hey even with trees... each has its own season .... when it is in full glory .... and i treasure them.. FOR THAT SEASON .... IMHO .... the tri color's season .... is spring and early summer ... mine ALWAYS starts looking ratty in late august ... by which time.. i either have... other things to look at... or just dont care ... and mine has been in the ground for 10 years ... short of every single leaf turning brown and falling off.. i wouldnt worry about it .. yours is younger.. so extra water wont hurt... but i wouldnt worry about it too much .. as to the others.. are you sure a gallon of water is worth the effort???? ... if you have 7 trees .... e.g. .... i might prefer you gave one tree all 7 gallons one night .. and a different tree the 7, each day of the week .. rather than giving them all a little bit.. all depending on your soil, etc .... it is better to water DEEPLY and infrequently.. rather than otherwise .... sounds like you have a great collection going.. keep up the good work ... ken

My sedums aren't blooming yet, but they were taken from plants just like you said. I stuck them in the dirt and kept them watered. I cut back bee balm, shastas, even my hibiscus. It makes for a fuller plant and lots of blooms. Almost all perennials can tolerate this. Great too for staggering bloom cycles to extend the flowering time. Cut 1/3 of the plant when you see buds. Cut another 1/3 a couple weeks later or just as the buds are opening. Leave 1/3 to bloom as normal. It also staggers the height and helps hold up the tallest stalks that weren't cut back. The Well Tended Perennial Garden. Can't go wrong with that book.

This is a great thread. We're not remodeling but building a new house, and man, can I relate to a lot of these. ...you know every lighting fixture, faucet, sink, appliance by memory because you have endlessly researched each one. you freak out your own GC because you can discuss minute details about your house/kitchen from memory down to the 1/8". you have more e-mails from your GC/subs than you do from your friends. you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat about some critical detail and then go downstairs to e-mail your GC about it right at the moment before you forget.

This is so sweet! I must join the crowd because my 4 and 7 year old have been drawing the new layout for our renos too. (I'm thinking to swap the kitchen and family room). Every now and then I get a, " I have a great idea! How about we put the kitchen over here?" (The kitchen has ended up being swapped to the location of the powder room!)