Oakes usually ships quickly. I certainly would request prompt shipping.

Welcom, Soxi! Thanks for posting the photos; they really help. I would agree with those that suggested that you plant on both sides of your entry sidewalk. Your walkway will go through the garden instead of being the edge of the garden. Over the years, I've yet to make a garden too wide, but I've often had to widen them. I've also had to whack things away from the house so it could be painted, so I'd suggest leaving a minimum of 2-3 feet between where the plant's width will be at 10 years (the usual info given for mature size, though most will get larger) and the house. I also don't like the look of plants lined up - I prefer having layers of plants, and I include bulbs, shrubs, vines and perennials to provide a longer season of interest, so bed depth is needed for that. I try to include at least some hardscape (like a trellis, birdbath, etc) or evergreens in most of my gardens so that there is some visual interest between when the first frost kills most of the foliage and when everything is buried in snow (or in years like last year with little snow, for most of the winter.) As Mad Gallica mentioned, often this period is several months of the year, so anything I can do to make March and November and any other snowless months less dismal outside, is all to the good. This isn't a foundation bed, but this could be done on a smaller basis in a your beds. A good chunk of its interest is year-round, and the evergreens and trellises add interest as background and support for the flowers in the growing season as well as providing all the interest during the 6 or 7 months in the non-growing season. From December 2010 In laying out the shape of the beds, be sure that they are easy to mow - don't make those inner curves too tight. I use the black plastic edging buried up to the top bead just outside of the bricks which edge my beds; the grass hides it and it keeps the grass from growing between the bricks. The lawnmower wheels run on the bricks and the blade misses the plastic edging, so a separate pass to edge the bed isn't needed. While I don't find the plastic aesthetically pleasing, it does reduce maintenance without being too obvious. Here's a photo of a bed edged this way, and you really can't see the plastic. From June 5, 2012 As a relative beginner to gardening, it's easy to get caught up in just the flowers, but also try to think about foliage. Varied leaf shape, color, and texture will add to the appeal of your garden even when there isn't a lot in bloom. Check to see if any of your plants have nice autumn colors. Try to plant so that you have at least some plants in bloom all through the season as well. The annuals will help with that, but also try to spread out your shrub and perennial bloom.

No, you don't need to prune them right down. You can either leave the pruning til spring or I just prune back by about 1/4 to 1/3 and get rid of any dead or spindly canes. Then mound the soil around and gently on top of the plant. The canes will stick out of the soil mound a bit probably. You could try getting some bigger pots and sinking your mini pots in those. Then I would put those bigger pots into a cardboard box or something (open at the top) and stuff the box with wood chips or leaves around the sides of the pot to insulate against freezing and thawing. Still mound the soil. Don't let your pots dry out over the winter if they are under cover. Dehydration can be just as bad as freezing.

My Musa Basjoo Bananas didn’t survive the Michigan harsh winter this year. I planted them in August last year which was probably a bit too late. I’m wondering if anyone Musa Basjoo Bananas survive last year winter? How did you winterized them and how old are they? I purchased a warranty on the banana trees and wonder if I should get them again. This year I’ll plant them sooner, probably in May. I want to make sure that they can really survive in zone 6a even when we have harsh winter like the one last year. Thanks.