Vaporvac, listen to Straw! I've not been to the Rose gardens so much, the Botanic Garden and the Lincoln Park Conservatory mostly (keep meaning to head up to see the Boerner Rose garden!) - and yes, everything is getting a little fried. Straw I'm glad it's not just me, I was getting worried! Where are you staying while you are here?

Thank you guys! I really appreciate the knowledge and on-site weather update. I especially thank you Straw for breaking your hiatus to help out. We're going to be in Indy which is only 3 hrs from Chicago, so thought we might just head there. It's my birthday coming up and usually we go to some garden. Last year it was the Columbus Park of Roses and one in Richmond, In. I totally missed the OGRs at CPofR so we could always revisit that, but noone could tell me if they were still in bloom. They were less than helpful.

I looked up Catigny and it does seem like rose varieties aren't their forte. I called CBG and the nice lady actually walked over to the gardens to tell me what was blooming, but you're right, it's too hot, especially as my DH just got out of being in the hospital for over 3 months. It would be too much for him. Thanks for the heads up on the Boerner garden and Lincoln Park conservatory. I'll put them on my garden bucket list. : ) We usually stay North of the city in Evanston so we can have blintzes for breakfast and dinner at Reza's! You have great breakfast places up there. Also, that nursery sounds fantastic. I'll visit when DH can have dirt in the car, because I'm sure I won't go home empty handed. :)

My roses haven't scorched because they're done for the moment. I'm just trying to nurse those in pots from ARE and try to keep the deer away. We had so much rain everything got BS and thrips and terrible sawfly damage. I was away in Indy also for those 3+ months so wasn't able to do anything with fertilizing or even pruning.I'm almost finished weeding and laying the chopped oak chips. Remember that tree, Straw? Wow, the beds are looking so nice with its chips, but I still haven't made a dent in the mound. My planted roses look a bit duff. I've laid compost, but they clearly need more. I think the huge flush exhausted them.

I ordered some great roses from ARE after reviewing so many post here. I'll share them as they bloom. That may be a while as deer ate their buds two days ago. : (

Thanks again.

Happy Birthday VV! I hope that you enjoy the gardens. Have you checked out the others in surrounding states over the years, like Kentucky? Any favorites?

Thank you all for your great suggestions, although we're giving Chicago a pass for this trip and going to a few places in Ohio. I already visited the rose garden in Richmond, In last year. We're starting out visiting OARDC's Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance in Wooster on Saturday, then heading up for this open house!!!! Peter Schneider's Open House which is beyond exciting. (This is why we're bypassing Chicago. : ) ) On the way back Monday, we'll visit the OGR section of the Columbus Park Roses ie. The Heritage Garden which is the former site of The ARS. LINK I'll be sure to post about it all.

I went to CPoR last year and was ranting how they had torn out the OGR rose, not realizing there's entire section devoted to them beyond the modern plantings. We just missed the entrance. I had to eat my words on that one!

Well, my head's still exploding from last weekend's extravaganza. I'll post on the original gardens when I finish study/work in the next few days. This was eye-opening and I think will help some of us in this region. (I know I'm at least a zone ahead of you Z5ers, but I like to get things super hardy so as not to worry about winter protection.)

Can't wait to hear since some of us dream about living in cooler zones one day!

Talking about roses reminds me of Karl Bapst. I had more fun visiting him and watching him zip around on his little cart. He was full of knowledge. Barb

Barb, I've read many of Karl's old posts and Straw often wrote of him with such feeling. He sounds like he was an amazing and you were lucking to have known him.

That's a nice thing to say Barb. I feel the same way too. I really appreciate all I learned from Karl, a guy growing roses in a cooler climate like me. His articles are still on the help me find. Field Roebuck in Gardenweb from Texas, was a great guy too. I liked his book.