I was just thinking today that I can't wait for our upcoming spring flush!

One project on the list at this time. Have a big propane tank, placed in a very visible (and nice full sun) place on our property. I'm going to surround 3 sides of it with new roses this year (can't put anything on the 4th side). Thinking it will be a total of 3 per side - so whoppee, an excuse to add 9 more roses which will put me at 80.

Have two roses already ordered for February and I can't wait! Twlight Zone, the new Carruth HT, dark purple big bloomed offspring of Ebb Tide and Della Reese. And Stainless Steel which I've been wanting forever. Thinking Koco Loco would fit in wonderfully with the group. Not sure what the rest will be yet.

Then will have to see which companions made it over the winter, and which ones will give me an excuse for some new creative inclusions. This is such an anticipatory time of year...

Harmony, I would love to hear bout Twilight Zone. My DH was fascinated when he saw pic of it in a recent program Tom gave.
I am REALLY sorry to hear that Tom is retiring -- but I hope that in retirement, he will continue to look for interesting crosses.

OUR plans include some travel this spring.

First to the Sacramento Cemetery for the April 21 Open Garden. Can't miss THAT!

We won't be at the Celebration of Old Roses, this May in El Cerrito. Instead, we're going to Tulsa, OK for the Dalmatian Club of America National Specialty Show And Trial -- which as it turns out isn't far from where Sammy lives. :-)
All of the Long-Haired Dalmatians get to be entered (which will certainly ruffle some feathers!

Post-Specialty, we'll head East, stopping in AR and TN to see family -- maybe going all the way to VA -- then looping back South and East, through TX to see family, friends, and gardens.

I'm hoping for maybe Hollywood Cemetery? Lynchburg City Cemetery? And in TX, maybe the Tea garden in Chambersville, and maybe that garden in Needville? Maybe ARE? (How can we go through TX, and not stop at ARE?)

Then, back here to spend the summer trying to corral our own garden, while getting ready for the October Seminar in the Sacramento City Cemetery.

It sounds like a full year, but it's one spring season in a Motorhome. :-)

Jeri

I carved out some new spaces for roses this fall and am all ready for the new arrivals. 14 of them, many of which were suggested by folks here on the forum. Can't wait! The final list of new arrivals was:
PICKERING--
Aloha
Jacques Cartier
Rose de Recht
Pretty Jessica
HEIRLOOM--
Louise Clements
Lady of the Mist
Frederic Mistral
Star of the Nile
Wise Portia
Lady Jane Grey
ROSES UNLIMITTED--
Yves Piaget
Liv Tyler
Peter Maayle
Colette

They've all got spots with fresh amended soil prepared in the garden, thanks to the extended, warm fall and early winter. So can't wait for winter to be over already so they get here and I can start planting. We have witch hazel in bloom at the moment and a first fuzzy white little catkin opened on my miniature willow, so spring is indeed thinking even now about staging a come back!

Since I am (fairly) new to rose collecting, I will be adding more roses. My son was sweet and ordered Queen of Sweden, Mortimer Sackler and Falling in Love for my Christmas. I have plans to visit Witherspoon's next month to pick up a doz. that's on my wish list. I will also be adding tons of perinnals for a cutting garden.. Tons to do at our new house....

I am so looking forward to spring! There are three things that I am really looking forward to :)

1) I have an obnoxious amount of roses ordered and have their delivery dates spread out throughout spring. About 30 new roses I believe...plus currently working on an order with Burlington for about 6 more once I find out what Burling has avaiable, so far, Greensleaves, Purple Buttons, Senegal, Authur Bell, & Wedding Cake (yes, I know that one is sketchy).

I also need to finish the beds I started last summer! It seems I do everything backwards (always...lol) I have all my roses from last year in the ground with munch around them & I have the beds bordered with railroad ties...however, I haven't finished mulching the beds. So right now it has a nice border...and the bed is filled with grass and weeds, filled in by roses with little circles of mulch around them...a funny sight!

2) Me and the person I refer to as my "other-half," whose real name is Bill, will finally be getting married in April after 5 years! So that will be exciting! I also think my parents are thrilled that their 34 year old daughter is finally tying the knot!

3) I volunteer every Saturday at a no-kill animal shelter (I also work full-time, but the shelter is where my heart is), and once the wedding is over, I'll have more time to devote to the shelter and fundraising efforts. The shelter and roses, are my two passions and occupy most of my free time (but it would drive me NUTS to sit still for any amount of time anyway :)

~Tammy

Jeri, if you go to the Chambersville garden, you will be about 1.5 miles from where we lived for many years. I hated it that they put those gardens in right after we moved. Boo!

This is the year where I finish figuring out that area by the long boring wall on the north side of the garage, I hope. I found an old door at a junk shop, painted it blue and dh hung it on the wall and put a frame around it. We put in a stoop of sorts and some rocks for a path to the door that goes nowhere. I've added a couple of plants, but I would like to see some of this bloom to figure out whether this is a dumb idea or not.

