Michael, I think the smaller bushes might be almost 1 1/2" wide. One I believe is a Gemini (beautiful peachy pink with some salmon color in it). It did beautiful for years, last year it looked dead. I was told to dig it out. I waited. It was one of my most beautiful bushes. Glad I waited. This year--told to dig it out. Now in the last week--I see some growth on the bottom. I will wait. The other bushes that are smaller width wise--I don't even know what they are. One is orange with a yellowy center. When it fades out, it almost turns a cantaloupe color. A friend bought it for me, so I don't know the name. The other smaller bushes were there when we bought the house--(red), don't know what they are. The orange ones grow about 2 feet tall, red ones grow 3-4 feet tall. The blank space that is noticeable is between the smaller red &orange bush because they never seem to get any wider to fill in the space. Years ago, I tried two lavender bushes---gorgeous and very healthy for as long as they lived. Yet, they only lived about 4 years, so I gave up on the lavender even though they were gorgeous to look at, healthy while they lived & held up in a vase for a long time. That's why I'm tempted.....but if they are not good (even the yellow) in Zone 5--I need to stick with what is excellent in Zone 5. I think I will dig out the David Austin Othello. Half the bush is dead cane with thorns big enough to take a hand off, the other half is a lot of foliage. That bush I've been tempted over the years to dig it out, but I have this "thing" about killing living things; yet it blooms maybe 5 roses once or twice all season. Someone talked me into this one..... Arghhhh? Sad to say, but this is the one I did not protect with a collar this winter. I just threw some mulch around it. First off, a collar would not fit & ran out of collars. Hoped it would succumb to the weather.

When I gardened in zone 4/5 Wisconsin I had all sorts of problems getting yellows to survive even WITH protection. When Graham Thomas first came on the market I didn't give it any winter cover and I lost it that first winter. I got anther one but it would not survive without HT-like protection. St. Patrick gave up the ghost after 2 pitiful seasons. Gold Medal barely survived and became a one cane wonder. I placed it in a pot and it did much better (I over wintered it and Sunsprite - also in a pot - in our unheated attached garage). I had better luck overwintering own root yellow minis like Rise n' Shine.

OK, remember, you ASKED for it. Don't blame me when you're out of control like me :). SOUTH AFRICA..I know it's a flori, but it blooms nonstop. Ruffled, gorgeous yellow blooms that cover the bush in long sprays all summer It was in the back garden next to Dainty Bess. Great for cutting; lasts in the vase. PINK PEACE...huge, vivid pink blooms. RED INTUITION...this was on your list, remember? Order from Steve Singer @ Wisconsin Roses. CAMILLE PISARRO...a yellow creamy stripey. Love the coloration. Maybe add 'OUT OF AFRICA' for your MIL's garden since she wanted an orange? And pair it with some Tiki Torch coneflowers...you'd be glowing! That's a lot of orange. Enough enabling....I'm out of here. We have a date in the spring for you to come back to dig up some hostas, remember? -terry

Hello everyone I've been enjoying the bananatalk for the past couple of weeks and feel it's time I joined in. I live in suburban London, England and have been growing bananas for many years. I don't know which zone this would correspond with - we can have 4 or 5 degrees of frost in the winter and a maximum of 90 degrees in the summer. I think the main problem is mild, damp winters. I wrap the plants up in sacking (is that what you call burlap?), old net curtains, horticultural fleece and anything breathable that I can find. As some of the plants are 12 ft plus tall - it can be quite scary to come round the corner of the house and find an enormous bloke lurking there! I don't know the species as the original plant was given us as a pup from the garden of friends in Southern France. I kept it as a house plant for the first couple of years, then it went outside in the summer and indoors in the winter. Then I decided to take the risk and try it outside in the border. It produced pups and I moved them around but eventually settled for the south facing wall of the house. Twenty years later I now have quite a little family of all different heights and ages. Two or three years ago a pseudostem produced an inflorescence with baby bananas - I was incandescent with pride!! This was in late August, so the weather became too cold for the male flower to develop. However .... this year the job has been done much earlier. I think the inflorescence had been overwintering under its wrappings because it popped out May. I understand that in warm climates it takes about twelve weeks for the bananas to ripen - so I may be the first person to produce outdoor bananas in the UK - fame at last! We have a hosepipe ban here at the moment, so I am lugging watering cans about and feeding like mad. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I hope Gardenguy replies to this - he sounds as if he knows what he's talking about - sorry - not that the rest of you don't too!