Hi Harvestman- No need to feel bad. On the contrary, you opinion (which was shared by a couple other posters) gives me a more balanced, and probably accurate, view of Liberty. Perhaps weÂll get a couple cool summers, and IÂll wonder what the heck I ever saw in it! In addition to all the normal variables that affect an apple, (location, climate, soil, weather, etc), I think this is a good example of when we evaluate a particular apple (i.e. I like it/ I hate it), we see that not everyoneÂs criteria is the same: A) A commercial growerÂs #1 criteria might simply be the name any name that isnÂt recognized by the public might not sell well. B) Perhaps a moderately-apple-educated grower like found on this forum might have flavor to be their #1 criteria. They know how to care for apples, and they want the best possible product. C) Perhaps a home-grower might have low maintenance as their #1 criteria. After all, anything that they grow themselves will taste much better than anything found in the stores, and really, theyÂre too busy with work and taking the kids to soccer practice to worry about their apple tree. I think IÂm somewhere between B & C. Perhaps youÂre somewhere between A & B? Anyhow, in the future, I really look forward to trying some of these really exceptional flavored ones that people keep talking about! Thanks as always for all your advice (even when it isn't what I necessarily want to hear! :-) ), -Glenn

Yes, it is Botrytis fungus, or possibly Alternaria. Botrytis germinates when the roses are wet in cool weather. It can also cause rotting of petals, balling of flowers, and black canker on the bark near cuts or frozen tissue. It is very hard to control. Effective sanitation is probably impossible in the outdoor garden. Frequent calcium sprays promote resistance, but that's a lot of trouble. I just discard the rotting flowers. The disorder will go away when the weather changes.

Hello, Annie. A picture would be very useful in this case since now is a time when many hydrangeas develop fungal diseases. Leaf spot is the most common and, at times, looks like brown spots. Most people take no action this late in the year because the plant is about to go dormant and the leaves will dry off. At that point, you can just throw the leaves in the trash (not the compost bin). Hydrangea blooms change color many times throughout the year, specially in the fall. Many colored varieties will be turning brown this time of the year so, if yours is doing this, it may be doing that simply because it is "that time of the year". That is not to say that this is THE reason though. Premature change of color towards brown can also indicate that the plant is not getting getting enough water. Since you are concerned about watering issues, manually check it. On a daily basis, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and see how the soil feels. If it feels dry or almost dry then water. If it feels moist, do nothing. If it feels wet, try to see why since the soil should not be wet unless it has recently rained or something like that. After a while, you should notice that you are watering on a certain schedule (every two/three/etc days) so set your sprinkler to water on that frequency. As the temperatures change (10-15 degrees) and stay there, you may want to manually recheck. By the time your plant goes dormant, you can reduce watering to once a week or once every two weeks. Remember to water during dry winters too. Jfraga, what variety of hydrangea do you have? Browned leaves that start brown in the edges indicates lack of moisture so check your plant as I described for Annie and water it. If you have a small (new) shrub, you can start with 1g of water every time you water. Does that help you guys? Luis

Hi Prairie_north: I check on Pro-Mix HP (65 to 75% peat moss, perlite, lime, wetting agent) http://www.pthorticulture.com/en/products/pro-mix-hp-mycorrhizae/ "PRO-MIX® HP MYCORRHIZAE™ HP - high porosity PRO-MIX® HP, with its high perlite content, provides a growing environment which benefits growers looking for significant drainage capacity, increased air porosity and lower water retention. The added benefit of a fibrous peat moss and coarse perlite ..." I notice on the last picture, the pot is sitting against a black saucer, which means water won't drain fast enough. Rugosa HATES WET FEET. Rugosa is known as "beach rose" since it thrives on DRY & SANDY SOIL. The Pro-Mix-HP has fibrous peat moss, which doesn't drain well like sand, plus peat moss when gets too wet, become acidic. Tip-wilting is indicative of acid-burns ... years ago I had the same problem with one of my band in an acidic too wet potting soil. How to fix that? Take the saucer at the bottom out, and use 2 wooden planks to elevate the pot, to air out the bottom. If possible, drill extra holes at the sides around the bottom, to drain off excess water. pH-test the soil with red-cabbage juice. The best potting soils I used become "clear" in red cabbage juice, which means it's a good buffer & neutral pH. The exception is MG-regular-potting soil (green bag for indoor plants) with a higher % of peatmoss, means more water-retention capacity, that became light pink in red-cabbage juice I still have problems with the over 65% to 75% peat moss content. I would add more perlite. When I root roses, I use 1/2 perlite to 1/2 potting soil (already has perlite), yet that doesn't drain fast enough, I have drill extra holes at the bottom of the pot. Rugosa doesn't like fertilizer, so aim for fast-draining, that way you won't get minerals-accumulation either from your tap, or excess fertilizer. I really think the saucer at the bottom is the culprit. That's why stores put their rose-pots on wooden-planks, for best drainage and airflow to the bottom.