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I just moved to Eastern KY two months ago (Jan. 2001), on a mountain with 6-12 inches of HEAVY clay/rock on a layer of slate rock. I'm planting 20 HT roses that got ordered over the winter. :) Yes, I was crazy, and no, I had no idea about the \"soil\" only being 6-12 inches! I'm trying a few things, and hoping for some \"now\" type suggestions...(low cost, ha,ha). This clay/rock is about 5.5 pH and I can't find lime anywhere, (\"it's not in yet...\"), still looking for any natural/reg. kitchen stuff, to up the pH..... Seems all want to acidify the soil, coffee, peat, etc.
I have four kitties who are used to my gardens back in north FL, and can't stand the barren mountain. These used to be indoor/outdoor, but I hope they will enjoy outside again after something (I hope) grows to provide some privacy.
I'm still trying to find a place that sells the old red/copper tiger lilies. I love these around copper and white roses, but can't find them. Just hybrids.
I love gardening, and hesitate to say this, but I am a Master Gardener, but I never stick with what I know, always moving to weird soil and new plants, trying to grow things I shouldn't grow \"there\", etc. So, yes, I'll be asking a million questions.

Well, now it's Aug.'01, and I dug pits, ammended, and did layered composting around those pits. By May, last snow, I was planting in crumbly, 6\" or more, black soil! I'm impressed. Where they dug up the septic tank, just before we moved in, was this ugly mess of clay/rock and coal. I figured when it started growing weeds that it could handle wildflowers. I spread out cardboard over the tops of the weeds, threw down some potting soil and tossed a shaker can of flowers over it. It's lovely! The cats (now numbering eight) are in heaven, playing in it.
I've been organic gardening only, (read, spraying not a thing), so I got to see a wide variety of life come to my mountain top. I had intended to do the Rose Flora/Wilt Pruf thing, but lost the rose flora jar... Anyway, japanese beetles are sure pretty, but all the same I'd rather not have so many next year! I'm going to put down nematodes next spring. Hope they will help with the thrips too.
Found out that the only rose, out of 21, that never, and still has not, gotten blackspot is my Sunbright HT I brought from FL. She is wonderful! I intend to get rid of more yard, and turn it to garden, as soon as I can get manure and wood chips, leaves whatever. These things are oddly rather hard to get. I have been known to beg people to let me clean under their lawn mowers for grass clipping, as they are never bagged. No one out here throws stuff out, the way people in the city did. Hummm....

Dec. 22, '01. It's almost a full year that I've been here on this mountain. The roses bloomed beautifully, up until a few weeks ago, all but one, Antique '89, a climber. Garden Party was wowing roses-in-greenhouse growers, and others, long past the time roses indoor or out, had stopped blooming. Not sure if this was a good thing, as she could die this winter if she never goes dormant...
Problems on buds, blooms, or plants, in order of appearance:
-Thrips (on light colored roses especially),
-Aphids,
-Tent Caterpillars (Although, I suspect, if I had anything else green at the time they would rather not have eaten roses. They for some reason walk \"up\" and we are as up as they could go.),
-Cabbage Lopers?!?,
-Slugs!!!,
-Japanese Beetles!!!!!!!,
-Blackspot[Most all that had this are mostly defoliated. Exceptions being, \"Westerland\" CL (had it bad and kept all her leaves, and now has a reddish tint all over for some reason), \"Sunbright\" HT (who never got it), \"Royal William\" HT (who had little), \"High Hopes\" CL (but probably due to the fact she spent most of the year not doing ANYTHING, until a month ago.) ],
-Some weird twisty/superthorny \"virus\"?/root problem? (that took out one of the red Wal-mart roses),
-Grasshoppers,
-Cucumber Beetles?!?,
-Slugs,
-APHIDS.
I didn't \"treat\" any of these things, just observed. I have, still, many ladybugs feeding on aphids. (I guess they freeze and thaw well.) I had lacewings, heaps of spiders, various unknowns, birds, and cats helping me out. (The cats took out many JB's, and grasshoppers).

Jan. 5, '02. Just found out what the \"weird twisty/superthorny \"virus\"?\" was. It's RRD (rose rosette disease), and it's lethal. It spreads from the multiflora wild roses around this area, to my Ht's. I keep reading that it is so rare, and doesn't affect hybrid teas hardly ever, but here it is. As an organic gardener, I can't spray the only known control, Cygon 2-E. This would kill my cats and the whole reason I garden. I will HAVE to find some method to stop these eriophyte mites from destroying every one of my ladies! If anyone has ANY ideas, silly or wild, please let me know. This disease was not discussed in any of the rose books I have.