Rebecca, I've had Felix LeClerc for about 9 years and I echo the fantastic comments of everyone about him. He's among the first roses to bloom in late May here in zone 5, and he's totally cane hardy and pretty indestructible. It took about 4-5 years before he rebloomed very well, but now I get blooms pretty steadily into July, and scattered blooms off and on even into November. As for height, I think we'd be in the same boat being in close zones. Felix is hardy to zone 3 at least so I think you're still looking at cane hardiness. Mine is about 8' tall and he puts out laterals pretty well, so if you pull the main canes horizontally along your 8X4' trellis you should be able to get it fairly well covered after a while. Like all climbers, he takes a good 4 years to come into his own so be patient. Also, I find his canes to be pretty stiff so I wouldn't expect to do the zigzag canes you can do with more flexible climbers like Crown Princess Margaretha. You also want to make sure your trellis is pretty strong, given that those sturdy canes can pull down an average wood trellis in the wind. You didn't ask for pictures, but here's one of Felix trying (and not succeeding) to pull down a 6' fake iron (aluminum) fence. You can see that even 4' or so away from the fence he can easily reach the top. For years I didn't realize he was supposed to be a climber so I kept pruning him lower to keep him in line. Fortunately it made him bush out and he's forgiven me since. Mine was from HCR too and he's absolutely fine on his own roots. Have fun Cynthia

Actually, John, this is the latest theory here, at least in my neck of the woods - do NOT amend soil. It is better to top dress than to amend. I just attended a seminar through the San Diego Horticultural Society. One of the most renowned urban foresters in the country, Robin Rivet, happens to live in San Diego county. She spoke about how to correctly plant a tree, and did confirm this is the latest recommendations. UC Riverside also recommends the exact same thing, based on my class I just attended there, "Citrus in the Garden" taught by Tom Shea and Dr. Tracy Kahn. So, my information is coming from pretty substantial sources. Our chicken manure in bags is well cooked. Actually, your best, best manure is chicken, then horse, then cow. At least, this was the information I received at my Master Gardener's classes through Purdue University. Here's the info from Center for Urban Forestry: "Do not amend the soil. Adding soil amendments to the backfill is another discredited practice. Some bagged soil products advertise adding one bag (3 cu ft) per tree. The tree roots need to get into the native soil as soon as possible in order to encourage them to grow beyond the dug hole. Amended backfill soil, while encouraging of root growth for a short distance, stunts further growth." You can access this document here: http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/391-272.pdf So, this is the current thinking. It is new, John, and based on some recent research. So, sharing what I've learned recently from some very astute and well-experienced sources. So, perhaps the gurus in Texas might want to confer with the gurus in California! I think the logic prevails with planting in native soil. You can't possibly amend soil in a large enough hole to assure proper root growth. And, your amended soil will eventually revert to native soil, so that's a huge amount of effort that will not assure solid root growth. The thinking now is to try to replicate what nature does - provide good organic materials that support excellent microorganisms in the top soil by top dressing, that will percolate down to the feeder roots. It makes much more sense to me. I respect the folks in Texas, they're great and do a wonderful job with their citrus. But in this, I respectfully disagree with them :-) Patty S. And from UC Davis', "Questions and Answers to Citrus Management" by Tom Shea and Dr. Peggy Mauk: 2. When should I plant, how deep should I plant and how big a tree should I plant? The best planting time is after frost danger (after February 15 in the Riverside area) and before the onset of hot weather. Although fall planting can be successful it is generally better to wait until spring. Always choose a location that has full sun throughout the day. It is best to plant in well-drained soil (see Q. 3). Dig the planting hole as deep as the root ball and as wide or wider than the root ball. Be certain that the tree is not buried below the graft union. The graft union (slight dogleg shape in the trunk) should be located several inches above the soil level. Trees buried too deep may not survive. It is always best to fill the planting hole with the same soil that was removed when digging the hole. Do not add any mulch or potting soil into the tree hole. These materials retain more water and may increase the chances of root rot." I understand that the citrus gurus in Texas are great folks. But perhaps they might want to confer with the citrus gurus in California who are espousing an updated philosophy about amending versus top dressing. This is supported by some fairly significant research, John. If I can dig up the research, I'd be happy to send it to you. But I'm sticking to this. It just makes more sense to me, and the research backs this up. Patty s. Here is a link that might be useful: Center for Urban Forestry, San Diego County Trees: Proper Planting

I understand that US zones that, broadly speaking, get hotter as their number increases. But the zone system, as I understand it, is based on minimum average Winter temperatures, not summer temperatures, which can vary widely withing the same zone number. What I am trying to get at is the answer to the question as to whether currants and gooseberries are said to be restricted to z8 and below because of their requirement for Winter chill or whether it is Summer heat which restricts them. As you can see, using the US system based on Winter temps I would be in z8/9. But I have very cool summers compared with most US z8/9s. 90f might occur maybe 1 or 2 days in an entire summer and would be considered an unbelievable heatwave. For example, I can't grow melons and even tomatoes are iffy outdoors. But and Ribes grow fantastically in my climate. In containers the roots of your Ribes will get much hotter than in the ground so the combination of being in pots and in a hot position is just about the worst. In the ground and with some shade they are likely to do a lot better. Again I stress that faffing about with fancy soils is not going to make much difference to them. Shade, moisture, compost and mulch will help them, however,

We have a large number of Phlox paniculata ("tall garden phlox"), planted and maintained (with periodic division and soil upgrading) close together. We have little or no powdery mildew which I put down to garden hygiene/more freedom from stressors, nor any other diseases/pests affecting our phlox. Normally we see very little yellowing of leaves, but this year there's been maybe half a dozen smaller phlox, all planted on or close to the edges of the flower beds, with extensive leaf yellowing. I've cut the affected parts back and if the plants don't bloom this year that's fine. The one very notable difference this spring (even into the summer), compared with previous years, has been an excessive amount of rain. Soil which is holding too much water interferes with/prevents the absorption of nutrients by the roots of plants. The result is plants that struggle to survive and may die. I'd be pretty sure this is what has produced our yellow leaf effect. The plants became weak/sick because the soil around them was waterlogged for too long a time so they were nutrients deprived.