Getting that time of year and plans are to once again try to get one more rambler going. Every rambler I have tried for the last couple years has not lasted the season or ended up so weakened it dropped dead the following spring.

This year's prospects or victims (whichever way you want to look at them) are:

Don Juan - This is supposed to be fairly tough and highly regarded in areas where black spot and powdery mildew is a problem.

Alchymist - Somewhat familiar with this one but never tried it myself.

New Dawn - We'll see about that.

Cl Jeanne Lajoie - Cool Name.

I figure one of these four may make it to year two. They were on sale anyway.

We decided to try something else where the Malus Prairie Fires recently expired and that something else is wine grapes. I actually made a couple calls and did a little research on this, didn't care for the advice I got so I settled on the Marquette Grape.

"Marquette is a promising new red wine variety that combines high levels of cold hardiness and disease resistance with excellent wine quality.....

"Adaptation. Marquette appears to have considerable promise not only in the Upper Midwest, but also in Eastern grape growing regions such as Michigan, New York, New England, and Quebec."

The problem I think will more than likely center around leaf scorch and dehydration from the summer winds. With that in mind, I am thinking a east / west orientation with wind breaks on either side might do the trick.

I ordered three, figuring one will promptly die. We'll see how that works out.

Anything else of interest......

Not really, other than we might soon to find out how Canadian GoldenDoodles adapt to the Great Northwest if the time frame is right.

If it isn't, we are looking at red or apricot standard poodles. Not exactly garden related, but if any one has opinions on standard poodles, we would be interested.

My experience with poodles is specifically confined to the little teacup and slightly larger old, almost always white football dogs with the gray circles around their eyes, tear streaks down to their nose and temperments paralleling those of dachshunds.

I am sure you have seen them - walk by an expensive full sized car and get startled out of you skin by a pint sized Mike Tyson wannabe, held by a little old man or lady who just can't quite seem to figure out why their darling little poodle is going nuts yapping at you, an innocent passerby. Makes me wish I carried mace.

~dRahme