We don't have 30' spireas because they are not capable of living long enough and holding their stems up long enough to reach 30'. Long-lived shrubs like camellias do grow 30' tall, after enough time has elapsed. Redwoods over 300' tall still grow taller every year. The upper height limit determined by how far up they can "pump" water is not exceeded because when that happens the tops die back, to start over again. Uppermost annual tip growth may also be very slow on these towering, ancient trees. Which takes us back to what I said before, "halts completely yet remains vigorous and healthy". What shrubs have you seen that look great yet are not growing taller at all? Answer: none. Commercial sources don't want to scare people off. Give height estimations given a good dose of skepticism. And keep in mind these are usually for comparatively short periods of time, like 10 years. I've seen older specimens of plants repeatedly described as growing say, 6' tall that were multiple times that height.

Hi there: I haven't been on for quite some time because I am busy getting ready for Christmas - baking fudge and cookies for the kids, doing some craft projects, and making sheers for my new 5 foot window (what a job), with just the small dinng room ones to hem. I haven't even thought about WSing yet. I had a visit from a gardening friend about a month ago, we did some seed exchanges and I put everything away in the basement until after Christmas. Last year I did some solstice sowing - all roses - but none of them sprouted so this year I sowed some cuttings a friend was going to throw away and to my surprise they all succeeded. I had some in the ground and some in pots (which I am overwintering sunken in the ground and mulched) so I'll see what survives. In any case, I now know how to get rose bushes established during the summer with ease. Wendy, what a lovely bed you created last year. During the Fall, I created a new bed next to my cedars using card board, kitchen scraps, shredded newspaper, coffee grounds from Starbucks (they will keep it for you in large heavy plastic bags), cuttings from my perennials and chopped leaves (with the lawnmower) from my large maple. It gets some morning sun but lots of afternoon sun and I am hoping to make it a Salvia bed. A gentleman on the Hummingbird forum sent me some nice varieties last week so I hope to have lots of hummers and butterflies next year. By using my leaves in the new bed, I put out only one garden bag this fall - containing flowers which I did not want to re-seed in my bed or the compost. Gail, I had a look at the red bed you referenced, but I think yours will be more striking against the barn. BTW I did get the seeds from Trudi and I will try to arrange the stamps after Christmas. I also see you were asking for Pulmonaria, so I saved some plants that I was going to throw out for you. They were in a place that I removed them from after cuting down a tree. I guess some pieces of roots or even seeds were left there, but they won't survive there and I have plans for the space anyway. We can discuss that later in the spring. Right now my deck is filled to the brim with snow and my backyard has snow up to my armpits, so the thought of winter sowing anything seems quite remote. I don't know if I can get into my shed to get my pop bottles which I so carefully washed for re-use. I may have to start all over again. At any rate, I won't be sowing until sometime in January as DH is planning a February vacation this year. Hope you are all well. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone - we'll catch up in 2008!!! Northerner.

I just thought that some of you unfamiliar with frozen forms of precipitation need a quick crash course. From a previous post: "The freezing rain was pretty solid pellets, bouncing off the car, but they were teeny tiny not hard enough to be called hail" You don't have freezing rain. That occurs when rain falls as a liquid, and freezes on contact with the earth's surface. That only occurs when the temperature of the air higher in the atmosphere is above freezing (hence the rain) but the temperature at the surface is below freezing. Freezing rain is what causes "ice storms", when everything (trees, roads, etc) ends up covered in a sheet of ice. very destructive. You don't ever want that! When Floridians put the sprinklers on during a sub-freezing night to coat plants in ice, that is man-made freezing rain. You don't have hail either. That occurs with strong up drafts during spring and summer thunderstorms. You are probably experiencing some sleet. Those are the really small frozen grains bouncing off your car. Sleet occurs when rain (liquid) falls through a layer of below freezing air and freezes into a small frozen grain before hitting the surface (in contrast to freezing rain which stays liquid until contact with the surface). And even though the temperature at the surface may be a little above freezing (say 35 degrees), it is not enough to melt the sleet particle before contact. Snow occurs when the air above the surface is all below freezing. The snowflake then falls to the surface where the temperature may be slightly above freezing. It may melt on contact or lead to a small slushy accumulation (in your area) or 2 feet (my area-sometimes anyway). Enjoy!

I didn't see it but I hear we got a dusting. We did get quite a bit of well-needed rain the last few days. Took the car out and let it get rain-washed. We've had a lot of cold weather and it's damaged the apple crop. So we're not going to have the fresh Honey Crisps available most likely. Some others too. But that's how it goes.