid-fertilizer down, except for CLEAR DEFICIENCY, or spring time due to winter-kill. Putting fertilizer for taller or faster growth is a waste of time & money, since what comes out during pruning excess canes, one has to put back later in terms of more fertilizer. It's futile.

My Duchess de Rohan, in a same spot occupied previously by Liv Tyler (which gave 60+ blooms per flush). Duchess clearly has calcium deficiency: blooms shatters, deformed, smaller & less petals than when it was in a pot (which I used to cut for the vase). I gave it gypsum recently, and leaves perked up & start budding.

Sam: Lucky you have loamy & neutral soil pH which rock phosphate can be utilized. I can't use rock-phosphate due to my high pH 7.7, so I use gypsum (calcium sulfate). Last year I put the entire 25 lbs. bag of gypsum for my front tomatoes ... got so much tomatoes that I begged my 6 neighbors to take them, and 1/2 of them rotted in the vine, I was too lazy to pick. This year I did not use gypsum nor Tomato-Tone, only 4 bags of cow-manure ... I went from picking 5-gallon bucket of tomato per day (last year), to one or two a day, pitiful !! Thank God I have lots of tomatoes left-over from last year in my freezer, which will make up for the deficit.

Some info. on calcium-contents of various minerals. You are right, Sam, about rock-phosphate lasting for 3 years. When I researched on bone meal, a few sites quoting it as lasting up to 3 years in the ground.

Gypsum provides 22% calcium, 17% sulfur, with salt index of 8.1, used to de-salt sodic soil, also to neutralize bicarbonates in alkaline tap water.

Dolomitic Limestone provides 25% calcium and 10% magnesium, salt index 0.8, sandy soil lacks magnesium. Espoma Garden Lime is dolomitic lime, sold for $10 per 5 lb. bag at stores.

Calcitic limestone provides 36% calcium when the rain water (pH 5.6) breaks it down, low salt index 4.7

Colloidal rock phosphate provides 19% calcium and 18% phosphate. Best for acidic soil, cannot be utilized at pH over 7.

Hard rock phosphate provides 48% calcium and 30% phosphate, cannot be utilized at pH over 7.

Bone meal has 11% phosphorus and 24% calcium. Bone meal cannot be utilized if the pH is over 7.

Superphosphate provides 20% calcium, 12% sulfur, and 20% phosphorus, low salt index 7.8

Wood ashes provides 20% calcium, 2% phosphorus, 7% potassium, magnesium, and all trace elements. CAUTION: Wood ash is very alkaline, pH over 10, will burn roots if applied directly to plants.

An old rose grower told me if a rose grows great in a certain spot so will another one... And so did my grandpap... lol... That's why when I transplanted our huge shrub rose to my moms (which was in that spot in our yard for 30+ years) I was not afraid to plant a Double Ko in that same exact spot. Its our biggest and best blooming D.Ko in the entire yard... The huge shrub rose grew well and so is the D. Ko...

I was taught to NEVER disturb our native soil here but to only top dress year after year like the forest... Old School....lol

Unless I was growing Veggies then it was ok...lol

Now I know that advice would NOT apply everywhere because some areas have poorer, harder, sandy soil, etc.... But that advice always worked great here...

Straw thanks for the response.

Could you show a picture of the clay soil if you get a chance?

I live near the upper Hudson Headwaters.

I have a slightly acidic soil. The calcium I get is through the eggshells and the rock phosphate. When some in Kentucky/Tennessee talk about clay I can't imagine what the soil looks like. I saw the red clay in Pensacola/Alabama. There are so many different kinds of soil. I have seen the clay in the Pocono PA, it is much different than my soil here. I have very well draining sand with whatever top soil is built on. If I drive 20 miles I can drive to a area two towns over where there is clay. A few towns near me have sand with very little topsoil. Mostly around 100 miles is rich forest loam. If I want compost I could scrape what they call Duff in the woods. It is very rich. It is Good for growing. It is the best. Only second to prairie soil. Prairie soil is the best.

We were taught in school that we have acid rain from factories in the Ohio Valley. It may have lessened since then a little.

Jim

That's a good true story.

That way works best for me too. I heard the method called organic no till. Old school . There is no name for the method of gardening I use. I guess I would call it natural or earth friendly gardening.

Cool how each area is so different Sam! We have heavier soft Clay in some parts of our backyard. Towards house in backyard and at side of our house there is less clay and its more fluffy soil. Directly out front where Thomas Affleck is heavier soft Clay again...

Even our heavier soft Clay is very easy to dig... I could dig a 2ft x 2ft hole in a few minutes... So all in all once the plant roots break through the sticky clay they do fine as long as its roots are not kept to wet... (No wood mulch etc.)

Here I broke up the Clay

Hole where soil came from...

I wish I knew what soil lupines like. Apparently not mine haha. I guess I need a biology inoculation for them. Maybe one of the seed companies bio inoculation might work.

I read where lupines do not like Clay but I have no experience with lupines to know first hand...

This article also says they will not grow in Clay Soils... Lupines like full sun to light shade, cool moist locations...

http://www.planetnatural.com/growing-lupine/

Sounds like they should grow in your area Sam as long as they are kept moist...???

And they get flower spikes on them? Just in the Spring?

Thanks. I think maybe next year they will be better. They probably are growing roots.

I heard if you plant vetch and lupines they do the nitrogen fixing in the soil if the right bacteria is with the roots.

