Thanks for the nice photos. It looks like you had fun. I really admire you folks that have to winter protect your roses. I can't imagine having one more task like that.

Thanks, Cup!

Even down here in North Carolina we had 10 degrees this morning. We've had snow, nasty ice on the sidewalks, and a chill factor around zero for the past couple of days, but the wind has finally dropped and the sun is out.

Hope you had a lovely visit.

Glad you had a good time here, this was the wrong winter to come to Iowa though. Normally political calls are quite rare unless you donate money regularly. I do agree about the sun intensity you noticed. While I am in a zone 8 area my roses do not grow as large as someone with tea or china roses farther south.

Lance

How fun! Hope you had a good trip, Niels, and weren't too put off by the blackshirts in charge of immigration at the airport.

It was 15 degrees here this morning! And only 33 right now - BRRRRR.

Thanks for visiting us in the "Land of Frozen Mud." We are very grateful for the snow. It was a pleasure to finaly meet you and we appreciate your generous and kind insight into our foibles.

The new prickle patch are all own root roses, the second year in the ground, grown from bands.

We do enjoy the birds, the hawk and worthless eagles keep watch during the day and the owl is back at night. The rabbits keep on doing what they do best. The 1st 100 lbs of bird food was gone this morning.

I did change my zone to include our heat zone as not only are we further south than Denmark, it gets bloody hot here in the summertime.

Thanks again!

Foghorn

P.S. The chocolate covered potato chips were interesting wern't they. Sorry about the cigar!

Here is a link that might be useful: That is 'Eden' buried under all of that dirt etc

It's nice to hear about your visit and to see pictures of you both. I wonder why squirrels don't live where you live much, Cupshaped.
Linda

Well Doug if you had not mentioned the cigar no one would have noticed it .-) Well chocolate covered potato chips was quite a novelty! But I did like your pumpkin and apple-pie much better! Yummy. Thank you for your the time we spent together and say hello to your wife from me.

I must say I was surprised to see that all the work it took to winter protect climbers! For Mendocino_rose it would be very hard work with all the large roses they are growing.

I also think protecting many of the roses with wire cages gives a lot of extra work. I did not think rabbit could damage roses that much, but I see many other forums members have the same problems and fence the rose beds to protect their roses. I will however use the same methods here on some of my teas and chinas and (Chicken wire, compost mounds and leaves) to see if that will protect them better to make more of the canes survive.

And Lance and Doug: over the years I always wondered why so many rosebushes were bigger in America until I realized the importance of latitude and sun intensity and heat zones. Cold hardiness zones is just one factor (important in choosing cultivars, but does not give clues to the mature size of rosebushes).

I did see the weather forecast predicted cold weather way down southeast in the US! Perhaps even Pete in Florida will feel it getting colder? After I visited Doug A lot of snow fell and there were lots of traffic accidents on the roads. Never seen this many cars driven off the roads and rolled over at the roadside.

It was a good trip to the US and yes Cass the "Blackshirts" Did give me a harder time than usual! I checked a box on the visa waiver form I had not checked before and it did raise some questions!!! Also customs was suspicious about the caviar I brought for some friends I declared them as "Fisheggs".

I hope other forum members get a change to visit each other and exchange ideas. Rose people truly are good company and we can learn a lot from each other. I have learned so much from so many of your posts and I really enjoy the knowledge and joy we share about growing roses.

Doug your garden looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to spring and summer pics!
BTW - what's with the Michael Jackson one glove? LOL

(nice to put faces to names guys)

Niels I'm glad you had a good visit to Iowa despite the weather. Looking at you in the photo I can tell that you had a fantastic time.
I too was bombarded by the coverage of the Iowa Carcus on CNN.

Nice to finally meet you Doug, what a handsome man you are.
Just looking at the photos now, I image one gorgeous looking garden
I too can't wait to see some spring and summer pics of your garden.
Niecey

Cupshaped that is so sweet you got to meet up with Iowa Jade! If you ever visit New England, I would love to have you visit my garden, winter or summer!

I remember you mentioning a girlfriend and possibly moving to the US. Any update on that?

I have lived in the US most of my life and never ate a chocolate-covered potato chip.

Thanks Neils. so good to finally see the infamous Foghorn Leghorn. I've seen your photo before Neils. Nice to meet up with other rose people isn't it.

Carla

Veilchen: I Did come to visit my girlfriend!! It is however hard to move to US since jobs as garden designer/landscaper seems to require more education. Right now I work as much as my physical condition (Braindamage/partial complex seizures) allows me to. I also think wages are much lover in US? And she moving here is hard for her since her children lives in Iowa, Seattle and San Antonia. I do get a monthly payment from my health insurance, and I can live fairly well, but I do want to work more in order to be able live well. I also do not know if I can get a green card/permanent residency if I am only able to work part time. I hope it will work out, because it is hard only to be able to spend a few months together each year :-(

I would love to see your roses one day. Your garden really looks nice on pictures I have seen. I hope it will be possible one day. I love to go fishing so I might combine it with fishing for Striped Bass on the shores there. I also have some friends on Cape Cod I would love to see again.

Carla: Yes Now we know what he looks like!!! Before I thought he might look like this

Here is a link that might be useful: Foghorn Leghorn?

