I've grown both daffodils and tulips in containers with success. However, the second year, they have only given a few flowers. -Be careful about planting tall tulips in something that you can turn a bit each day, as they will otherwise tilt. Not long ago, I read, that a major reason for tulips to only flower the first year or two, is that they are meant to be kept VERY dry in the summer. If they get rain (or you water them) during the summer, the bulb will divide, and the new smaller bulbs will not be strong enough to give new flowers for several years. Therefore, give them lots of water and nutrition until they wilt, and then keep them dry until the autumn. Some tulips are better at NOT dividing than others.... do a search for perennial tulips. or maybe you could try some of the botanical ones.... these should still be kept dry over the summer, but are said to live for many years. -often the botanical types, tend to not grow as tall as most hybrids. If you don't care about having to change the bulbs each year, you could also just plant bulbs or tubers on top of them, that will add flowers to the pot later in the season.... that is what I'm, trying this autumn. I'm planting a pot, with two kinds of crocus, three kinds of daffodils, three kinds of tulips, and adding some anemones as the summer element.

I have great luck with apple trees here in northern New England. This seems to be the ideal climate and soil for them. I have planted one domestic apple tree (whose name I seem to have lost) and a handful of ornamental crabapples (profusion, prairie fire, and American spirit), as well as volunteer wild apples on my property. My soil is very rich and acidic, so I imagine that must be what they like. Most of my apples are growing in full sun, so yours should be happy. I do have a few that are shaded by larger trees, and these also are doing well, so I guess they are adaptable. One thing I've noticed is that apples seem to thrive in wet areas. A number of mine are growing side by side with pussywillow bushes, in places where the soil never really dries out. I do also have apples growing in areas with better drainage, but if any of the areas on your land are excessively wet, don't worry; apple trees seem to love it! My apples were planted and/or welcomed for aesthetic reasons, and not as fruit producers. The wildlife usually harvests the crops of apples and crabapples. Thus I don't prune my trees or do anything else to improve the quality of their fruit, so I'll leave tips about that to others. Good luck with your apple trees. I love apples. They are very nice fast growing shade trees that don't grow excessively large, and they put on a beautiful show of blossoms every spring. Apple trees are ubiquitous in my area, and it is rare that I see a sickly looking apple. I think they are very hardy trees. On edit: I began planting trees and managing our wild trees about 12 or 13 years ago. (Before that our property was all open pasture with no trees.) So the apples we have are young trees still, but growing quickly. This post was edited by spedigrees on Sat, Aug 24, 13 at 12:25

Hi Kendra, wow, you are educating yourself, good for you! Many people wait till disaster strikes. Sometimes it takes a while to get bluebirds, be patient. It's possible that something happened to one of the pair - it's a tough world out there. I do NOT allow House Wrens to nest on my trails - see tips below. And I predict that most people who do allow them to use their nestboxes will live to regret it. I'm in CT, it's not too late (except maybe for Tree Swallows, as they usually lay with neighbors and babies here are hatching now.) Great job setting up to trap House Sparrow. As Kathy said, check the box regularly. I've trapped a snoopy male bluebird repeatedly. If you got a titmouse they might get spooked away. Hang a blade of grass with a seedhead out of the hole of the box with a trap on it, and put some feathers if you have them underneath to induce HOSP to enter. Make sure any existing nesting material does not get in the way of the trigger mechanism (I assume you're using a Van Ert trap, which IMHO, is the best inbox trap.) Best of luck! Bet Here is a link that might be useful: tips on deterring HOWR

My first step would be to cut the flower stem near the plant. Being careful and have 2 more hands to cradle it while cutting the stem. Or just your self if you feel confident. Then find a pot and get potting material and whittle down the stem little by little until you find the right spot with an empty pot. Then fill it in with potting material from home depot. The plant does not like to wobble around and if you are clever you can get it anchored with the flower stem...