I have Scepter'd Isle. It's a spreading bush (4' x 5'), best for a park. Someone in HMF also wrote about its octopus canes. Here in my zone 5a and own-root, it's uneven & spreading, with far-reaching canes. It blooms best if you let it grow wild and messy. What are other small and compact Austins pink? People report Ambridge Rose (apricot-pink), Wife of Bath (pink). I have Queen of Sweden (pink), it's upright, no octopus canes, but shuts down in the heat, and blooms when it's wet and cool.

Easy going is NOT hardy in zone 5b, Jay-Jay in the Netherlands, a warmer zone, wrote about it dying to the crown. Dave and Deb in zone 5, dry Montana, wrote that Easy going is NOT cane hardy, and "Easy Going gets 3 feet tall x 4 feet wide for us. Foliage is great, just like Livin� Easy."

Boxwood are water-hogs, and get big, and needs frequent trimming. I almost bought boxwood until I saw my neighbor's get to be over 4' x 4' if not trimmed. There's an evergreen that you don't have to trim: it's small globe arborvitae. I have both the green ones, and the golden globe arborvitae (google and you'll see how cute they are). I never trim them for the past 12 years, and they are 3' x 3' maximum.

Since you are planting roses next to boxwood or an evergreen, it will suck up all the moisture. It's best to plant drought-tolerant roses, and not Austins which do best in a cool and wet climate like England. Drought-tolerant roses are Carefree wonder, Carefree Beauty, Carefree Sunshine, and there's a Carefree salmon (absolutely stunning) that I saw at the rose park. In Cantigny park here of over 1,000 bushes, Austins shut down in the summer heat, but the Carefree series always bloom, regardless of the weather. Gene Boerner floribunda is another always blooming, beating Knock-outs by far.

I would place roses IN FRONT of Boxwood or evergreen, rathern than behind it. The evergreen is like a thick shrub that would block out shrimpy roses in a cold zone. Carefree series are shorter than Knock-outs. Evergreen will hog both water and sunshine from roses.

If you want something 3' to 4' tall and drought-tolerant, check out Kim Rupert's roses bred in his hot and dry Southern California. I have his almost thornless Lynnie, it's bright pink in hot weather, and red like Knock-out in cool temp. There's his thornless "Porcelain rose" which looks like a pink daffodil. There's purple "Lauren", hardy to zone 2a. There's "Too Cute" shrub, grown in zone 5a and 5b. Alternating a pink with a purple would be pretty. If you plant roses in front of evergreen shrubs, the low-thorn bushes bred by Kim Rupert would be safer along walkway. I got pricked plenty by my 15 Austins' far-reaching thorny arms. If an Austin has a climber parentage, it's not appropriate for walkway. I don't recommend the large Austin for walkway, where they'll prick knees or ankles.

Check out this picture of "Too Cute" shrub, with a strong musk fragrance, which floats in the air and perfume your walkway.

Here is a link that might be useful: Too cute rose bred by Kim Rupert

Since there is no patent on Kim Rupert's roses, it's cheaper than patented Austins. You can get Kim's roses at Burlington Roses in CA for $11 each in band size. I bought 4 roses there recently, and the shipping cost was $11 for 4 roses to my Chicagoland. Burlington Roses has Earth Song, best rose for a hedge, it's hardy to zone 4, there's a picture of a gorgeous hedge of Earth Song roses.

Buying mail-order roses is safer because of agricultural laws governing shipping I once got a slug-infested gallon from local Home Depot. The rose that I bought last year from Home Depot had Rose Rosette Disease (curly and twisted leaves, red dense thorns ...) I had to dispose both rose and soil. The 38+ roses that I bought mail-order are all clean and healthy.

I have Carefree Beauty, and it is a workhorse and has a great shape. I grew it from a cutting, which I'm no good at. It is blooming in our 98-100� days with high humidity. It hasn't been cared for except for occasional watering.

I agree about boxwoods - they are high maintenance plants, and there are more interesting small shrubs that you can grow that won't require the constant trimming and watering.

Not to be argumentative with Strawberry Hill, but 'Easy Going' is most definitely hardy in Zone 5 Illinois. It's own-root in my Zone 5 central Illinois garden, gets absolutely no winter protection, and has grown quite shrubby this year. It's in its fourth year, and has been blooming its head off despite the drought and horrid temps here. Illinois is quite different from The Netherlands and Montana's climates.

