Thanks so much for all the help, and for putting my picture up! I think I will experiment this Winter by putting one rose in a barrel with the bottom removed. I'll leave the rest as full containers. If the bottomless pot rose does as well, or better than the full pot roses, by next Spring, then the next step will be designing a 2' high x 3' wide "raised bed", or brick planter parralel to the sidewalk, leaving a few inches between the planter and fence for peek-a-boo flowers, like feverfew, cosmos, or other annuals. On the lawn side I will continue the brick into a 6"mow strip I can live with the 7 barrels if I know I have a plan.

I also had this happen, so has the Huntington. Mine while I was giving a program for free to a garden club group of little old ladies, one took my crystal bowl, what I was using to display a flower I found it in her bag that she was taking home. Plants have been stolen right under the gruards nose at the Huntington, $10,000 of Schick Hybrids, and we had a lift of $30.000 Bonsai plants over the the five foot fence, it had to be an inside job with a truck. The place has guards at night they must leave at the front gate past a guard station. They had to have a large truck for a lift of that size and a crew of at least 4 men. It happens. I am so sorry that it happened to you. Norma

I was sad to find that the PNW Gardening forum disappeared with the new changes, it would be great if one could be created. Also, I am trying gardening in straw bales this year, and it seems a popular enough method of gardening I would love to see it have a forum as well. In addition to all of the props straw bale gardening is getting I would add this; I garden from a wheelchair, and the straw bales are the perfect heighth for me to work on.

Poets love words and put them to surprising uses at times. There are many poets in my Facebook circle of friends, it's sometimes surprising what inspires one to write. Even if the result turns out to be a doggerel it's obviously a creation, they have an ability to go beyond the obvious. Russel Means, a fine representative for the indigenous fellow citizens, appeals to me. I don't know why so-called odd-balls, outlaws and outsiders appeal to me, maybe it's my inner outlaw that wants to listen to them (smiling)