I am feeling the same way. Today I was wandering around looking at the blossoms that will fry and wondering which will be spared. Some little buds will escape but many of the thin petaled roses will be utterly ruined. I hate the yo-yo spring weather in So. CA this year. I was even thinking a few days ago that some of the roses are enjoying a longer than usual season. For instance my blush Boursault which is still going and the extended bloom my Peach Silk has had. I believe that my lovely Jasmina show which is now at its peak will be blown to bits so I was sitting on a reclining patio chair today just enjoying looking up at it. Tomorrow morning I am going on a rose gathering walk and will move the little bands to shelter under the big tree. You have the right idea to enjoy these beautiful flowers indoors rather than watch them get destroyed outside.

Well, from another thread, I stand corrected: apparently bouquets of dahlias without fillers sell quite well! So perhaps the key is "not to worry". Since I'm not in business & am only serving my own aesthetics, my comment is not educated re: the selling public. For next year, plant some feverfew, lady's mantle, queen anne's lace, and maidenhair ferns. There are many others, but those are my faves. I'm always on the lookout for others. I'm partial to those with chartreuse, as I think that color complements the brights really well. Good luck with your sales!! Karen

I should have added: I take garden bouquets to friends who are hospitalized or home-bound. We get the the tiny bouquets made, of all kinds flowers blooming at the time, to test what will keep the longest for them. A couple of weeks ago, at a bride's request for a bouquet from my gardens, I made a bride's table bouquet. Lucky thing it was right at the time my Muscadet lilium were blooming--white oriental lilies with small red/fuchsia dots in the throat. I couldn't find the right container, but did find a long narrow ugly brown one for the long narrow table. About 15 coats of white paint and it was ready to go. The neck flared a bit, so I added a necklace of braided pearls with wire ones sprayng out in every direction. Filled it with the huge lilies (about 10) and one starting to open bud for a bit of contrasting form. I topped it all off with pics I made of wired sprays of pearls for a bit of height. It received lots of very positive comments: "You should make a business of it" "They're prettier than the professionals." I had been so nervous about it--not the kind of reaction I like from gardening. I had so feared everyone would think it not up to par that this pleased me greatly. It was the only arrangement the bride wanted to take home. Not to brag, but...chuckle gramma jan

Hello dear Florence, Yes, I hear from Grace from time to time. She didn't 'officially' move out since most of her belongings are still here....and so is Zeus, thank God! She pops in every couple of weeks to grab some of her things and to give Zeus a hug. We are on good terms and she always hugs me and tells me she loves me. Her life is a mess right now and I think she feels she has brought too much trouble onto me to still live here, even though I have never asked her to leave. When she got arrested because of the boyfriend and the drugs in her car, she lost her car and had to pay a huge fine in court (which she borrowed from me and paid me back with her tax return.... it took all of it). So since she no longer has a car and is working again, she is staying with a friend who lives closer to where she works. Her lifestyle is not what I want for her and she chooses to hang around the wrong kind of people, but she is an adult and my hands are tied. However, we remain friends and on good terms. I just wish she would come to her senses and realize that she is going nowhere with the choices she is making. I feel like the mother is always the one that the children lash out at. My youngest, Tiffany, treats me with such hostility whenever she is mad at her deadbeat father.... he lives all the way across the country and rarely calls her and is in arrears on his child support bigtime. She can't lash out at him since he's not around and says how much she hates him (to me) but the 3 times a year he thinks to call her, she acts all sweet and loving toward him. For some reason us mothers are the 'safest' to hurt and treat badly because our children know Mom will always forgive them and will love them no matter what. I am certain that with maturity and a lot of patience, our children (and your granddaughter) will come around. Sometimes it takes becoming a mother themselves to comprehend all that they take for granted now. I had hoped that my daughters would gain that knowledge by watching me care for my own mother. My mom was cold and distant to me all my life and we were never close. Once she got the Alzheimers she became kinder and gentler and I am learning to forgive all the past hurts. Maybe one day my girls will learn to forgive me as well, for not being perfect. One thing they have always known is that my love for them is unconditional. They know they can always rely on me....my arms are always open. My love to you.... Celeste