Jackie,

Someone told me to put my cigar down. I kind of like my pink tails in the other photo.

DW does make a mean pie. I only get them twice a year. I was glad Cup could sample some of her pies.

I have to keep working on my svelte (Ha! Ha!) figure. My coat is really very bulky - down feathers you see. I am very thin inside. Really? You like me better in green with my pink tails? I am kind of fond of the pink tails myself. Only Cupshape knows the truth. You-all are certainly welcome to take a potshot or two at some of my rabbits. I promise to take some more rosey photos this year, that is if the wabbits leave me any plants by Spring.

I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to meet Niels.

Foghorn Leghorn
National Anti Grass League

P.S. I try and not let any compost or leaves touch the rose canes. Weeds, obviously, are another matter. They are doing just fine under the snow.

Niels, anytime! And that is my hubby's favorite thing to do in the summer is fish for stripers, we have them off the beach, in the tidal river, and sometimes we have friends with boats! He would love to take you fishing. Here he is with a good catch:

{{gwi:213948}}

Wow, two handsome beasts! :)

I think it was great that Niels was able to meet up with you FH. Super picture of both of you. Wow, I must say that was a nice bright sunny day. We do not see too many of them here this time of the year - yup, a lot of rain, but mild temps. What a really nice place you have their Doug.

Niels, though it was so nice to hear from you, I was really saddened by your story. That must be pretty hard.

One good thing is you are in the right kind of job for you and I am sure you are very happy doing that. I hope the green card business for you may be resolved some day, maybe it will not be as difficult as you think to obtain one. If not, would there be any point trying to emigrate to Canada, then crossing the border frequently could be managed to see each other more often??

Any how you seem a happy guy and I am sure you are managing the best way you can. Good Luck.

I think it is a great thing what you suggest about forum members getting together and I look forward to meeting up with some one of these days. Any regular poster here is more than welcome to visit us when coming to the island. I have heard of some meetins on the east coast between members, but love to get something happening over on the west one of these "summers" rose time! :)

Veilchen, nice picture of your hubby with his catch. Something my husband did for years, but gave up his boat and fishing a few years' ago. I sure miss the fish though and canning and smoking the salmon. We still smoke it now and then, but now we buy it!
Pauline - Vancouver Island

Affairs of the heart can be cruel indeed. I truly hope Niels and his girlfriend can find a happy ending. He is a great guy!

Talking about cruel:

DW saw the words "svelte & Foghorn's figure" in the same sentence and started howling with laughter. What's so funny? She ran and called our son over the phone and they were chortling ad nauseam.

In regards to the photo with my pink tail feathers I got a message from Mr. Villegas that gave me some hope:

The caterpillar is the larva of one of the many false-silk moths that are found worldwide. Depending on your location and the host plant, one can guess the species of the moth. False silk moths are among the largest of the moths. They can be very beautiful (this is an entomologist talking here Â. No ugly bugs here).

Regards,

Baldo

Here is a link that might be useful: Baldo Villegas' Bugs and Roses

I finaly got some photos into the old computer. Here is a nice photo of Cup:
{{gwi:213949}}

This other photo shows the stogie in hand. I think the conversation went something like this: "Now here, Cup, there is a right way and a wrong way. Behold the wonders----; Blah! Blah!"

"But Foghorn, Cup says: Not everyone surrounds their roses with a trap crop like grapes. Are you sure that is wise."

{{gwi:213950}}

We had a nice visit. I hope he can visit again when it is a little bit warmer. I am glad he missed this bitter cold. Try and keep warm everyone!

F.L.

I thought I was looking at my son-in-law when I saw the picture of Neils. Matt is of Nordic extraction.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!
I had no idea my butt had gotten that HUGE!!! But I am downsizing! Please use a better photoediting software next time F.L.!!! See link:

I also hear that it has been a really, really cold winter for many in the upper US states this year! Here we had no winter at all (I am done pruning and have fertilized the first time ...3 weeks earlier than usual) but as I write this there is a flurry outside, with the biggest snowflakes I have ever seen coming down.

I still think we are seeing global warming since we had the 3 warmest winters ever in a row. But I know Veilchen will disagree since it is so cold where you live... And I really hope I will be able to come to your part of the East Coast again to go fishing again. What a coincidence that your husband also like to go fishing for stripers!

Here is a link that might be useful: Photoshop extreme makeover

Neils---I'm happy you enjoyed you trip----I agree it is always lovely to meet someone from GW---
I feel sad that you are so far from your GF----I would like to hear how you met her !!!! I always like a nice "Love story"

BTW--I love your roses

Florence

If my daughter wouldn't have broken my USB cord, I would take a big fat photo of the snow banks outside covering my roses. Neils, maybe the Gulf stream is changing and we here in the NE US will get even colder, while northern Europe will get even warmer. Not fair! When I visited Paris last year in mid-April, some roses were in bloom and every day was sunny and in the 70s! (F)

Maybe when we retire (a looong time from now) we will move to Europe instead of Florida.

Neils, anytime you want to plan a trip to New England the invitation is still open to see my roses and go striper fishing with my hubby--they start running in early June (both roses and stripers). That is, if the snow has melted by then. Three more inches expected tomorrow!