Hey Teri -- no problem ! You can plagiarize all you want !! I'll get out some emails to the regulars that I have email addresses for. Some of them don't stay on GardenWeb all the time and may miss some of our postings. patty

As long as you mean "boxed" roses - and not "own-root" roses, which is a whole other story - you certainly DID buy them from Brock's in the past, but in recent years they have shifted to "potted-up" plants (which gives a larger profit margin) and fewer boxed. Lowe's already has them out at their Old Bridge store, and Gasko's (outside Englishtown) had plenty of them at their season opening last weekend. But I agree with "Ofionatcha": why not buy them on-line from any number of reputable sources - my personal favorite is Heirloom Roses (Oregon), from whom I've gotten some really splendid plants (which are also "own-root" !). . . they have well over two dozen Austin's, plus hundreds more. A passing comment about Brock Farms: I live right here in their hometown, and given the remarkable diversity of nursery stock available in or near Monmouth County, you might be wise to check out some of your other options. Carl Here is a link that might be useful: Heirloom Roses

While hydrangeas in general are better in acid soils, according to author Scott Ogden they will grow in alkaline soil as long as it is well amended with compost and the bed is shaded. Our limey clays are mineral rich, but it takes humus to unlock that richness. Oakleaf hydrangea has a greater tolerance to limey soils than other species and hybrids. In Central Texas it is combined summer heat and humidity that causes failure even in many heat-tolerant plants.

Kim, Prayers for fast healing for you. Bon, Where would we be without our beloved OK Mesonet? It has all the most helpful info in so many different formats. I just love it. I'm glad Bill made it home in time to chop wood. Hopefully that wood will keep the stove fed and keep you all toasty warm. Maybe you coulda/woulda/shoulda been chopping wood, but we know that it wouldn't feed your soul the way that gardening does, so we totally get it. Your wind chill was bad and it was bad so much earlier than ours. The cold front didn't make it this far south until tonight, but we're plenty chilly now. Megan, If you need some time to just chill, then allow yourself to do that. I think when our bodies are telling us what it needs, we need to listen. With a three day weekend, you should have adequate time for chilling and seed starting. Enjoy your holiday weekend. dbarron, Maybe the cat and dog were just playing and neither is too much of a fraidy cat? I'm glad you got the car into the garage so you won't have to chisel ice off the windshield later. The plants don't seem as bothered by the cold as we do. I guess that's because they are out in it 24/7 and are somewhat better adapted to it perhaps. Rebecca, I hope the procedure went well and that you and your mom made it home just fine. Y'all, the models look like somebody is going to get some snow next week, but I do not necessarily think it will hit many of us unless something changes. We have an unexpected, last-minute bonus weekend with the older granddaughter this week as her dad is unavailable for his weekend with her. Well, his loss is our gain and we're going to enjoy having her here with us, though she might climb the walls a little bit without her little sis around to play with. Of course, we can do things we don't do when little sis is here, like maybe go to a more mature movie (something not G-rated) or to a restaurant that little sis doesn't like. Tomorrow will be just her day and she's already voiced her opinion on where we should eat lunch. : ) Before they called to see if she could come stay with us, I had thought I might do a little plant shopping or something tomorrow but I think instead we'll do something she'll enjoy. It still is pretty chilly to be buying plants, especially since the cold weather doesn't want to go away. I'm ready to do some gardening, but the weather isn't really right for it yet, especially with the persistently soggy soil. Dawn