I moved into a new house in central Texas ( west of bee cave off 71) a few weeks ago. First thing I did was turn off sprinkler system. It's just a waste of water. I suggest you do the same. We had a lot of rain last week that should keep ground moist for a good while for the new roots. Yes, they grow new roots as I've found out when I planted trees after removing Bermuda sod pieces. Bermuda doesn't really start growing till high temp reaches 80s daily which is when you first fertilize. Look for Texasweed's Bermuda Bible. It will tell you how to take care of it.

Thanks for the compliments everyone! The roses sure loved the rain we've been receiving. I can't wait for the other rose bushes to bloom... Wilo, most of my Austins were purchased from Dirt & Roses, a local nursery in Pflugerville, who I believe purchase their roses from Chamberlee Rose Nursery in Tyler. When Dirt & Roses does not have a rose that I really, really want, I then shop at the US David Austin website. All of my OGR are from the Antique Rose Emporium, which I simply LOVE! A.R.E. is like a big candy store for us roseaholics!

They normally do not mind the 20s for extended periods but I prepare them by watering deeply on the night before the cold (cold = 32F or less) fronts arrive and by making sure the y are well mulched with 2-4" of organic mulch to or past the drip line. One set is on the north of the house and the other on the south side (protected by the house from northern winds and protected from the sun). We got down to low-mid teens this winter twice and had no issues other than some flower buds that browned out in the japonicas. No bud drop as a result of the cold so I am happy. They basically stop blooming (if they are blooming) or delay blooming for later. The first time that we dropped to the teens last year, the sasanquas were finishing their blooming so they stopped blooming and restarted blooming with a handful of flower buds two weeks ago. The second time that we dropped to the teens in January, the mid-season blooming japonicas were not blooming yet so the japonicas delayed blooming & started blooming about two weeks ago. Then a late blooming japonica began to bloom last week; not sure if it cared about the cold as it normally blooms late. Flower buds for me can hold on to the mid teens if I water deeply the night before the cold arrives. The plants should be able to carry on even much colder temps. I am in the DFW Metroplex. Hurst is almost touching the western side of the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport in north-central Texas. Sasanquas and japonicas in the Hill Country and here require amending the soil to acidify it. I amend with garden Sulfur, greensand, iron-chelated liquid compounds, etc in Spring and sometimes again in the Fall if I notice signs of iron chlorosis. The Piney Woods Region is the only location where the soil is typically acidic enough so as not to require amending this way. Areas where you have caliche soil would present the biggest problem to either camellia as the fibrous roots in the top few inches would have difficulty penetrating the soil. Sasanqua leaves suffer less from summer sun than japonicas do here. There is a shopping center that has them growing in full sun at all times of the year and they do fine even thru our daily 100s in the summer. But they will require that their soil be moist as evenly possible (not periods of dry soil, followed by wet and dry soil again). I keep them well mulched and I water deeply so as not to have to worry much about it. If unsure about whether they need water, I insert a finger to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. Start with 1 gallon of water per watering for a new shrub of the size typically sold locally (2' tall or something like that?) and tweak that as needed. More or more often in the summer & early Fall; less often in winter. But plan to water thru winter as well since dry years may cause the semi-dormant camellias to need water. I almost lost one camellia when I shut off the sprinkler system at the start of a big cold spell and then forgot to restart it after the cold left us a week later. As for planting location, I give them summer sun until about 10am-11am. Dappled sun is also ok. So is bright full-time shade. I have a single japonica that gets sun from 11am-1pm and some (very few) of the leaves get sunburn but usually just a handful... 5 or less say. It is getting big so I cut the leaves off if they look ugly. I am considering putting shade cloth in that area though because of other shrubbery that is more sun sensitive than the camellia. Regarding wind in a planting location, I would choose a location with less winds (or something that blocks wind somehow): light summer winds help dry out the soils and require more watering $$$. ;o) I had a japonica in a location that was subject to wind and it required hand watering in the summer, something that is not fun when it is hot outside. Does that help, jaceymae? Luis

We had a great time, I'm lucky to live close to such a cool group of people to talk plumies with! We covered a lot of topics, they ranged from overwintering to growth habits and everything in between! It's nice to be able to discuss particular plant issues or situations we may have and get direct advice from one another. K even brought some show-and tell which was really interesting. He had some storm damaged branches he brought and showed what the storm had done, how he had calloused the end and had pictures too. Sometimes plants are exchanged, we talk about any upcoming shows, plumie trips, good vendors, any blooms we have or potential blooms, any problems we may be having, really whatever is on our minds. It's nice to get together with a group who only halfway laughs at you for having "a lucky rooting spot" LOL! It was really nice to see you guys and thanks for all the plumie talk!