It's a very specific question. Actually, people are doing you a very big favor by not posting. Is knowing this is a good rose in South Carolina really useful information if you live a few thousand miles away? Published hardiness information on practically every rose is suspect. Unless you can track it back to a specific place, set of cultural practices, etc. it seems to turn into the absolute furthest north somebody has ever managed to grow the rose and have it produce a flower. This ignores the fact that most people want a bit more security than that, and that the northeast tends to be harder on marginal roses than the midwest. IMO, this is the biggest single cause of people having trouble with roses in this area - the inability to get reasonable information on rose performance in this region. It's one thing to try growing a difficult rose understanding that it is going to be difficult. It's another to totally underestimate the amount of trouble a rose is going to be because the growing information has been cribbed from a totally different place. My potted roses move into the garage any time the forecast lows are much below 30. They do need to stay out in enough cold to persuade them to go dormant. Keeping them on the dry side might help with this, but that isn't usually going to happen this time of year unless they are under cover. Lately, they've been going inside for a bit while we visit family for Thanksgiving, but go in for keeps sometime in early December. The pots tend to be pretty well watered at that point, and they will be fine until they break dormancy. That's the tricky part, since the garage roses usually start growing in late February, weeks before anything starts going on outside. After that, they will need regular watering, and it helps to get them outside during warm days in March. When they were smaller, I used to store them in cardboard boxes so they were in the dark. That just got too difficult when they started getting into 14"+ pots. A few years ago, I used to have Souvenir de la Malmaison in a pot. It was an end of season leftover from J&P found locally, and was never really in the best of shape. I had it for a couple of years, then lost it during a cold snap in the spring.

I love these threads too! Mr Morton, Yeah! for Benjamin! I still remember helping my kids to learn to ride their bikes. My son went straight from training wheels to BMX racing. Gosh, he was a little dare devil :0 I have had a lot of dragonflies in my garden this summer too. They never sit for very long except in the evening and then I find them resting on some of the rocks in the flower beds. Of course as soon as I try to get a closer look they begin the same dance that you describe. Your garden sounds really lovely even in the fall Mr.M. All of your planning and rearranging has paid off eh? Annette, it sounds like your garden, too, is hanging on well into the fall season. Your husbands work sounds really interesting. I too would love to see some pictures of your pretty bowl. Jean, Aww, it's so hard letting go after all the years you've hung on and hung in trying to get them to this point in life. Have faith...he'll do fine. Sending you good thoughts for your tests tomorrow. I had cervical cancer two years ago so I know how much anxiety goes along with these things. Rainey, Happy Anniversary! And also, congratulations on rescuing that swing from the trash heap! You have the best luck with finding great things. And Congratulations TM!! A sweet new baby to cuddle and spoil. How lucky you are! Tracy, What colors are you using on your new home? Have you taken before and after pictures for us??? LOL I've never heard of a costume wedding. How fun! How about going as Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers? Gardening is pretty much over for me. Rabbits got all my seedlings that I started last month. Just petunias and BES blooming now. We are getting plenty from the garden now but we are just eating as it comes. I'm not doing any canning this year as I just don't feel up to it but I have put several quarts of tomatoes in the freezer. They'll come in handy this winter for soups and chili. I've been helping my daughter plan her January wedding via email and phone. Not what I had envisioned when I thought of her future wedding while she was a small girl but it is none the less coming together. I have started on a Double Wedding Ring quilt for her. Her colors are Husker red (big big fans) and white with touches of silver so I am doing the arcs on the quilt all in shades of red. I have everything cut and just began the piecing yesterday so I have a ways to go on it. I hope she loves it when it's done. I am using my machine to piece it and will do all the quilting by hand. My DD2 started high school two weeks ago and she loves it. The first couple days were difficult for her but she's settling in well. There are 8 girls in her freshman class and 24 boys...YIKES! LOL We've been teasing that each of them will have three dates a piece for Prom next spring. This next week I will be going to the city for more tests (CT's) on my spine. Also I will have my second year follow-up, check-up since having cancer in 2005. Wish me luck! MeMo

Thanks, Ladies! I appreciate your kind comments. Nothing like a bit of validation to make hard work worthwhile! Vaodiva, I just judge by the individual coleus. If it is beginning to lose color and I can tell it's not going to last much longer anyway, I let the blooms form. But if it looks like I can get another month out of it, I keep pinching or even shearing the tops off. Regine, some of mine still look good. Those pictures above were taken about 3 days ago. But some have had it...like this one. Eeewwww. This ONCE was a gorgeous Blackberry Waffles. One of the darkest purple-black ones out there, with big, full leaves. But it has now faded to an ugly color and the leaves are burning & shriveling. If I had left it in a container, I could have moved it to the shade as soon as it started to fade, but it was in the ground. It can take full sun until about August, and then it rapidly declines. This was once beautiful, yes, but I finally had to go ahead and yank it out. I should have taken cuttings, but didn't want to take the time to pot them up. Marcia

DeeMarie: Did your MIL accept the invite? Why not ask her to teach you how to cook a Hungarian dish? She'd just have to supply you with an ingredient shopping list or maybe you guys could go shopping tohether! Couldn't DH pick her up? HAHA. I'm trying to make your weekend MORE busy for you! LOL! :) Raeanne~ Enjoy the weekend! Man, your kids sounds like jetsetters! They travel as much as you do! Marci: Glad you had a goood start. Hope Tuesday is smooth sailing. QOD: Today, I'm headed downtown for a lunch. It's DH's last day of his internship. Then I have to do some biz at work and get an emissions test on my car. Hope it passes. Tonight, DH and I are headed out to a quick dinner and a drink while one DD is at her high school football game. I have to be very, very careful eating out as I think I am entering plateau territory in my weight loss. The good news is I have lost over 15 inches in bust, waist, abs, and hips. Saturday, we're all going to the last fair of the year---it's the biggest. But if it rains too hard, we'll pass on it. Sunday is a birthday party for a family friend of my youngest DD. I will stay at the party to help my friend with her new baby while she runs the party. Baby holding!!!! I love it!!!! Then, later, we're having our neighborhood picnic and BBQ. They have it on our community tennis courts (lots of room!) and are having one of those blow up bouncy room-things for the kids----and lots of food---POTLUCK! There are 42 families and usually a good turnout. I am in charge of one of the grills, so I'll be having fun for sure! Somewhere in there, I have to balance a checkbook and reconcile 2 credit card statements. And there's the ever-present laundry! BESH! Are you still on WW? Check in! Have a GREAT weekend! Cheers!