Thanks Virginia, the coke bottle vwas what I Google. Makes it like green house. But, I will try it without it. I had a cup in a bag and all day I was thinking of mildew. So, I was thinking if going as it is. More it less what you said Thanks for your suggestion.

Jin

I think it's a good idea to start out using the easiest method, and then move on to more complicated processes if that doesn't work...

You may also find that the weather has more influence on your success rate than the method used. I'm sure you'll figure it all out.

Virginia

I went to Home Depot yesterday and saw 2 racks of roses. It was so difficult to fight with my inner feelings and now I am going back to get a few roses like Olympiad, Oklahoma, Miss All American Beauty. There are others also...

Just can't sleep...lol. They look so, so healthy too.

Jin

Lol you have Rose Fever bad! Don't feel bad, I bought 2 Blue Girl rose "body bags" a few days ago when I went to Ace for something else lol. Then, also came home with a statue of a mama Manatee w two babies of all things! It just made me smile :)

Our Home Depots didn't have much last time I checked but Walmart just got a bunch of roses in.

~Sjn

Jasmine, that is so, so cute.bibwent to get fence and trellises...came home home with this to keep my dog out of my roses.

Oh, blue Girl smells so good. I still remember the scent . I have it on my want list. I am looking at lighting's, statues and other ornaments. Looking to get this trellis it obelisk that will go over my patio by the corner of my pool but giving myself 1 year or 2. And a hanging led chandelier.

Have to find the pic...hope it is on my phone.

Jin

Sorry, having issues to load pic.

Jin

Hi, trying again

Jin

Like that is perfect spot by my corner which is 10 by 8 empty spot. When time comes...I will be looking real hard for climbing roses, led lights and stuff. It is like a dream for me..

Right now, my place needs so much renovations that will take a lot of time.

Jin

Now, you can paste multiple pics,,, sweet

Jin

Ok , you can select mutiples but only one pops up..not taking forever too. Maybe Houzz is working on it now as we "speak"

Jin

That rose arch picture is SO beautiful! I do have an arch up, but it's not secured into the ground yet. I'll email you a picture because I'm too embarrassed to post it here. It's leaning drunkenly to the right and looks crazy. I really need to talk one of my boys into fixing it. They just did me some big favors on the "big desert rose dig", so I don't think it will happen anytime soon. First we need to finish all the planting. It's supposed to be almost 90F here today:( Love your kitty! Lisa

I love that arch! Your backyard will be really beautiful! I have a few metal arches in the back. The roses are very big on them yet. MAC and Crepuscule have grown the largest so far.

I also like your puppy fencing. Its attactive and functional!

How is it to grow climbing roses, have structures like arches, etc in Florida and other areas where there are hurricanes? I admit, being a CA person, hurricanes scare me because I have no experience with them. Wouldn’t structures have to be extremely sturdy, like made of concrete or something, to stand up to storms like that? Forgive my ignorance. Just curious.

Side note, I would think Peggy Martin would be a good climber for a structure like that in your area if you don’t mind a once bloomer (I like them, but I like foliage as much as blooms so I’m weird) and if you could find/build a structure sturdy enough.

You could feel secure knowing that rose could survive pretty much anything.

Cori Ann, this is such a coincidence. I email to Lisa about what..hurricanes. My husband, threw a wrench at me and got me thinking. About your Peggy Martin is going to bring the fence down with weight. I don't want this to happen so, I am literally cracking my head. This is one of the topics, I am going to talk to Rose society and Malcolm Manners too. I am sure, I will have it proof

Like concrete and have it done by professional. That is why I have a few years to inquire.

As, for rose, I want something quick clips to let branches down from fence. And clip the rose to ground. I will have ample of time given for hurricanes. Trust me, I was thinking last night. Even Lisa was saying never thought of hurricanes.

Like my basketball is in ground also..very, very study. The pole was there so I bought the board when I first moved .

My neighbours fence fell Bec of weight which she had install within 1 year. Her Passion flowers was so big (about fence 60 feet )with 5 passions growing all over her chain link on 1 side only. Only that side of fence fell. Her flowers were ok. They have to hook the chain link back.

Jin

My best bet is with Malcolm Manners and Rose society here. I am sure they have answers.

Jin

Well Im originally from California but I've lived in Louisiana and FL(and other places) and have been through a few hurricanes..Katrina, Rita (in LA) & recently Irma (in FL) so I will try to answer lol.

Rita was the worst. We flooded bad and the soil in LA doesn't drain like it does here. FL soil is mostly sandy and drains pretty good. We do have one spot on the front of our property that is clay and doesn't drain well.