Thank you, Terryjean, it's always worth the try. I'm in zone 5a, so I'm cautious from reading this report in Dave's Garden from someone in zone 5, Casco, Wisconsin "Easy going croaked over the first winter ... Maybe it would grow better in a warmer climate, but for me it failed in eastern Wisconsin (Zone 5)."

Carefree Beauty and Carefree Celebration (apricot) are both hardy to zone 4b, and are sold at Chamblee's Nursery for $12 per gallon. Chamblee's roses shipped from there to my house have blooms and are big plants like at Home Depot. The shipping cost is higher, but it's worth it. Carefree Celebration is the best looking bush at the rose park, absolutely stunning, and fragrant like Carefree Beauty. Both are smaller than Knock-outs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Carefree Celebration rose sold at Chamblee's

'Easy Going' survived a stretch of -22F nites in January 3 years ago, so I'd say it's a keeper. Roses die for different reasons; some not related to winterkill. I've found out that voles are sometimes the culprit.

Thank you, Terryjean, much appreciated about vole, or field mouse info. I checked on plants that control vole, and found this info. from eHow: "Mint is aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. Not only does it resist vole damage, but when planted around the foundation of a home, will prevent mice populations both in and outdoors."

Mint reduces testosterone hormone in humans, and I supsect it acts like a birth-control for mice. I'll place more mints around the garden, in pots with bottom cut-off, dug into soil to prevent mint from being invasive. Last year I didn't see any vole-damage to my lawn, so the mint might worked.

Hi Full_Bloom: Check out the new planting zone for Illinois, you might be placed in a warmer zone. No luck for my northwest Chicagoland, I'm still stuck in zone 5a. The strong wind here might be a factor. Peoria and Central Illinois is changed to zone 6, only a few hours south of me.

Last winter I put plastic buckets (bottom-cut off) on band-size roses, and filled it with dirt. I'll do it again this year to keep the voles, or mice away. The shrubs like Austins and Knock-outs I don't even bother cover them.

Be careful about planting mint; it is very invasive. Once planted, it is with you forever. I don't recommend it in the garden unless you can contain it in pots.

Hi everyone...thanks for all the thoughtful and wonderful responses.

Strawberry Hill I have Carefree Delight and agree the Carefree's are the best for their dependability, unfussy nature and reliable bloom. But my Carefree Delight (they're about 10 years old) have grown to be over 5 feet tall!:-0 Guess I should have been pruning them all along, but they were so undemanding and healthy every spring, just never thought about cutting them back to keep them in bounds. I will definitely check out Carefree Celebration . Do you know if it stays shorter than other Carefrees?

Loved the arborvitae, but unfortunately, I've already purchased the boxwoods, so I am bummed to hear the concensus on them....lol. I was told the ones I purchased were a dwarf type, staying under 4' tall. I guess I'll be pruning alot. :-)

Ah mint...I have a love/hate relationship with it. Love their healthy look and they're are absolutely yummy in iced tea and mixed drinks, but boy the one I had nearly took over the whole bed. It was a lot of work getting it out. Next I tried growing them in a pot with some of my other herbs and they suffocated everyone else. Maybe I'll try again next spring, with a pot all their own.

Glad to hear Easy Going has been good for you Terry Jean. About how big would you say the blooms are? Are they a nice soft yellow to apricot color, as they appear to me in pictures? I think Easy Going may be the keeper.

Would still love more suggestions for a nice pink, if anyone has a favorite.

Any of you had any experience with Mary Rose or Princess Anne? Or any other suggestions for a nice full blooming pink with good disease resistance and zone 5 hardy? It doesn't necessarily have to be a DA rose (though I do like that many petaled look).

Thanks too for the link on Kim Rupert roses, I will check those out too.

Bishop's Castle is a winner for me. It has beautiful fragrance and color. It's about 4 feet tall here.

It gets blackspot and drops leaves in my no-spray garden, however this does not diminish vigor or hardiness. Repeat bloom is good.

Carefree sunshine is the shortest at 3' tall versus Carefree Celebration at 4' tall, Carefree beauty is listed at 4' to 5'. MichaelG in a high-disease pressure likes Carefree sunshine (yellow) for blooming non-stop. I saw Carefree Sunshine at the rose park - cute short little shrub, always blooming and clean.

