Hi Lori..The trick is rotate 1/4 turn once a wk..this way, even with finiky Ficus, leaves shouldn't drop and all sides of the tree get an even amount of light. Hmm, prune one side??? Do you think? I can't picture what your tree would look like with one side full and the other cut..(S). What are you going to do? You know, if it was my Ficus, I'd wait..spring will soon be here, and new leaves will sprout. Lori, do you fertilize plants? As soon as it's time, I'd go with a fertilizer high in Nitrogen, though don't overuse..Follow instructions, actually it's best using half the recommended dossage.. If you can find something like 30-10-10 or similar..First number higher..Also, I'd use Epsom Salts..I've tried ES's on my hibs recently so it's too soon for results, but ppl I talk to who use it regularly, swear it's great..I believe them.. I think with summer, fertilizer and ES's, you'll have a lovely tree..It's got a lot of potential, Lori, be patient, Toni PS. If you use Superthrive, add 10 drops per gallon of water..Works great..

I wasn't planning on forcing dormancy as I don't have a place that I could actually do that. With regards to putting it outside I could do that but am a little worried that with it's current growth it is really susceptible to wind damage. If possible I'd like to keep it indoors. I have been rotating it's position as it grows to try and get it to grow a little more fully (which may be part of the reason it's so topsy turvy) and if this is a fine approach I'll continue to do so. The plant does have one may 'Y' of growth and several branches from each split so far. It has actually been Y'd for almost 2 years and still no hints of blooms. Keep the input coming :) Regards, Joe

Hiya, Boxo! hehe even poor Eluane is limping too! She's got horrid stomach problems this weekend and I have to bring her to the vet. My L for lovely Border collie. my only redeeming garden presence, is now floored and very sick, poor little Ellie bear! I am thinking that maybe when she went to play with the neighbor's kids, their lawn may have had a treatment of grub killer. Eluane is very sensitive to grub killer, such as Merit, and she got similarly sick when grub killer was applied to my lawn (3 days after light rains) from last year. I am feeding her pumpkin and rice tonight! Whoo-hoo, the KG stalker gets to see your gorgeous camelia and rhododendron additional shots! I can't stop drooling over the closeups of Thundercloud and but alas, I think you ought to post them! The Rose Gallery is missing a treasure house without them!!! Had I had the chance I would have put up a special link of your lacy pink rhody as a comparison of someone who perfectly captured the heart of their rhody with their camera compared to my burnt out purple centers (camera nincompoop is my alias). But lol if you post it up for me, I will make direct reference to which photo I am talking about, LOL! it's the first photo on your Back album. O.K. rabbits and those ants are a huge pain! Ants are actually just as persistent and can really swarm a place down! However ants, lol! are smarter than stupid bunnies. Ants are constantly building things and working like an "army" and strategizing where to take over! All bunnies know how to do is proliferate and drive Kansas gardeners berserk! Boxofrox, Gemini isn't a fragranced rose; I just happened to have a sport-fragranced rose. It doesn't even look like the Geminis that I've seen either. It looks like its parent instead. All the Geminis are way lighter pink than mine was. So I think you made a terrific choice with Sheila's Perfume and Double Delight. If you didn't mind old garden roses, there is one gorgeous red-and-white striped rose that I hear has beautiful fragrance but I'm not sure if your wife likes striped roses. It is known for wonderful, wonderful fragrance. I want to get this rose too, but have saved it for 2011 because my favorite vendors were not selling it this year. When I do grow it, I'll let you know if the fragrance is indeed what it is for your wife's 2011 anniversary. I know that Florence says that her Compassion is supposed to have gorgeous scent and I've seen her photos and it is an amazing beautiful rose (you have to go back a few threads to see it). I am getting this rose as well. Another very striking and beautiful intensely fragranced hybrid tea rose is Condesa de Stago. I hope Carla forgives me for linking on the google image I found. and another image I found of it Condesa de Sástago Compassion is like Tiffany in terms of being very fragrant but it's the Condesa which is the overwhelmingly perfumed from what I've read of it, so it must be similar to Double Delight in terms of knocking one over. Someone from Peter Beales is absolutely crazy about their Condesa and keeps talking about it all the time and Vintage Gardens also rates it as intensely fragranced. Not even Mr. Lincoln according to Vintage, is as fragrant as Condesa...???! P.S. This spring will be awesome for my Mr. Lincoln. He is producing so many buds this year. I can't wait! and neither can Mr. Bumblebee!

Jim, you made such an excellent choice! I love your roses because they all are known to have amazing fragrance to them! I try so hard to get roses with fragrance, but not always do I luck out... Zyperiris, I would definitely get Gemini from Jackson & Perkins...You will have better luck with them having fragrance at J & P because not all Gemini have fragrance...I love the scent of mine (smells like honey and and peaches)...Advantages of Gemini are that they flourish and look beautiful even in 95-97 degree heat; they are rated exhibition form roses by the ARS and are highly resistant to diseases and are very vigorous! Fragrant Cloud makes...delicious rose petal jelly--haha! man, when I eat that stuff I feel like I'm eating plums, super-saturated kick-pow jam, it's got flavor intensity to the max. It's got a very strong nice perfume, but my favorite perfume will always be Mr. Lincoln. Disadvantage of Fragrant Cloud is that it is very, very difficult to color match whereas Gemini looks beautiful anywhere you plant it! Special Occasion is a very beautiful rose but!!!!!it's got a split personality. It has a classical very lovely shape from young to maturity blooms, but once it's past mature it becomes an antique Souvenir bloom (google search Souvenir de la Maison) and you'll know what I mean. If you don't like the curliness and petticoat shape of this type of antique rose, you may not like Special Occasion... You see Special Occasion is a long-lived blossom, it takes forever! for it to fade and thus it has a split personality-- a breathtaking classical hybrid tea, but once its past its mature bloom stage, it becomes a cute petite OGR. It is now currently sold by Vintage Gardens. Mine was supposed to be exceptionally fragrant, but in my opinion it is only medium in fragrance so far...Also with Special Occasion it is OUCH!if you pick it up by the blossom neck-it's like a bristle brush of very tiny miniscule thorns...