Lots of plants died that were in the ground in LA. The water was brackish so salt probably had something do do with it. I had a lot of stuff in pots so I moved them into bathtubs and garage etc.

Here in FL, we also had some brackish water from a nearby river branch. I lost some stuff from the flooding (brackish water) plus some from trees falling on them. They mostly were younger plants.

So, if you have potted plants you want to move them into a garage or somewhere they wont get picked up and slung around by wind.

If you have large climbers in the ground you cant move..you can either cut them or tie them to the trellis etc.

Now if its a major hurricane that you know could rip out that trellis and you cant move it, I think I would cut back the rose so it doesnt get ripped out by long canes flinging around. Long canes getting beat by wind and other debris could do a lot of damage to the plant. Luckily the wind wasn't bad enough to take out my trellises here for Irma. If the trellises are cemented into the ground its probably better but they could still get hit by debris, trees etc.

Some people sink their patio furniture and stuff in the pool for hurricanes. I guess you could take the trellis down and sink it but it seems like a lot of work lol. I wouldn't do it. If I had climbing roses that were special and didnt want to lose, I would dig them up and stick them in a pot and store them somewhere. So they don't drown if it floods from the storm surge.

The thing I've learned about living in different places is that most all of them have something..fire, flood, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, ice storms, tornados, etc. No guarentees. Just have a plan, be prepared, and never rely on other people or the government. Help usually comes slow and you have to have your own plan and a couple back up plans...for example, after Katrina (we mostly got wind ftom that -not flooding as we were on the south coast of LA straight down from Lafayette). So when Rita hit us hard and we started to flood, ALL the hotels and shelters were already full of katrina survivors for several states over. So now Rita survivors had mandatory evacuation. Nowhere to go..no shelters..so the local government was dealing with the first disaster and didn't really have plans for back to back disasters. It took a week for them to open more shelters. This is why you need your own plan and plans B &C lol. At that point you just do the best you can for your plants because there's way more ominous things to worry about.

Ok I will stop preaching now lol.

Jasmin, you are not preaching...lol. You are speaking your mind out loud and I love your honesty.

Jin

That is first thing, we check..high grounds and also on flooding zones when we bought this house. Our area is really good. We have always about security. The house is old but tell you what it is solid.

To be honest, my husband brought the topic of hurricanes. That is the reason why my plans changed a lot as of this morning.

I think I cover my basics. Before the rose can grow, we are coming up with pretty good ideas about fence, about hooks, trellis......

We can't help if a tree falls but we can secured what we can. It is costly but very effective. I think I got it covered.

I was just surprised when Cori Ann ask that question Bec my husband ask me yesterday about hurricanes. But after talking, I know what to do.

I can always ask engineers at my work place or managers of trees and park services for further help or advice.

I don't ask Californians if they had anything earthquake proof ( I apologized if I offended anyone ). I am also from CA. At least I am planning ahead and it is manageable. I am always thinking 2 or 3 times ahead and triple make sure, that is my nature. That's what makes me unique and different. Like I can give you a prime example. This is about fence. When , we got the quote, my husband ask if they can do reinforcing the fence stronger. The answer is yes. They can put extra backing. At this spot and that spot. Just doing a little more brought the price way higher. Not Bec of hurricane but Bec my dog loves to bounce on the fence to get squirrels. He can never catch them or helicopters . It is for my dog safety. We are willing to do that.

I think we will do fine. Fence, trellis and all.

Jin

You’re wise to plan ahead, Jin. The extra $ spent now will probably save you more in the long run. Even if you end up selling after 10 years or so, I think you’re going the smart thing. A lot can happen in 10 years. Things are so much easier to do “right”, right from the start, instead of having to going back later and try to make it right. I’m thinking it’s very smart of you to do these things properly now, rather than when you’ve already got full grown climbers to work around:) Lisa

Now, you sound like a guy... Do it right first time around they always say or don't do a government job. Thanks Lisa, dude...lol

I do mistakes but I try to minimize as much as I can. But life is a big lesson. You either learn it or it will knock you on the head . I rather learn it that's me...

I might even stay here in this old house who knows but it was just a plan that can go sour or good.

Thanks Lisa.

I went to Lowe's today and they had this . ..same price if the roses above $7.

Looks so yummy :)

Jin

Jin I know nothing about Florida, but blackberries can become a HUGE thorny mess here in Northern CA. They can take over a garden in very little time and are almost impossible to remove. Also, blueberries need very acidic soil. If you bought them, try them in a pot with special acidic soil for blueberries. If you bought the blackberries.... yikes! Maybe a pot? I don’t know.... I would return them, but I have an aversion to them after having thickets on a few previous properties so I’m probably biased.