Kim informed me that his purple Lauren is 3' tall in CA, should stay low in zone 5a. Double-bloom Flower-Carpet has many petals pink, very short under 2', and they bloom non-stop along road-side. That would be my top choice to line a walkway. The above are all disease-free.

I grow several kinds of boxwood, and some are very mannerly, staying well under four feet tall. Green Velvet has very fine leaves and maintains a nice round shape. It's somewhat over two feet tall. Winter Gem gets a little bigger, has coarser leaves, but still is well under four feet. I have a very small boxwood (can't think of its name) that is even smaller than WG or GV. In fact, the only large boxwood I grow is Green Mountain which grows to a point rather than a round shape. It tops out at six feet, but mine have not achieved that height. I don't water the boxwood anymore than my other plants, and I let them grow naturally which eliminates trimming to get that topiary effect. They look fine this way in my cottage style garden. Maybe this will reassure you. So go ahead and plant your boxwood. Diane

I have a few boxwood.. becuase the builder ordered them.. they are massive things.. IE as in really wide , but they are not that tall, with two trimmings a year they will stay where ever you want them.. I think they were the winter gems from my memory. I have to say, I have NEVER watered mine. In fact I was hoping they might die off lol.

But they wont, I dont think they will require that much care once established, people have been using boxwood for hundreds of years in formal settings.

Do you know what type you ordered?

I dont particular like boxwood and they smell like cat pee at times. But I know they have uses in the garden and a formal hedge is one you can use them for.

Silverkelt

Diane...yippee...it *is* 'Green Velvet' that I have. So happy to hear a confirmation on its small size. Thanks for reassuring me. :-)

Silverkelt...lol...you had me so curious about the smell, so I went out and tried to smell mine. Yes, I did detect an unpleasant sent, but I had to bury me face in them to detect it, so I don't think it will be much of a problem for me. :-) I actually liked the look of boxwood. Originally I was going to use Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls' to make the hedge, but decided to go with boxwood cause I liked the idea of winter interest & nice clean green foliage in all seasons. Plus, I wanted to plant tulips in this bed as well and thought planting them behind the boxwood would help to hide the dying tulip foliage. I hope my plan looks as good in reality as it does in my head...lol. I want to keep the front a somewhat formal and simple design.

Strawberry Hill...thanks again for all your thoughful suggestions. I really appreciate them. BTW, I *love* Cantigny and have been there many times....a beautiful place.

Krista, I checked out Bishop's Castle, just beautiful and just the form and color I was hoping for. Unfortunately, blackspot is actually the disease I'm trying to avoid. Can't have naked roses if they are in the spotlight. :-) I was hoping someone knew of a David Austin that was truly blackspot resistant and in pink.

Not to be a pest, but do any of you have experience with Mary Rose or Princess Anne? Or any suggestions for a pink rose (DA or not) that I want to go with Easy Going?

Hi full-bloom: Just got myself pricked on my index finger, very painful, by Golden Cel. I was cutting a bouquet for my neighbor, and got pricked while smashing a Japanese Beetle. My neighbor gave me the impression that Box-wood are high maintenance. She has hard clay like mine with her dead evergreens - she's out there watering her boxwoods and her lawn guy trims it frequently.

For the past 20 years, the pink bush that impresses me the most at Cantigny is Gene Boerner - it's always blooming with the most blooms. Short and compact (2' x 2.5'). I saw it on sale at Lowe's and regret not getting it. Gene Boerner doesn't have scent, but beat Knock-outs in being loaded. It's almost thornless. The bloom is more hybrid-tea style.

For a softer, rounded petals check out pink floribunda "Pride of Oakland". Kim Rupert breeds roses for disease-resistance and low-thorn. He used it to create thornless "Porcelain Rose". Pride of Oakland is spice-scent, sold at BurlingtonRoses for $11 per band. HMF says it's "rosette-bloom" form, continuous blooming. If you click on the Photo-tabs , you'll see it loaded. Gene Boerner can easily compete, but the bloom-form is pointy, less-Austin-more-hybrid-tea form. Both are floribundas. I stay away from shrubs like Carefree or Knock-out, and lean toward floribundas since these are smaller.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pride of Oakland floribunda, spice-scent

Thanks Strawberryhill...I really like both of the roses you mentioned, although Gene Boerner might be the better choice for me, as what I'm reading is that Pride of Oakland is only 2 feet tall? That would be probably be too short for what I need. Also love the idea that Gene is almost thornless.

