I know it hasn't quite been a month but they're exploding and I just wanted to share a new photo. I had to take one leaf out (had four originally) and I made a makeshift pot with a clear tray used to catch water (the large clay pot was making me nervous after all... Thanks for the concern PG, you were right). Planto

Very pretty, looks like you and your Mom have something going there! Do you happen to know what the orange plant poking through the fence is? And that orangy red rose on the fence (last photo) is just gorgeous. I would like to know about that rose, too. The lilies too are scrumptious!

Sunny, One of the things that my husband agreed to early on in our marriage, is that if one of our kids wants/needs the step parent to do things for them (because the parent can't), then the child has to ask the step parent, not the parent. When my son wanted a co-signer on a car, I couldn't help him because I had just started my own business. I talked to my husband and he agreed to help but I felt that my son should ask him, not me. My son did ask him and got the car with my husband's help. My husband does the same with his daughter. If she wants something from me, she has to ask me. She still asks him all the time and he tells her, 'you have to ask SM'. My sons got angry a while back because they don't like when my husband has an opinion about anything. They think he should stay out of 'our life' but then I remind him that he's my husband and he is a part of 'our life' and I remind him of the things my husband contributes and that they don't mind when he does something where they benefit. They don't like it but they know it's true. What your husband should have told his daughter is that she would need to ask you to cook the food because he doesn't know how or can't do it all by himself. It really is up to the parent to expect their children (even adult ones) to respect their spouse enough to ask for themselves instead of going through the parent. It's much easier for kids to let themselves believe that their parent is doing everything for them and they don't need the step parent if all they have to do is ask the parent who then asks the step parent. Then they don't really appreciate the step parent because they can tell themself that their parent is the one doing everything for them. It's funny that my son will ask me for something and when I say, you need to ask stepdad yourself... he'll decide 'I don't really need it.' He has been giving my husband a hard time and would rather go without than ask my husband, well, that's HIS problem, not mine.

Give it consistent water and it should come back. For those who live in hot/dry climates I would recommend moving the tree into a spot with less sun to help prevent it from drying out. However, this may not be necessary in cool and humid climates. The fact that your tree turned all brown after only week and a half leads me to suspect the climate conditions where you are might have been a little drier or more hot and sunny than usual. One option, if you think it is probably going to be another few months before you are ready to plant the tree, is to simply move the tree to a slightly larger container. This would allow a little more space for the roots to grow, and be able to provide more water to the tree. This is not an immediate fix, however; it will take a few weeks for the roots to grow out, and whenever you replant a tree there can be a little transplant shock, so it would probably be better not to move unless it is not going to go into the ground for another few months. Also, although it needs consistent water, do not completely drown the tree either. If the roots are continually sitting in water, that is not good for the tree either. Ideally the soil should be kept fairly moist. When the tree has recovered, you do not have to keep the soil constantly moist any longer, indeed it is probably a good idea not to, to give the tree a short timespan of a few days where the soil is dry periodically. This can help avoid root rot, and help the roots go deeper so the young tree will not become as dependent on frequent watering. Since it is so late into the growing season right now, if the tree does put out new leaves this year, you might want to give the tree a little shelter in early winter to try to extend the growing season a little. It would be a little pointless for the tree to put out new foliage, only to have it die back in the winter 2 months later. Personally, I would not expect the tree to make any dramatic comeback until next Spring.