No, I did not buy them... lol.

I am just shock to see this. Never saw this here in Lowe's. My great grandfather grew grapes as for raisins in Selma,. CA.

They we're selling grapes also. Oh my goodness !

Cori Ann, I did not buy them. I promise, I just took pics cause never seen such product in store before.

I went there to buy cows manure but it rain so hard that I just walk off.

It pour, and pour started all afternoon and it is on and off all night.

Jin

Jin, where in FL do you live? I am in NE FL near Jax. It poured rain here all night. Now the flowerbeds I just dug are a mess lol. Im getting some soil amendments from the store today.

The Lowes, Home Depots, Wamarts in FL all sell lots of berries, grapes, bananas, and even dwarf Papayas in the spring. They sell lots if trees too like Starfruit, Mango, Avocados etc. It seems like the more unusual stuff is becoming mire common lately.

We have wild blackberries all over our property. You pull them up, they just come back. Those are the wild kind though. Perhaps the store hybrid varieties would be less aggressive? I dont know. If I get some I will put them far back from the house.

Blueberries are popular here. I should be growing them because we eat them so often lol. There's lots of farmer's markets around that sell all kinds of stuff like lychee, rambutan, jackfruit, fresh coconuts etc. So easy to just go there and not have to grow everything myself.

That's amazing sultry. I'm more than a little jealous. Rambutan, jackfruit and coconut; you're killing me.

Jasmine, it rain here all afternoon and all night on and off. And it is still wet this morning

I am in Orlando. If you ever come this way, we should meet...lol.

I love all those fruits. Lucky, you. I am in town actually by OIA.

Vap, about 3 year leap for climbing roses what do you meant ?

I try to find out but it is not mention on any website.

Jin

Jin, there are several people on the FL gardening forum here on GW that live around your area. They grow all kinds of things. Sylvia (whgille = gardenweb name) has the most amazing veggie gardens and also grows a lot of trees. She gardens in raised beds. I have learned a lot about FL veggie gardening from her postings. So many bugs and fungal issues in FL and the deep south in general! Makes most of the rest of the country seem easy lol.

~Sjn

That is good to know. I wish I can grow veg's like tomatoes, cilantro, ginger and herbs

When, I was getting into it, I read certain herbs keeps some bugs away like alphids. And some herbs have beautiful flowers that I never knew.

Somehow, you read my mind. I was thinking of planting some.

Thanks again.

Jin

Jin, there's an old adage for roses, but climbers especially, to describe their growth pattern that says, "the first year they sleep, the second they creep, and the third they leap" Cori Ann's generally leap the first year! My Viking Queen never slept, just crept and leapt!

Wow! I had never seen thornless blackberrie! Nice. I wonder if they're grafted. We have heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes, so that's my worry with large trees. I've been trying to take down the "iffy" ones, but it's slow going. Nothing like the neighor's 100' tall oak falling to jolt one out of bed!

I hate oak trees . That is huge 100 there I thought my magnolia tree is drives me insane. But everyone said they are very study and still I have issues .

Talking about veg's, I just came back from extension office . They had roses and other trees and plants.

They advise me not to amend my soil. It is might change with peat but out very little Manure. My pH is 6.5

I took 3 different spots if my backyard 3 inches below the grass. But still I have no earthworms. They don't understand why I don't. Check again.

Anyways here are some pics

Herbs and veg's

Roses

Gold medal rose

Mr Lincoln and it is not leggy...Rosy that is for you.

Their garden is huge all the way to tree lines. I was in office with them for 2 hours maybe next time.

Jin

What an amazing garden! Did they give you the details of your soil. I would be interested in those numbers. Did they tell you about fertilizer? I love the little pod! I need to look into that. : ) The tall trees are scary at times, but so beautiful and add so much, I'm happy to have them. Plus, they give me LOTS of leaves for compost. Your magnolia must be magnificent! I had a stellata, but it died in the polar vortex. The Bull Bay does well here unless we have a late frost to freeze all the buds.

And they said all my roses should grow here well here . They are having plants sale and they were trying to get DA but Jeff from Cool Roses can't make it. I was blown away.... Department of agriculture.. really. I am so impressed with them. And they told me he is coming on what date at Leu' Gardens which I never knew. I got so excited Bec they are recommending a lot of choices that I am eyeing on. A few of them who are off are members of Rose society. They were giving me names and now I can't remember...oh wow.

