Stargazzer, I have some carpet roses..too..and if I had something better to put in their place I would too...They are better left in a place where they don't need tended!!!! Rthummer, I always have spring fever...and being that I'm an on call sub for the school district now in food service, Instructional assistant and clerical, I can say no, or "ignore" the online postings. LOL Like I did for today. There was an all day shift at one of the middle schools. I chose not to "click on it". LOL However, if I get the "Desperate" call from the sub coordinator, I say yes. That means someone else took the job. :o) Okay just came in from my first batch of work. UGH..I better be better about this next year!!! I cleared probably 3x9' and it doesn't look like I did anything! found a baby red potato growing in the mess..Moved it to where I'm going to plant potatoes this year, and marked it with a pear pruning. LOL I saved some of my prunings this year for bush pea and bean supports. I hope they don't try and sprout. LOL About weed control..usually I will take a bit of kitchen scraps and scatter them out and lay corugated card board over them and weigh them down with rock. The "live" critters come eat, the cardboard breaks down and the weeds are kept to a minimum. Or usually easily pulled out. That's my trick..and if I do it..it makes a big difference..even if I don't do it until the late winter. But I live in the coastal region of Washington, so weeds grow all year long..especially in the winter/early spring!

Very pretty, indeed. I love the fabric...It's great to know how to sew, you can save a ton of money and change things all the time! I have tons of fabrics as well...stored in big tubs that are stacked on top of one another in a large guest closet. It's a sickness. Next time I go to my wonderful fabric guys, I'm going to bring my camera. You won't believe how much fabric they have...they ship all over the world (not retail - wholesale)It's a fabric-holic dream... The place is huge...I went 2 weeks ago to look for my dining room chairs and went home with samples, but nothing was right. I'll have to go back another day, when I have more time to look. When I went, I said I wanted something for my dining room table to use for protection, so I don't have to use the pads all the time...He gave me a huge bolt of the stuff for free, He said here take it...They are so nice these two guys. They sell me stuff for 1/2 of what I pay in the fabric stores and give me extra too... :)

Sorry! I got your email a day or 2 ago, but my time here has been limited - been digging post holes and setting posts for more bonsai grow benches - not used to such hard work after the long winter. Finally a summery day today with temps above 70*! Rockin'! You're caught in a catch 22 situation. It's the amount of food the tree makes that determines how thick/strong the trunk is, and the leaves are the food factories, so eliminating them actually slows down trunk thickening. Light is actually the key to upright ficus retaining the ability to support the canopy. For now, concentrate on getting the tree in the best light you have (outdoors is best), and don't remove the leaves on the lower trunk (they're strengthening/thickening it). Other than support the trunk mechanically, your only option is to cut the tree back. This works because 1 degree of deflection in a 3 foot tree is a bend of only 3/5 the deflection in a 5 ft tree, AND, a 3 foot stick is harder to bend than a 5 ft stick because of the difference in leverage. Don't lop off the tree just above the branch. Ideally, you would remove a leaf or two just above the new branch, and tie the new branch to the current main trunk so it starts to grow upright. Essentially you're using the current trunk as a stake. Once the new branch is 'set' and growing vertically on its own, you can sever the current trunk just above your new leader. Alternately, you could simply remove the leaves above the new branch on the current leader and leave a stub tall enough to tie the new leader to. You can move the new leader gradually by tightening the cloth ties that secure it to the old leader every week or two. That's exactly what I'm doing here on this Korean hornbeam I grew in an area dedicated to large bonsai starts - only I'm doing it on a large scale. Bonsai trees need to have a LOT of taper. Part of the branch on the left will be purposely thickened and used in the composition. Originally, that branch was almost horizontal. It needs to be moved about another inch toward vertical, which I'll do by continuing to tighten the wire. You could also use wire if you cushion the new leader with soft cloth. No need to cushion the main trunk, because that's going away in a month or 2. The new leader (my tree) hasn't erupted from the small branch yet. ALL of the trunk above the branch I'm bending will come off once the branch is fixed in place - at least a year. You can do the pruning work you decide on now, then repot in mid-Jun if you like. This thread, about maintaining trees in pots, will help you with the root work. If you still have questions, ask here or there. DO stop back before you do the repot, and use the time between now and then to figure out what soil you'll use - a very important consideration. I realize the problem with following my advice lies in the fact you need to do things to the tree that temporarily make it less attractive in order to develop something you can build on. I understand that it's normal for you to look at the tree now and me to look at it with an eye that sees it several years from now, so if you feel like you can't bear to start whacking away at your tree - I get it, I really do. The main consideration is that you feel comfortable and optimistic about anything you do. I hope that helped. Al

What a lovely thread! I love and adore the birds in our yard. I never noticed the mockingbird " mocking " or singing at night but I'll listen for it. We have one in particular that is always been by my garage and twice this week gotten trapped in my SUV when I leave the trunk open to unload. I have many cardinals , a few blue jays and one downy woodpecker. Lots of mourning doves and to my delight a handful of eastern bluebirds as well . And in late summer sometimes I'm blessed to see a pair of quail . I have a cavalier spaniel who is very quick so the quail tend to move along :( lots of frogs / toads here too This middle bird: no idea what kind but one of them flew into our garage and got let into the house accidentally for 3 days! He stayed in our Christmas tree! It was hilarious. He was very hard to get out of the house Love the hawks and the herons when we catch them too . Birdwatching is a favorite hobby of mine !