I planted it last fall and it grew well but didn't bud out. It bloomed several times this spring and once I started bending the canes it started really budding out like crazy. It is very healthy and that's why this puzzles me that the buds are just dropping off. This was hybridized here, it should love the heat. It's been in the 90's and now going for the 100's. Thanks for the opinions though.

Rugelda was immune to blackspot but succumbed to neglect when she was swallowed up by puckerbrush. But a great blossom, someone called it the "Peace rose of the rugosas". Topaz Jewel was bulletproof - until the snow plow guy made a direct hit with the ice he was scraping off the driveway. Another one to consider is Polareis - lots of good pics at Helpmefind. Mine is in the middle of its September flush - the third one. The first one in May to early June is spectacular, lasting nearly a month, covering the 8' X 6' shrub with sprays of pink blooms to the point that the foliage is nearly obscured. Last year it had a fourth round in a mild stretch of late fall - still had buds in December! Foliage is exceptionally clean, never any disease. There is moderate fragrance, and while the blooms come in huge one-stem=bouquet sprays, the buds don't all open. I have had luck pruning off the little outside buds to create a more controlled spray of opening and open buds and blooms. If I could only have one rose, this would be it.

woolywoof, your availability of hardy roses probably has more to do with being in Canada than being in zone 4. If I head to nurseries in zone 4 New York, the situation is likely to be even more dire than it is here. Lack of availability of roses that do what I want roses to do is probably part of the reason I became so interested in rooting cuttings. Several wonderful roses are probably better known as pass along plants than in the nursery trade. This unfortunately doesn't make me a very good source of information as to where you should get your roses. I've bought more roses from Mike Lowe than any other source. He's in Nashua. Is Mike still in the nursery business? I don't know. Pickering, as mentioned, is a good source. I know Paul has gotten a bunch of his roses from Spring Valley in Wisconsin. I've heard nothing but good things about Spring Valley. I've often wanted to order from Corn Hill in New Brunswick, but never come up with a big enough order to make it work out. Corn Hill is Robert Osborne's nursery. If you don't have his book "Hardy Roses" you should. You should also have Suzanne Verrier's books. You want to avoid the nurseries that ship little twigs. For the money nurseries charge, you want them to send you a real plant. I'd like to be able to recommend Ashdown, but I've never ordered from him. Oddly enough, most of my recent purchases have come from Sequoia. Certainly Ralph Moore has no reason to specialize in hardy for the northeast roses, but he does have some neat oddments that I can't get anywhere else. He ships little twigs, but at least the price reflects this.

Yes indeed serenasyh I am very aware that things will get ugly befor they get beutifull a four by four is very important and I prefferance four feet down a make sure of any type of root being removed all that dirt comes out and gets reused I wont need a nice lawn this winter so yeah it too if in the way my grass grows like weeds here like weeds here only it makes better compost. The Guara is the first thing coming out ( off to the butterfly garden it goes) ditto to the summer phlox and a small shift of at least one of two minis. Mr Linclon will be set in the equivalent of a pillow top bed if it was a human. A ready compost heap and the basic mixings are all set for next weekend to conduct a site pre prep, after a spring soil test of PH and NPK and a very ready predug water checked hole Mr Lincoln will be moved to his new hom it'll be dug in the same manner as the site prep over a two day period covering the rootball area with hay untill the second day to expose his roots they'll be trimed if needed and then replanted. I am going to work it slow for 6 weeks and step it up as it shows it's growth. A bit of honesty I don't have any bussiness pushing it at all ( yeah it's that bad ) Armed and ready as you suggested and I am looking foward to good results Ill get a pic of how he sits today and when Mr Lincoln does his happy dance I'll post the befor and after pics Even if he only gets two feet more in height and maybe a couple new canes I'll be very happy Only two last problems ( nothing you suggest will help me here) One: I will have to find a new home for the bench folks. Two: one of two minis or both will also get shifted, the Mrs isn't going to be to happy about this but zero competition is zero competition