Is one color of mulch better than another?

wow how pretty!

What a historical little tree...I certainly have a touch of Lynnie's zone envy here. Now you have the whole story on the orchid tree.

Yeah a pretty tree with historic and intrinsic value...how interesting! Perhaps I found a new source of bookmarks lol...

A brag link....chuckle, snort

twincol, take a chain with a hook, wrap it around the rose bush and hook it to the bumper of your car or 4 wheel drive if you can get to it and pull that sucker out of the ground.. I moved several shrubs from the old homestead and they are still doing great in their new home.

Linda, since you are not interested in keeping the plant, that could be a possible solution....squeeze a little round up on the left over roots....grin

Knockout also has out a patio rose if you can find them. They don't get very tall.

Yeah I found a nursery very close to my house that sells many varieties of knockout roses. I believe a visit is in order!
On another note, I think I'm going to do the stop sign next! Not far from the eyesore of a light pole that I beautified with oleander is an eyesore wooden stop sign lol...why is everything in my yard? Any ideas on some shorter zone 10 plants that would go nicely around it? I want something compact, not leggy, easy to maintain and keep discrete (I'm not sure whether the HOA would mind), and possibly a bloomer. The spot is full sun.

Surround it with Chrysanthemums. low growing, evergreen, blooms twice a year for a fairly long time and only need to be cut back twice a year....never have to worry about blocking the sign. Just need full sun and moderate water, good drainage....and there are hundreds of varieties and colors galore

moonhowl - those Chrysanthemums are beautiful! I've never really seen flowers around here like that, except for annuals. I'll definitely look around at something like that. I'm the type of person that likes evergreen "woody" type shrubs and plants. I'm not one to plant annual and I'm having a pain in the arse time with my cannas so I guess those types of plants don't like me or something lol...

Cannas require a fair amount of attention if they are going to look good...here they get infested with a leaf-roller worm that prevents the leaves from unfurling so they can nest inside...by the time you notice the leaves aren'y opening, the little buggers are everywhere and you have to open the leaves by hand to get insecticide on them....by then they have eaten away the surface of the leaf....I am just not diligent enough....

There are many perennial varieties of Chrysanthemums and some of them form nice shrubby plants.

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/perennials/chrysanthemum.asp

the second link has links to pictures within..

http://perennial-plants.suite101.com/article.cfm/chrysanthemums_for_the_garden

Yeah I've been treating these cannas since day one. I've had leaf rollers, caterpillars, snails, and slugs. If there's a pest cannas are susceptible to, I've had it. I cut them to the ground and had them re-grow, and experience the same problems. I've got them growing back to about 2' high now and they are looking good for the most part. Hopefully I can keep them healthy enough to grow tall enough for some bloom stalks!
By the way, thanks a bunch for the links. I'll look into it!

That's why my cannas are all the way in the back of the property...just not going to invest major time catering to them...

You are welcome for the links, I think Chrys.'s are a near perfect plant for the not a lot of time gardener