One thing we learned about IHT is -- it has very long spaces between leaves, for the length of the cane. Therefore, there are few places for new growth to emerge from the cane. So, for the first few years, it really shouldn't be conventionally pruned AT ALL. Just cut the blooms away, and let it find its own path. Given that treatment, it finally builds up to a substantial plant of less than 3-ft in height. (I know someone who said she got it to 4-ft., but we have not seen that.) Eventually, you just remove entire aged canes. It is happy to grow new ones. I don't know how it is elsewhere, but in our area, this rose is completely free of disease. I think that is at least in part BECAUSE of the amount of R. californica in its pedigree. Tom Carruth used IHT to establish a handsome like of purple roses. Those were all good roses here. But in the end, it is IHT that we still grow -- and we grow many plants of it -- because it's tough, drought-tolerant, and disease-free HERE. (I am not making claims for other sorts of climates or conditions.) It repeats like mad for us, and most of the sprays are massive.

This is the rose I struck twelve cuttings of in the old mist propagator at The Huntington years ago and removed thirteen plants. While removing the cuttings from the media, I noticed the growth bud at the bottom of one of them had shot out a root. It broke off the stem and I carefully planted it and put it in the flat under the overspray with the others. That single, rooted growth bud developed in to the thirteenth plant. I agree with Jeri about wanting to see it used as a hedge, and I can vouch that it makes a splendid standard.

I remember Ingrid love this rose also so it must do well in various places in California. I've been thinking of getting it but was not sure how it would do here. You give me hope doctor manners.

We had a remarkably early stat to Spring this year, even for here. It started with our actual first rain since April '21 - on Oct 15th, 2021, it rained 6 inches here in one day, and two to three times that on the nearby hills where our local water reservoirs are. Unheard of for so much rain all at once for the first rain - usually they are just sprinkles, and the heavy rain does not come until Nov. Anyway, that started all of the plants off. Unfortunately the rain stopped in Jan, and we have not had much since, but we have had sun and medium to warm temps every night, and I can only recall one night with frost the next morning. So, bulbs were starting to come up in Dec., and in Jan many of my teas and chinas were starting to bloom, and the progression has continued. Lovely, perfect weather so far -not hot at all. Want more rain of course, but the blooming flowers and sunny days with perfect temps put a smile on everyone's face. Jackie