They show me strips on computer , spiders and diseases. But they said to stop by for anything. So much information. And antiques are very, very Hardy and I can grow own roots .

I am so blown away by them. Very supportive .

Jin

P.S. I also want to comment again on your sweet gorgeous kitten! She reminds so much of my little one with those intelligent eyes.

They said I have really good soil not to worry to much . Roses will grow just put a little manure . But , don't want to add anything else or my PH being natural is good just ferterlize. I got a stack of printed papers. All county and intertwined with federal and state. University of Florida is playing a big huge part. They compose where I can get it for free and so much information. They have classes for soil, growing herbs and all kind of stuff. Cheap too just to educate public

I spend 2 hours talking walking from one computer to another. 2 working in information and showing me. All 3 helping. They are very interested in my air potatoes plants. I have to fill up special form. So, they know where beetles are and where the invasive plants at also.

Jin

Opps ..correction. I have Grande Magnolia tree.

Thanks Vap about my cat. I love all animals.

Jin

Did you know you can bring basically anything there like spiders, bugs in a jar and they can help you. Information, Information, Information. I love them already :)

Jin

Jin...you are having such great adventures! Thanks for posting the picture of Mr Lincoln. If I see him for sale at HD this year I might try him just to see.

Where do you have your roses while they're waiting to be planted? When are you going to plant them? I assume you can plant in the winter in your area.

We need pictures of your garden so we can see "before roses"

The middle tall rose is Mr. Lincoln. That for a fact I know. He is tall about 5 feet.

Jin

One of the master Gardener told me they got those roses as a gift. They also had knock out roses that DA was also in a huge box with them .Knockout roses needs tons of chemicals which kill the DA roses..

They don't know why my roses like Scott C. King, Miss All American, John F Kennedy and many others died. If I had pics that they can see...the explained like strings of small balls at root form is nematodes. I never threw a dead John F Kennedy rose. Maybe I should pulled it and check the roots...science project for myself after work.

Jin

Rosy, the first pic is not Mr. Lincoln. I paste one and I keep seeing it but I keep posting the wrong one. But the whole box the back is Mr. Lincoln.

Jin

P.s. when it get in blooms . I will go there just to take a pics for you.

Ooh - SJN - that manatee is adorable!! I want one! :-)

And Jin - your cat is absolutely gorgeous! What beautiful eyes! What's his/her name? I have a cat too - a grey & white tabby who we got as a kitten from the rescue shelter.

That looked like a fantastic trip. I wish I knew more about my soil... other than the fact that it's mostly sand, which is obvious from just looking at it and it's also what Western Australia is notorious for. And I've heard that Perth is very alkaline as gardenias apparently struggle to grow well here in the ground. I've got 2 big ones (Professor Pucci) and several gardenia radicans (dwarf cultivar) in the ground and they seem to be doing OK so far - but then, they've only been planted in the last 4 months or so, so it's early days yet....

I bought some blue hydrangeas and they started turning pinky purple even with the existing flowers that were already on the plant... so I think my soil is probably very alkaline!

Oh - I've got a blueberry bush! :-) It was one of my first impulse buys when I got into gardening last year. I grow it in a pot with special potting mix for acid-loving plants. We were so excited when it produced its first crop of blueberries! Since the weather has got hot, however, it has pretty much stopped flowering & fruiting.

~ HY

Jin, your kitty is so beautiful. Those eyes are such a gorgeous aquamarine color. I wish you the greatest luck with your new roses. ARE roses are the greatest. The one I planted recently from them had lots of canes which are beginning to shoot out little leaflets.

HY, it looks so yummy, perfect picture of blueberry's

I , had 2 gardenias and both burn up and eventually died. And also hydrangeas. I don't know why..I keep looking at my ' black thumb'.

Trust me if my roses grows and blooms I will be super excited. I will be taking tons of pics and make it into Christmas cards and what not.

Ingrid, thank you. I love ARE already. I am very impressed the way they packed.

My cat actually belongs to my daughter. I have to get a replacement fast. Could not get a kitten at rescue. To make things worst, the Vet got involved Bec the previous died in their care , he was getting fixed. Too much anesthesia.

Anyways, my daughter took another pic of Billa this morning.

I can't tell by his colour. It is green sometimes than Aqua marine and sometimes blue. I don't think cat has hazel eyes but this one does.

HY, I have to check Professor Pucci when I get a chance.

I been looking for earthworms last few days but I don't see any. Look everywhere. Maybe they are underground 6 feet. Maybe at night, I might try a trick. They have to be here somewhere.