I regret not going to Cantigny this June. I bet I would have found some great roses for my list of possibilities. Unfortunately I'm working a lot more these days so don't have as much free time. I need to get to Cantigny and Morton this fall. :-)

One of my shorter Austins that is a nice, soft clear pink is 'Pretty Jessica'. I grow PJ as a border rose in front of the sidewalk, and it has maintained a shorter stature, about the 2.5' at most. I believe PJ is available at Rogue Valley Roses as an own-root band. I also grow 'Gene Boerner', and of the two, I would go with 'Pretty Jessica' as a border rose. 'Gene' is more of a vertical, upwards growing rose, while 'PJ' has more of that boxy, short look I think you want.

To answer your questions about 'Easy Going', the colors are soft, apricoty-mellow yellow....not harsh, vivid yellow at all. The blooms are maybe a couple of inches across; I'm going from memory here because we're in the middle of a T-storm and I can't make it out to the hillside.

Good luck on your rose choices!

Hi full_bloom: You are right that Pride of Oakland is the shorter floribunda. Gene Boerner is 4' x 3', but the park trims it short to make it exploded in blooms. If you want a coral-peachy to match with Gene in size is "Singin' in the Rain" floribunda. The rose park has both beds nearby and they look the same size.

It depends if your soil is alkaline like Cantigny park. I'm 15 minutes from that park, and my soil pH 7.7 - Chicago Botanical garden is 1 hour away and they report a pH of 7.4 with composted leaves. Austins bloom best with neutral to slightly acidic soil. I'm not impressed with Austins at the rose park, nor my own 15 stingy Austins in alkaline soil and water. Floribundas like Gene Boerner bloom much better in alkalinity. It's so loaded at the park I can't even see leaves - same with coral "Singin' in the Rain"

I almost order "Pretty Jessica" until I checked with Predfern in my area. He said PJ doesn't bloom much for him, so I didn't buy. The more petals, the more water demanded, and the slower wait between the flush. There's a price to pay for more petals. If you want non-stop & tons of bloom disease-resistance roses, go with floribundas. If you want scent and many-petals and have neutral or slightly acidic soil for most blooms, go with Austins.

Check out this coral-peachy "Singin' in the Rain" floribunda. It's one of the very few that "Encyclopedia of Roses" lists as "continuous blooming". Yes, it's always blooming even in 90-100 degrees heat. It's in the black spot resistance list along with "Belinda's Dream" and "Marie Pavie".

Here is a link that might be useful: Coral-peachy rose Singin' in the Rain

With my finger swollen from Golden Celebration prick, I'm more after thornlessness. Kim Rupert also reported on GC's dangerous hooked thorn. I'll go ahead and order Singin' in the Rain (almost thornless) from Roses Unlimited. Northland Rosarium also sells that. Easy going is gorgeous, but iffy in zone 5a, and HMF states it's armed with thorns and thistles.

People report Pretty-Jessica as low-thorn. I'm not sure what's best for PJ, Tessie in CA reports: "I have Pretty Jessica which also stays small, mine is about 2 feet tall but she doesn't repeat all that well. Quite fragrant!" I would love to kill Giant-thorny Radio Times, and put in a Pretty Jessica. LongAgoRoses in NC have that one for $15 bare-root.

jon--LOL.

full bloom, I'm not exactly sure what size you are looking for, but if you are really in Zone 6, I can recommend a lovely full-bodied light pink that almost never has BS problems--and the few times I've seen BS on it, it was like 4 spots--not enough for me to worry about! This beauty is a Bourbon rose--Mystic Beauty (if you order it from Roses Unlimited) or Souvenir de la Malmaison. For all practical purposes, they are the same rose, though a few posters claim they can spot a few very subtle differences. Either one is absolutely beautiful and the re-bloom is very strong. HMF lists one as hardy to Zone 5 and the other Zone 6--but I think you'll find they are both hardy to Zone 5. I have Mystic Beauty and it does not have the balling problem here that HMF indicated for Souvenir--but even Souvenir may not have balling problems in our drier midwest. Mystic Beauty also holds the heat endurance record in my garden--we had 100+degree heat ALL summer--no rain. Eventually, the whole garden refused to bloom anymore, but Mystic Beauty held out the longest and was the first to start in blooming when cooler temps (like in the low or mid 90s) finally arrived a week or two ago. I strongly recommend Mystic Beauty.

