I mow 5 acres once a week with a Kubota Diesel 60" z turn but needed something to use in the ditches and around the tight spots that big mowers can't get into. Since I use a 5 year old Trailmate/Kee at work (High School Bldg & Grds Mgr. my first choice was a Kee. Went to the local mower shop where we purchased the one for the school and discovered it was no longer available commercially but one of the clerks mentioned she had seen one for sale on Craigs List. Wasted no time getting it in my garage, $300 used, (new cost for our school's mower was $900 in 2005). These things are bullet proof, you can't bog them down. They won't win a beauty contest but you CAN NOT KILL THEM. The design is simplistic but it does exactly what it was born to do. Cut The Grass. The belt design saves your engine from damage due to sudden stopage, stumps, rocks... Also the engine does not have to run at such a high RPM to do the job, I guess from the belt pully design, the blade tip speed is still fast enough to get it done and not bog down. By the way, bagging is a big no no. You are throwing away free fertilizer. Think About It. Bagging is a pain any way, having to stop every 5 minutes and dumping the bag and all. My next choice on the list had I not been able to find a used Kee would have been a new SARLO, also made in South Florida where they cut grass practically 12 months out of the year. They also have a Diesel push mower that you can Will to your Great Grand Kids. 1 Gallon of Diesel per 8 hours mowing. The Flordia State Corrections Dept. loves them. They are goober proof and last forever. They have the figures to back them up. I would not waste my time and my money for the "Throw-A-Way" mowers available at the local big box stores. How long due you really expect them to last any way? From the frame to the over worked engine. Three years and it's in the dumpster.

Jjpeace: that is your opinion, but it would be a sad day indeed if the only roses available to the rest of North America are determined by what is popular in Toronto! Kim: There will be demand for these obscure varieties again, everything is cyclical. The key is to have them propagated, distributed, and safely tucked away in many gardens instead of letting them disappear forever during the dark ages -- just like the ancient libraries of Alexandria or Timbuktu. A long time ago I was assistant to the curator at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden while doing my undergrad. The person in charge of the California section was kind enough to give me a rooted sucker of minutifolia because I was doing a research project. Afterwards, I kept the plant alive for ten years in a #1 pot in San Francisco, but lost it during an extended trip because my plant sitter didn't water it. Minutifolia was dormant at the time. I'm glad it's being more widely distributed, because through the years, the friends of the garden that run the plant sales rarely propagated it. I have plenty of experience keeping this ENDANGERED species alive, it prefers dappled shade in hot situations and produces bigger leaves & flowers with regular water. If the placement is correct, the plant explodes with growth. The growing media in the pot is fast draining, but it has no qualms sending roots through the holes into clay soil. Except for water, I basically just ignore it, no pruning, fertilizer, or spray. I'm glad you generously donated Pure Bea to the heritage group, I will treasure it. I had already contacted Tessie last year about PB. I asked her about hips but she didn't get any viable seedlings.... My 10+ year old Suncrest on its fourth flush this season:

Diane Pertson came up with a cure for chlorosis that includes lime since a pH that is too low also causes chlorosis. Here is what she wrote: Diane Pertson, Otter Point, Vancouver Island, wrote: "I have found the following foolproof formula for chlorotic leaves or a rhododendron that isn't looking healthy: Purchase a bag of Epsom Salts crystals (magnesium sulfate) (available here in bulk at farm-and-feed outlets), about $4.00 for a 5 lb. bag - and a bottle of FULLY Chelated Iron & Zinc (this is a very concentrated liquid - the chelation means it is in a form that can be readily absorbed by the plant), about $7.00 for 1 quart; In a one gallon watering can, put in 2 Tbsp. of Epsom Salts crystals and 2 Tbsp. of Iron and Zinc liquid - fill with warm water and stir to dissolve; Sprinkle this over the rhododendron - by that I mean drench the leaves with the solution and pour the remainder around the drip line of the root ball. In 1-2 weeks, the leaves should be nice and green. You could repeat the process at this time if the leaves aren't fully green. This works even better if, a month before, you have sweetened the soil by sprinkling a little Dolomite Lime on the roots. Very acidic soil can prevent the roots from taking up nutrients. As many of my rhododendrons are planted in very acidic soil under a canopy of giant cedar trees, I find an application of Dolomite and a light topdressing of mushroom manure in late spring is all they need. If soil is too acid, the symptoms can be the same. Very acidic soil can prevent the roots from taking up nutrients. In the western USA where many rhododendrons are planted in very acidic forest soil, an application of Dolomite and a light topdressing of mushroom manure in late spring is all they need. Sprinkle the lime on in late winter, very early spring. Don't overdo it - just a light sprinkle. If it is mid-spring, get the lime on right away so the rhododendron roots will be able to take up the soil nutrients in time for new growth. If you don't have rain, water it in well."

Heh. Michael, if you can remove oxalis from inside your roses with Roundup and not kill the roses, you should be cutting diamonds instead of growing roses. I don't know who you people are, who can use Roundup and not kill or maim something you're trying to save. Every time I touch the stuff there's a mishap. The only thing I can safely spray is poison oak acres away from everything else. Anything else, and it doesn't matter whether I use a tiny paint brush or a sprayer with a cup over the nozzle to direct the overspray, the brush falls on a plant, the dogs knock over the tank, the solution splashes on my goggles, the cup drips, something bad happens. I get the message. I'm doomed.