I am so curious now. Leaving my compost on ground and check it in weeks time.

My daughter said thank you for your compliments on her cat. She loves him dearly.

Jin

I meant checking underneath the compost to see any worms.

Jin

Hi Jin - I just replied to your comment in my Nahema thread but thought I'd repeat it here - Professor Pucci might not be available in the US. When I was doing
gardenia research, I noticed that a lot of the gardenia cultivars seem
to be different between countries - you have several names that we don't
have and vice versa.

But I think you can get a similarly big gardenia (bush size and flower size) in the US - I remember there was one called 'Mystery', I think?

Over here, we have another big gardenia with the most gorgeous flowers called "Aimee Yoshiba" - perhaps you could see if you have that or similar in the States. I have her as a standard (I think you call it "tree form" in the US), planted in a 1/2 wine barrel. She's only flowered a bit so far - all my gardenias are still very young and only planted a few months ago - but OMG, her flowers are to-die-for! Huge and snowy white and so fragrant. I would say she is my favourite flower from all my gardenias so far (I bought every cultivar to try as everyone kept telling me gardenias would fail in Perth so I thought if I started with several, I'd have a better chance of at least 1 succeeding! LOL And so far, they all seem to be thriving - so I'm overrun with gardenias - haha!)

~ HY

Oh, Jin - I forgot to say: my hydrangeas and gardenias were burning too - until I moved them into full shade. It was confusing as the labels said "morning sun to part shade" - but I think the morning sun is only recommended for cooler areas with weaker sunshine (like northern states in the US) - I think in hotter places with very strong sun, they have to be in full shade in summer. Even the morning sun is too hot!

I know here in Perth, in summer, the sun is blazing at 7:30am and it's already getting up into the 30's C (90's F) and my skin burns if I don't wear sunscreen or a cover-up... and that's at 7:30am! By 10am, the sun is unbearable. I know people who tan in the shade. Not kidding. So I don't think "morning sun" is the same everywhere - that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned as a newbie gardener.

~ HY

ps. One more comment and then I'll shut up! LOL

About earthworms: I had very poor soil as well - mostly just sand - with no earthworms and although I mixed in compost & other organic material before planting, it was still very slow.

Then I discovered a brilliant shortcut - when I was clearing out some old pots filled with potting mix (which had been left at our house by the previous owners), I found LOADS of earthworms in the bottom of the pot. And since then, I've noticed that all the potting mix seems to produce lots of earthworms, if it's left for a while.

Like, If I leave a bag of half-used potting mix in the corner of the garden and come back to it a few months later (especially if it's been raining so everything is moist), it's crawling with worms - lots of them baby ones. I realised that there must be earthworm eggs in there.

So I started using old potting mix to "seed" the garden. I would find the worms by hand and carry them to a "barren" bed and bury them gently in the soil. And within a month or so, I started noticing lots of earthworms when I was planting new things in the beds. I think it helps to have a few to start with, to speed things up - they make more babies :-) Now when I dig around, I find HUGE worms everywhere - like fat spaghetti - LOL!

I don't know if your potting mix in the U.S. would be the same - but maybe you could try that and see? Buy a bag, moisten it and leave it for a few weeks in a shady corner - and then see if there are any worms in there that you can transplant into the garden beds.

You'd need to keep adding organic matter to the soil so the worms have something to eat. I also give Seasol, a seaweed tonic, to the whole garden every fortnight, which adds nutrients & microbes to the soil and helps to feed the worms.

(FYI, this is the potting mix I use: Scotts Australia - Premium Potting Mix )

~ HY

Yeah, I was told of that manure should do the trick but they also believe that is they are here but burried deep down Bec of the heat. but if it rains, they like to moved places and that I don't see

They come out in spring and fall. I don't see that also. They suggested look under pots, compose bin etc. So, I put one outside on ground and see..put cornmeal. And see for good news. I can't find it don't have trained eye for castings or even look at night for nightcrawlers. Even flashlight makes them shy. They gave me printed materials. If most nothing then I will order some and feed them. Did you know there eat nematodes, and other stuff. So, your worms will help you in nemotodes.

We do have gardenias here but I don't know the names

My neighbor down 2 houses has a tree. When it blooms, I can smell it in my backyard when the wind blows over. Sometimes, the scent is different. Always wonder what scent is that then I came to know it came from my grande magnolia. Smell so good. Very sweet strong smell.

I am glad you found earthworms. You are so lucky. Feed them well and they will reward you. I am going to have a little farm here just for them. Making sure they stay here. More compost stuff. :)

Jin