Another light pink with excellent disease resistance in my garden is Our Lady of Guadalupe (floribunda). The blooms are not quite as full as those of Mystic Beauty or the Austins, but it is a very pretty pink bloom.

If I had any room left in my garden, I'd be ordering Austin's Alexandra, Princess of Wales. It has those big fat blooms--darker pink that Mystic Beauty has--and it is supposed to be very disease-resistant. If the Princess lives up to even half the catalog hype on her, she must be a terrific rose!

Good luck in your search.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: Mystic Beauty at HMF

Take a look at Julia Child, always in bloom, fragrant, winter hardy and very good disease resistance. My best performer hands down.

I love both my Austins, Golden Celebration and Graham Thomas, and while they're both hardy neither is particularly disease resistant and both of them need a lot of watering. They also both got much larger than what the catalogs said they would and are now on trellises to hold them up. They've both reach 12 feet high this year!

Princess Alexandra of Kent is the best rebloomer of any of my Austins. It basically has been in continuous bloom all through our hot, dry summer, in spite of being a brand new rose for me. I am really impressed with her. However, PAK is very vigorous, and I suspect she will grow way larger than the size estimates seen in catalogs, as all Austins do in our climate.
I agree with seil about Julia Child's good qualities. For me, she has gotten much larger than commonly listed though. Diane

Wow..thanks everyone for all the great suggetions.

TerryJean...thanks again for all your help. That's just what I wanted to know if EG was a soft color or a harsh yellow. Pretty Jessica is lovely too, but maybe a little too short. You are right I am looking for a more "boxy" grower. Maybe I could use PJ in front of the boxwood and skip the Helen Von Steins. :-)

Kate...Mystic Beauty is gorgeous...thanks for the link and your thoughtful informative response. According to the USDA I'm still a zone 5, but over the last 5 years or so I have definitely seen changes in our climate and the hardiness of my plants. For instance all of my roses (DA and even the few HT's I have) have not been covered in winter in several years and yet come back every spring, with minimal winterkill. Also many of the other perennials I grow that are listed as only zone 6 hardy come back with no problems at all. So I think Mystic Beauty is worth the shot. Princess Alexandra is *gorgeous* and definitely on the list of pink roses to consider. In fact I think it will be a tough choice between Mystic and Alexandra.

Seil...Julia Child is really lovely and glad to hear both you and Diane recommend her. This will be another tough choice; Julia Child vs. Easy Going to combine with Mystic Rose or PAK. Wish i could see them all in person so I can see which yellowish rose looks good with which pink. :-)

Diane...I'm really loving PAK. Glad to hear your positive comments about PAK and Julia Child. I think, since I'm at least 1 zone colder than you that maybe they will both stay a bit shorter for me here?

Jon...I would never choose a rose solely on thorns vs. no thorns. :-) Just if all things are created equal except that one has no thorns and one does...I'd go with the no thorns. I'm a bit of a "jump right in" personality, so I do not go gingerly into the roses but just dive right in. Every time I clean under the roses, (I'm thinking right know of the Carefree Delights) I risk losing an eye or being impalled. P.S. May I say that I loved your quote on your "Me Page". It is definitely an attitude I strive for...always being able to see the sun.

Strawberry Hill...was it you who asked? I haven't had my soil pH checked in several years, but the last time I tested, I believe my pH was 6.8 or 6.9. I'm able to grow a lot of plants that like a *slightly* acidic soil, like some rhodies, azaleas, and oaks, even blueberries seem to adjust. But truly acid loving plants like Arctostaphylos would definitely not appreciate my soil and I'm too impatient?/lazy? to bother with supplementing. :-)

Thanks again everyone for all your help. I think it's narrowed down to Mystic or PAK and Easy Going or Julia.

full-bloom, you are down to 4 excellent choices. Now it is just a matter of taste--which two you prefer together--and we all know everybody has different tastes--so don't take my following statements as the last word in taste.

Myself, I would probably pair Mystic Beauty with Julia (or maybe Easy Going--it seems to have more apricot/orangish tones to it, so I'm not sure--but I've never seen a real-life Easy Going). The reason I'd pick Mystic Beauty is that its pale delicate pink shade would contrast nicely, whereas the stronger statement made by the Princes Alexandra's stronger pink might be a bit overpowering when paired with yellows that have strong apricot/orangish tones.