My Christmas present from dh was some beautiful raised beds which we put in the gravel pit of an unneeded parking area. I hope I hope to have a small potting shed back in there, asparagus beds, and an arbor for some the climbing roses that are in pots.

This will be my third year here. This is the year I hope that White Cap and Clair Matin will bloom more, that the Lemon Blush hybrid alba I got as a cutting will bloom. That the gallicas, now in their second year, will maybe bloom more and I can tell if they get enough sun back in the woodsy area.

Spring, I can hardly wait.

My, all of your plans sound way more ambitious than mine, lol!

Your propane tank rose garden sounds great, Harmony!

Jeri, I got tired just reading that schedule, lol. Have a great trip!

stlgal, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of all those new beauties! I remember when I bought that many roses in a season. No room for that now!

Queenbee, roses are an addiction and sounds like you've got it. But starting a new garden is both a challenge and great fun!

Best Wishes to you and Bill, Tammy! That's wonderful news! I hope Bill knows he's marrying a rose-aholic, lol!

Harborrose, I like you path and door to nowhere idea!

Thanks! He apparently told one of his co-workers "you just don't understand about the roses, she'd kill me if I hit them with the mower" lol...I think he gets the point!

He still doesn't quite understand the name thing. When we first met & he saw all their little metal labels, he thought I had gone around naming them like they were my pets or something :) He must have thought I was a real looney-toon!

Put all the roses in pots in their place in the garden. Expanding the HT bed out back by 4 bushs. Order 2 Crescendo & 2 Kardinal. Finnish my OGR section. Finish the Mini/miniflora bed. Order Pierrine, Alysheba, Louisville Lady, Leading Lady for this spring also. Put my rugosa in the ground on the side of the hill out back. I think I'm going to slow down a little when I finish this spring. Might exhibit at a few shows this spring. Will be talking with the county hospital about putting in a small (?) garden by the main parking area. We'll see what developes with that. A lot of folks up here in this area have a hard time keeping roses alive more then 3 or 4 years. I'll have to work on breaking that rut.

Seil, I've never posted any photos here before (although I take quite a few) but my big Christmas present this year was a 'real' (not just point-and-shoot) camera. A Canon T3i. Just got a macro lens and at present I'm getting a lot of photos of last year's clematis, rose hips, willow catkins and witch hazel, but can't wait for the chance to photograph all of the roses with my new toy! It will make watching them bloom even more enjoyable. I'll figure out how to post a few this spring for sure...

Hi everyone. I'm an old poster who disappeared for several years since I had moved into an apartment with no means of growing roses, and then moved again into another (95 year old) home with a horrendous weed filled garden. Finally managed last summer to get it cleaned up and renovated and ordered about 8 roses of varying types from Regan and David Austin (I've ordered from DA before) to place around the yard.

I'm hoping they will do better than at my old house which didn't get very good sunlight. This home has better placement, not perfect, but certain pockets of it will be much more conducive to rose growth.

I purchased one climber and the rest are a combination of hybrid teas, floribundas and OGR's. Some I grew before, other's I'm taking a chance on. All, were chosen for scent; it's a priority for me.

So I'm just trying to figure out where they are all going (I also have a balcony that gets full sun so may wind up with some up there too). Just had my arborist over the other day for another reason and he mentioned that the soil in our area is great for growing roses and that my property looks like it will turn out just fine as far as light requirements. Can't wait to start stocking up on amending necessaries and all that other good stuff so it's all ready and waiting when the bare roots arrive late March/early April!

Hello everyone! Hope you're all having a good new year, I've been super busy through the winter but I finally got a chance to come visit the forum again. Sounds like everyone has a lot to look forward to!

My #1 project for the spring is to get an irrigation system installed, it's something I've been meaning to do for years and now it's reached the point where it's becoming a necessity.

I also have a couple of new beds planned that I want to get tilled up and ready for some of my potted roses and other companion plants.

The 'big' project this year is going to be inside the house instead of out in the garden, my bf and I have finally decided that it's time to renovate the kitchen so we're saving up for that one, it'll be a doozy.

Other than that I'm looking forward to seeing the 3rd year of growth on a lot of my roses, as well as some new beds blooming after their first winter in the ground.

Happy new year and good gardening!

I didnt care much for my roses last year, I inherited about 48 8-10 year old bushes that were dying, infected, etc. I did water them and brought back to life and used chemical fertilizers. This year I plan to prune them hard next week. level the entire area and compost it with composted horse manure, and then much the whole thing. Also plan to put my drip irrigation correctly and be ready to enjoy my roses.

I am also trying to germinate rose seeds from some of the most beautiful roses I got last year, that is where my focus and energy would be this year. Got tonnes of massive hips ripening. here is what my garden looked like last year

https://plus.google.com/photos/105911197060126477579/albums/5647907297344526529