OK, so here are some shots of my baby 'Jaune Desprez' climbing into the old Japanese maple. The tip of the lateral on the left forked-trunk just hits six-feet tall. There are more laterals lower down which are showing lots of growth, so that one won't be alone for long. In this shot, you can see 'Jaune Desprez' climbing the Japanese maple trunk, and the three roses I planted to go against my front porch. I removed the white azalea that was in the corner by the front steps and moved it to in front of the neighbor's house behind their mailbox. On the left is 'Souvenir du Dr. Jamain' which will be the big climber for the porch railing, and will continue to be trained to grow against it. In the middle is the once-blooming Hybrid China 'Duchesse de Angouleme' which will not get quite as big but will serve as a "living trellis" for a clematis I'll plant there next year. And on the right is the China 'Archduke Charles', which is thornless, and has flowers that open pink and age to cherry-red. This is 'Nouveau Monde' showing its one big fat cane (which sprouted new after the band was potted and grew-on a bit -- the thin stems lower down was what it had when it arrived) which I trained along the deck railing, and it's sprouting lots more along its vertical length. 'Orfeo' is being trained against the Callery pear tree. Its two long main-canes are "hugging" the trunk diagonally, and training them so prompted lots of laterals to sprout. These were previously growing straight-out horizontally, but I tied them against the trunk with string (for now -- as they grow, I'll cut the string back and use something less obviously-visible). All roses mentioned in pics in this post came as bands this Spring -- none were from last year, and none came as 1-gallons. Lesson -- don't be afraid of bands! :-) ~Christopher This post was edited by AquaEyes on Sat, Oct 5, 13 at 15:02

MATURE fig trees certainly can handle hot weather. However, to get a YOUNG in ground tree to grow as rapidly as possible......keep the ground always moist. This will allow a strong root system to develop quickly. After a year or two in the ground they will be much better able to handle dry conditions. I live in zone 9 and do not give my fig trees any fertilizer after the middle of August. This is done to discourage too much tender green growth that may not have enough time to harden off (lignify) before the arrival of cold weather. Fig tree growth that is too green is damaged easily by cold weather. That is likely why your orchard man told you not to fertilize your tree until spring. It also helps harden off your fig tree for the winter if you lessen the amount of water that you give it a month or two before cold weather arrives in your area. Making your tree thirsty for water just before winter will help it survive cold weather. Dan

Hey!! Just returned from a long day...passed the electrical inspection! Just have my final on Friday and we'll be done! I tried to get some additional pictures but it's hard to take pictures at some angles...here are some additional shots... Downstairs Guest bath... After...the fabric on the toilet top will be a valance on my one window in here...blends with the shower curtain which are actually drapes..I'm going to put a waffle weave with cotton ball tassles in natural on a rod behind these to hid the grey tile on the tub... My master bathroom had the same vanity/flooring/toilet as the previous bathroom..they used all those in all 3 baths...so I bought a new vanity very cheap and painted it and tiled the floor...I've got to go buy some brushed nickel or pewter knobs...just haven't found any I like yet... I only used Jamesboro Gold in the kitchen and great room...Norwich Brown was my second choice... Alicia...I really wanted a kitchen that looked a little rustic and I love maple cabinetry but didn't like the look of wood floors against wood stained cabinets..they just seem to clash unless they're much different in color...so I simply used the same stain on my maple as I used on the white oak floors...it may not really "match" but they blend well and I think you'd enjoy the look of throwing another color in whether your cabinets are painted or stained..and using the opposite above your range...there are several kitchens in the remodel section that show some beautiful colors/stains mixed..they look amazing!! It would definitely be much better than redoing them all...I think you'd love the look! On the master bath...I painted those cabinets..a'la igloochic's instructions! :) It was very easy! I'm not too sold on the cabinet color, while I like it on it's own I just don't think it pops like I'd thought it would...but for a quart of paint and time, it's soo much better than the orange stained looking option that I had! :) The floor tiles were $9/sq foot tile...but I got them for .75 cents per sq. foot! :) Someone had returned them...and it worked great! :) I hope in 5-10 years to do a complete remodel on the bathroom so I didn't want to do anything more than a quick update... Here's a pic of the tile in the new bathroom that I put in the finished attic space...I'm going with a beach theme.. I only have to paint the walls in this room and the adjacent toilet/vanity room...hmmm..need to ask for some help! :) Tara

I'd keep the old leaves until they're shed naturally, and prune off quite a bit from the 2 main branches. Here's why. At some point, you're going to have to do some hard pruning in order to ensure you get back-budding as low on the tree as you need to make the composition look best. When you pinch or prune, the dormant buds most likely to be activated are those immediately proximal to the pinch or pruning cut. If you bite the bullet and do it now, you won't have to do it later. All you'll need to do from here forward is pinch branches back to 2 leaves once they have 3 mature leaves on them, and remove excess branches. There's nothing sacrilegious about pruning off growth the tree's already paid for if it improves the tree's appearance or even the the potential for enhanced appearance. I make pruning decisions on a regular basis that would make most hobby growers cringe, but it's a necessity if I'm to complete the vision I have for the tree as far as 10 years down the road. It's far more the rule than the exception that most growers are exceedingly reluctant to remove growth they've watched with awe as it came into existence. I get it, having had the same feelings myself. I think, once a grower understands how much and what precise control (s)he has over how the plant CAN look, that feeling of trepidation goes away. It's very much the same with root pruning. When, about 15 years ago on these fora, I first started drawing a very clear delineation between the results of potting up vs repotting, and the methodology involved, I was widely considered clinically crackers .... not quite so much these days. Al