I once planted some nice strong yellow minis (Sweet Diana) next to a strong pink (Earth Song) and I found the combination a bit unsettling--the vibes were too strong for me. When I substituted Mystic Beauty for Earth Song, I was much more satisfied with the toned down effect.

But that just might be me. I must remember the stunning photos of Pappu a couple years ago--some of the the loudest, most clashing colors ever put together in one yard! And it worked marvelously well. So while loud and clashing may not be my first choice, it obviously works well for others like Pappu.

Your choice which effect you want to go for. Have fun choosing.

Kate

I also grow 'Julia Child'; to my eye I don't see much color differentation between it and 'Easy Going'. I have them planted next to each other and they are very similar in coloration; 'JC' is perhaps more buttery colored. 'Julia' is also an excellent choice.

Thanks Kate & Terryjean...sounds like they are both pretty similar in color and sound like wonderful choices. Probably the deciding factor will be which one is more readily available in spring.

Ahhh color...I love it in every aspect boisterous and gleeful or soft and gentle. They all have a place for me here. :-)

Actually my front yard was orignally a jewel tone garden, lots of purples and violets, mixed with magenta and accented with golden highlights...now *that's* flashy...lol...but I loved it.

My backyard was mostly in blocks of color; white in the woodland garden; wines, burnt oranges and creamy yellows in the honeymoon garden; pinks and blues and purples in the Acer griseum bed; hot oranges, yellows and reds with splashes of purple in the back bed and then corals and pinks and yellows in the west bed. My garden was a blowsy cottage garden and I loved it very much.

But in the last few years I've been working a lot and that combined with getting older myself, i realized I needed to cut back the maintenance.

Last fall we tore out my whole back yard (except the trees and shrubs a few peonies and roses and and saved only a few of my most prized perennials). In fact the only bed I kept was the woodland island bed. I can't tell you how much it pained me. In spring with the yard all disturbed and bare soil everywhere, where once I was greeted in spring with daffodils, tulips and peonies and phlox divaricata and all my woodland plants well it felt like a part of me died too and I thought how could I do such a horrible thing to my beloved garden?

But slowly I worked my little tail off and things started coming together. I planted more trees and more shrubs and narrowed my perennials down to a few different varieties (something for every season) peonies, poppies, irises and baptisia for spring (my favorite season); roses and bear's breeches and daylilies for summer and anemones and mums for fall. And of course, a few other perennials I couldn't part with.

All & all I'm pretty content and that's what got me started on this whole front yard makeover thing.

I'm hoping all the hard work I did this year will pay off in the future, with less maintenance, a happier back, and more time to actually *enjoy* my garden.

Sorry for the tangent, when all i really meant to say Kate is that soft or loud, whichever I end up with...as long as its *color* that sings to me, I'll be happy. :-)

But of course you know, I'm going to do a search now for Pappu's post. Is he a regular here in the Antique Roses forumm? I'd love to see his gardens.

Happy gardening all and thanks again so much for all your help!

Pretty Jessica is one of the best repeating Austins. Long Ago Roses doesn't sell bare root plants, more like unpotted plants though potted ones are available on request.

Scepter'd Isle has outstanding disease resistance and rebloom, but it is a rangy grower. It sets lots of hips. Can take a lot of shade.

I don't think pappu has posted in some years now, but here is one link from the Rose Gallery:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesgal/msg0702502126565.html

I'm not sure which forum it was posted on--maybe the Rose Forum--but pappu had another one featuring lots of shots of Love & Peace clashing beautifully with orange roses.

Pappu's results are so outstanding that his pics have become somewhat legendary on these forums. His early experiences with alfalfa tea are hilarious, if you can find them.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: pappu's loud gardens

Oh My Word, Kate....those pictures just blew me away! Someone there said, "Now that's what roses should look like" and they sure are the roses of my dreams.

I have *never* seen anyone grow roses so lush and full of bloom. Did he share his secret? Talk about feeling inadequate...lol...I live in Illinois and always used *that* as my excuse..."we have harsh winters and humid summers"... guess I can't use that excuse anymore. :-)

Thank you for sharing his beautiful pics. It's a shame he isn't around anymore, but I sure enjoyed the show.

Excuse me while I go wipe the drool off my chin...lol

Mary rose is very pretty but does not like clay or alkaline soil/water. Nicely shaped plant.