300ga stock tank pond, 3/4 buried in the ground (5'x5'x28"). ~1000gph submerged pump goes to a 60ga DIY skippy-type filter with scrubbies, rocks, and lots of plants on top. Water flows out and down a small stream back to the pond. Six 6-8" goldfish/comet/shebunkins and 1/2 a dozen babies. Spring: Raise the potted plants from the bottom, re-pot and fertilize. Drain ~1/2 the water and clean out any debris on the bottom. Put the plants back in and start up the pump. Fill the skippy and put plants back in it. Buy new oxygenator plants. If the water turns green add prefilter of quilt batting or window screen to pump. Clean once a week for a couple weeks until the plants get growing and the water clears, then remove. Summer: Prune plants and remove yellowing pads as necessary. Remove string algae from the stream once in awhile. Watch so the watercress doesn't plug up the skippy outlet :) Feed the fish 2 or 3 times a week. Fall: Stop feeding fish when water temp Winter: Just before the first snow or hard freezing pull the pump, clean it and store it inside. Drain the skippy and flush it with the hose (this is the only time I 'clean' my skippy). Leave drain plug out for winter. Add air stone and tank heater to pond. This year I'm going to cover 2/3 of the pond with plywood or foam board. Fish stay in it. I have clear water except for ~ 2 weeks in the spring. I try to keep my fish load low and have lots of plants. I rarely have much string algae, my fish seem to like to graze it down. I have a 2nd pond a bit smaller with a 640gph pump and a 1/2 whiskey barrel skippy that I remove all plants and fish from and let freeze for the winter (it's a liner pond and only 18" deep). Otherwise maintenance is the same.

If it will protect my rose's from looking like crap in 125F heat I am willing to try it. I don't get to enjoy my rose's in the summer in the Arizona desert my growing season is when most of you are buired under the snow. I dread summers but have to stay her until hubby retires. I am willing to try a product that claim's it will stop the stress my rose's are under in Jul, Aug & Sept. I will not build a cover in my front yard that I have to take down in the winter and apply and pay for a building permit with my city hall. A product I can spray would be easier and less expensive. If I lived in Zones 5,6,7 & 8 I would poo poo this product too but when one struggles with 125F in the hot Az. heat you try anything to stop the roses from being under so much stress. I have tried tons of organic products to help with summer stress to no avail. I am always on the look out for products that are somewhat sold at a reasonable price( I would only need the 16oz size).If you lived here and put up with the ugly leaves, the proliferated blooms you would be looking for new products to stop that too, and they get plenty of water and mulch, I do not feed them in the summer because of burn. I think I will try it, unless someone here has a better idea then building a structure in my front yard. Carrie

Ingrid, though I don't have any information to provide about Classic Woman I just want to congratulate you on your newest rose acquisition. Looks like you got a terrific rose! And it is great that you have the fitting companion plants already in place. I am curious to know if you detect any fragrance on your CW. Masha, your photos of this rose are mouthwatering! I think to combine it with a Gaura is a very good idea. Jeri, to my knowledge there are annual morning glories and perennial morning glories. My understanding is that the annuals also die here each year in CA without getting frost because that is just there genetic life span and if you want to have them again, you have to grow them from seeds next year. I don't think that they do any harm at all to the rose and they are easy to pull out. I believe nastarana is recommending one of those. But the perennial morning glory, which I think is called 'Blue Dawn Morning Glory' and is blue with lavender streaks and throat "is the devil" you are talking about. I have them in pots and I make sure that they don't wander away and root themselves somewhere close at the ground. My neighbor has these morning glories and they constantly come over the fence, through the fence, under the fence and try to find a place to live in our garden. It is a pain to not let that happen, a constant battle of pulling and digging!

Heere another favorite Flower Girl this one I got from Amity's Roses back when they were an all own root nursery. I've it for 12 years or more. In all that time she has never had a spot or mildew also apparently immune to anthracnose. She is normally a bit more upright I gave her too much nitrogen last year. Also spent to much time growing rather than flowering as much as normal. Won't do that again. Next to her is one of several gladiolus that I have had nearly as long. This is it's third time moved. Moved it right before our first wretched polar vortex winter and it lived. These are summer glads that should not be even close to hardy, I never dig them up to store them. They always come back even when the ground freezes below the bulb. Trust me here as it turns out glads have an amazing survival skill. I dug a clump a few years ago as it wasn't performing like it should. Well it was a giant stack of bulbs. When the bulb froze it would grow a new one on top so there was always the top couple still producing green leaves. Maybe glads always grow this way I don't know. All I need to do is take off the top bulb and replant about 8 inches deep and its starts the whole again. It was a stack of ten bulbs. One for each year it was planted. Sorry that was so long especially if you don't like glads.