Great views of Arkansas, Randy. How tall is your Heritage? Do you prune it much or do you train it as a climber?

Masha

That looks awesome, Randy.

I miss Heritage. How big is your Heritage rose now?

Masha, my 'Heritage' is 6 ft tall. I don't prune the height of it, but I do prune the depth of it, to keep it somewhat loosely espaliered against the fence.

Jimmy, 6 ft tall, 5 ft wide, & I prune to make it only 3 ft deep.

Randy

THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL ROSE----

I would love to sit in one of those rockers and drink in the beauty---

You sure look young !!!!

Thanks for sharing------

Florence

Well, young at heart anyway, Florence :-)

We did sit in those rockers and drink some coffee and eat some cake, in addition to drinking in the scenery.

Randy

Such a verdant green valley! Thanks for the pictures.

Eric

Randy---young at heart is the BEST but you also look very young to me---
I think it is all those gorgeous roses you grow----
I can only imagine what a treat it was to sit on those rockers.

Florence

Great vistas we sure a have a beautiful country and heritage is always a welcomed sight!

That is a lot of green, isn't it, Eric :-)
Glad you enjoyed the pics.

Florence, wish you could have been "rocking" with us!

Joe, you are right, it is a beautiful country. And so varied from one region to the next. We are blessed.

Randy

Arkansas has many very beautiful areas. I've only visited there in the high summer, way too hot for me, but still have fond memories.

Heritage was the very first Austin I think I was ever exposed to and I still remember that feeling of discovery: "Whoa!"

Greta, 'Heritage' was my first Austin too, and I know what you mean.
The temperature in Arkansas is not "hot" by Texas standards, but if your zone 8 is in the Pacific Northwest, then I totally understand what you are saying. I am in zone 8 here in D/FW, but I know someone from Oregon whose zone 8 is nothing like it is here :-)

Randy

Randy, yes, I'm in Portland, OR. It's been quite hot for the last week, days up to 90. Still dryer than where you are, and not as much of the heat overall. I remember walking out of the door of the DFW airport at midnight one night in August -- it was like hitting a wall of steam (and we were coming FROM Arkansas). Man. I just couldn't do it -- I'm a wimp. I'm sort of stuck with the Pacific Coast.

Fortunately, this is rose heaven!

Greta, not a bad place to be "stuck" :-) Someday I would like to visit Oregon in the middle of one of our summers. Would be a nice escape. If you think it's steamy here, you should "feel" Houston in July/August. But then, there are some perks to living in Houston (semi-tropical climate during winter, etc), just like there are many perks to living here (like access to lots of career choices, entertainment, etc).

Yes, you are definitely in rose heaven. But don't tell that to my china and old tea roses ... they think it's rose heaven right here.

Randy

You know, Randy, it might have been Houston that had the wall of steam. I don't remember -- our flight was rerouted and we were exhausted. We were put at a fancy hotel for six hours to sleep, then back to the airport to continue home. And it would have been either July or August. Heh.

I suspect my old home (SF Bay Area) was slightly better for Chinas and Teas, but I'm taking a crack at them here anyway. I have mutabilis slowly recovering in a new spot with better sun, and Rosette D. and Clementina C. comprise my current micro-pot-ghetto. I obviously was doomed to be a tea-lover so I hope I can make this work.

What a beautiful place. I can imagine you having a great time there.

Hi Randy, whereabouts in Arkansas were these photos taken? When I was a kid I used to spend summers down in Missouri with my grandparents in a little town on the Current River about 30 miles from Arkansas, and we used to go to Hot Springs and Pocahantas. Brings back great memories. Thanks for sharing; I miss them alot and they've been gone 30+ years.
=terry

Greta, I hope it works for you too. Teas & chinas are habit-forming for sure.

Pam, we did have a very good time.

Terry, the mountain / valley shots were taken atop Mount Magazine in western Arkansas. It's not far from Paris, Arkansas.
We spend almost every spring break in Eureka Springs, just a stone's throw from Missouri. I also love Hot Springs, and have been there many times. I drove through Pocahontas one time when I was a kid ... I'm not as familiar with that part of the state (the eastern part). The western half of the state, I know well.
I'm glad the pics brought back memories of spending time with your grandparents. 30+ years is just a blink of an eye, when you have memories that good :-)

Randy

I love your Heritage Randy! Maybe I need to give it another try. Hope you had a grand weekend in Arkansas.

Hamp, I think you already have a 'Duchesse de Brabant' don't you?
If so, you probably don't need a 'Heritage'.
'Heritage' gets the advantage in tight quarters like where I have mine growing, due to its near thornlessness and less bushiness.
But in an area with a lot of space, 'Duchesse de Brabant's blooms look somewhat similar ... and the duchesse is healthy as a horse and has the best fragrance my nose has ever sniffed.
Don't get me wrong, I love 'Heritage' big time, but it's hard to beat the duchesse when you have a large garden (I don't).

Randy