Sunshine Blue is at least somewhat dwarf. The others can be kept small by pruning. Mine are in pots and I like the added height. Here is a link that might be useful: JF&E blueberries

Ok for 2013 I got decent trees. They were big, and some do not like that. I would have preferred smaller trees myself, but I can't complain as they were in such good shape. I ordered trees from Bay Laurel in CA and Grandpa's in MI Excellent trees all of them! 4 from Bay Laurel, and 2 from Grandpa's. If you live in the East you may want to use Grandpa's. Bay Laurel has to send out by March 7th or so. But even here in MI the ground was workable. They all went back into dormancy when planted, and are now coming out. The trees from Grandpa's just came last week and are fine. I have wet clay here, and the trees from Bay laurel are on citation which grows well in wet clay! From Grandpa's the peach was on Lovell, a decent rootstock, and the cherry on Gisela, but most are not! They vary by cultivar. I was looking for Gisela. I ordered raspberries from a few places. The best was Indiana Berry, and they were cheap too! $3.25 a plant. I ordered Prelude, Encore, and Anne. Bare root. All had exceptional roots and one cane over pencil size. All are still dormant, but a bud formed on one cain the last couple of days. We had a harsh cold spring, so that didn't help in adjustment. I for sure will look for cultivars there first. I also ordered a currant and it was decent looking, bare root dormant. Stark brothers also gave me decent raspberry plants bare root too. But tell them a date, they tend to send too early!! I had to keep a blueberry bush inside, and then hardened it off, and planted just in time for a freeze, so it is struggling. Raspberries are all still dormant so no problems with the freeze.

Thanks to all who responded; since it is too hot here to mail order anything I can only look at my little Belle de Crecy and plan for next year and talk. Thanks for giving me the chance to learn. Ann- I forgot to say how much I liked your comment "none of this screaming magenta that sellers want to call purple." There is a lot of wishful thinking out there when it comes to colors - almost as much as with fragrance. Lynn- I hope they do well for you, but please let us know regardless. This is "zone pushing" from the other side. Melva- Thanks for the information. What is "Rush Family?" I couldn't find it on HMF - is it a found rose? Olga- I see now why Michael made the comment he did. Wow! (Perhaps it is best that I can't order right now after seeing that list.) I hope some of you will post full bush shots when your roses are in bloom. Elizabeth

Kentucky - I have been trying to figure out how to make some raised beds- or raised pots for the front yard landscaping. I don't want the look of basic garden vegetable beds for around the front of the house though. I thought maybe I could dig 2 ft hole and put a 2 ft raised planter on top of it, that night work. I iam also thinking about making very big planters (they are ridiculously expensive to buy. I am not sure about the aestetic for my front landscaping, but after considering many materials and my craftsmanship capabilities I have a plan. I will just have to try it and see how it looks. It could sit above ground, part in ground or in ground. My design is 2"x2" wood frame cube (or taller) dark cedar stained (ECO friendly and plant safe). Side and bottom panels of 1" hardware cloth. Inner lining of natural burlap. It would sit on 8" concrete blocks (in ground) with the hole side up foradditional drainage. Inside bottom filled with river rocks then another lining of burlap to contain the soil and the plant and finally mulch on top, of course. It would have to be big enough to allow 3'x3' space for the roots to grow in the soil area. Again, the aestetic is the probelm (aside form all the hard work and digging). I think it wold look descent but odd. To build a retaining wall for the space under the front window of the house would not look right eiterh at the height I need it to be. I think the real solution is to pay for a backhoe to come in here and excavate the clay and then have new soil put in - way too expensive for me right now. I do have one narrow strip on the west side of the front yard that I am lining with concrete blocks to build up that soil area. I plan on very tall trellises lining that hill (all my land is hilly) and covering them with rose and jasmine vines as a privacy fence. The probelm is the area is part shade - never sunny and that is not goo for any of the plants I like. I bought the Charles Darrow Hybrid Musk for that location as it is reported by others to grow and bloom very well in shade. I also have some varieties of Jasmine that might do in that spot. I am also thinking of Camelias and Sky Pencil Holly. My Hollies are about 1ft tall now. It will be years before they grow big enough.