Here's an article on Lupines

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/700

I am hoping for flowers next year. I know the bed they are in is acidic. Maybe they need lime? I will ask caseyjay26.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/first-lupines-blooming-dsvw-vd~3096259[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/first-lupines-blooming-dsvw-vd~3096259)

Sounds like caseyjay26 has discovered the secret to grow them! I'd be picking his/her brain on Lupines...

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/first-lupines-blooming-dsvw-vd~3096259[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/first-lupines-blooming-dsvw-vd~3096259)

I had a hydrangea bush for 3 years and it never bloomed...lol... Endless Beauty or Summer something like that... Endless! Heck it never got started...lol

Newer type that was suppose to bloom on old and new wood...

I pulled it out and stuck a Double Ko in that spot and it blooms all the time!

Thomas affleck up close and personal...lol... Just took this shot...

Hey Jim here's my dedicated blueberry bed I put rocks from the Pennsylvania Turnpike in there for good luck. Ha-ha

I remember going blueberry picking in up near Scranton /carbondale with my grandparents as a kid. Lol

Nice blueberries bushes Sam! he he on the good luck rocks...lol

Straw, here's a pic of our largest and best D. Ko bush that we have in our yard. I planted it directly after I took out another rose that was in that spot for 30+ years. No ill effects at all...Only positive results in this case...

If Thomas Affleck itself is capable of blooming well in that spot out front he will when he is ready. If not he will get replaced by a rose bush that will bloom better without having to change soil......(My grandpap god rest his soul would turn over in his grave if I ever changed our native soil for a rose bush or any other plant/shrub..) I can still here him saying for every plant that doesn't work there is one that will...lol... He would also say NEVER change your native soil unless you plan on veggie gardening the rest of your life...lol.. (Referring to our soil here)....

Come to think of it I had Zinnias in Thomas Affleck spot last year.

After seeing these Zinnia pics again and remembering we got the most compliments ever from them out front. Thomas Affleck will be surrounded next year by a few Marigolds but tons of Zinnias! A bit smaller ones though as we can't block the sun from Thomas...I'll get 2ft high Zinnias for the back and 15 inch Zinnias for the front...

Jim: Gorgeous hedge of Zinnias !! Your soil looks good. I don't believe in replacing soil either, unless it's nasty sub-clay beneath 3 feet. I believe in re-mineralization ON TOP.

I like Sam's blueberry bushes. I used to pick blueberries when I was a teenager ... the sweetest one were next to pine-groves (acidic soil). I clicked on Sam's link of lupine discussion. My Mom has lots more colors & more blooms than that for lupines. Her clay is slightly acidic, but she dumped wood-ash to make it neutral pH. Her garden used to be a commercial chicken-farm, very fertile. she also raised free-range chickens.

Chicken manure is high in trace elements: copper, zinc, and boron ... all are anti-fungal agents and helps with blooming. Chicken manure helped my fruit trees tremendously with blooming. My Mom's garden in MI was loaded with blooms, that people stopped their cars to take pictures. Her lupine-patch was the best. Her tomatoes were short & less leaves, but tons of fruits. Same with her lupines: more blooms than leaves.

Your soil Straw sounds sort of like my friends who lives next to a limestone Quarry... Or am I off base? Anyhow his is so different than ours...

Those large zinnias I used before get Powdery Mildew around August and they start looking really awful. (Some Zinnias are just prone to PM they say...) But they have shorter landscape Zinnias that do not get Powdery Mildew even when bunched tightly together... (15 inches high and wide...) I will use those next year along with a Zinnia that grows to 2ft high...

Great bloom pic msdorkgirl! I hope you got a good night sleep!

Hopefully everyone else did too!

My sisters roses and new Earthsong have about 6-8 weeks to settle before our frost move in and growth starts nearing a standstill...

As you can see this Thomas Affleck bloom just opened like 24 hours ago and already its shot... And we are having cooler weather so can't say its heat...lol

Leaves are very healthy on Thomas Affleck so I see no nutrient problems... I'll deal with the bloom problem next year. Hopefully it straighens itself out...lol... Our compost has a source of calcium etc. so once that gets worked into the soil from rains/snows we will see how Thomas Affleck does next year...

It will be interesting for me to see a whole year of mainland rose care through everyone's pictures.

That zinnia bed was gorgeous with all the different colors Jim!

I don't have much to add in a soil discussion ... I did repot Distant Drums in the StaGreen Lowes brand potting mix versus the usual Patio Plus and/or Miracle Gro, we'll see if I notice difference.

I envy your leaves jim, they look so clean and healthy, hope your roses do well in this last 6-8 weeks.

As of mid October our growing season is over msdorkgirl... We will not see blooms again until last week in May... So like 7 months of nothing... yeeeeeeeeeeee I think my heart just skipped a beat...lol

Right now our Double Knockouts are winding down a bit but they are already loading up with some new buds. These D. Ko's seem to never rest here which is what we enjoy...

I need to locate some owners of Thomas Affleck to get an average of how it blooms and how long blooms last, etc.

I just put a question about TA blooms on HMF.com and I emailed ARE whom I bought TA from to ask questions.

I never tried anything but MG potting mix so I have no idea on that one...Hopefully the StaGreen does great for ya msdorkgirl

So you gonna start a new thread or not Jim ? :P Also, just add to that the suggestion of getting a rose plant that works in all our zones from the same vendor at the same time to see how it grows!

I'll start a new thread soon... lol

Sam is in zone 5a , Straw is in zone 5a, I'm in 6a, and your in a higher zone. I wouldn't even know what rose would work for all of us. I can ask vendor though...lol