This is all very exciting!! Robert and I have exchanged emails, and we are definitely on for hosting on Memorial Day. As the date draws nearer, we'll get details together for everyone. I have another commitment on Sunday the 25th, so I'll have to miss the Maryland tour to Olga's and Lori's, etc., this year. I loved it last year, and I encourage anyone who is available that day to take advantage of the opportunity. The best part of these gatherings is the chance to make real friends out of Internet friends. I'll admit, I've heard that sometimes it doesn't work out -- but that's not the case for me. I value each of you that I have met in person, and I look forward to meeting more of you. Gardeners rock ... and Rose Gardeners rock even more!! Connie

Caldwell Pink -- 3 x 3 seems like a safe bet. Carefree Beauty -- mine is new this year. It shot up a new cane that's already 4' long. Hopefully, I gave this one enough room. Gruss an Aachen -- I have pink Gruss. 3 x 3 should be good. Mme Isaac Pereire definitely wants to get long. I let her peg herself ... she grows up and arches over on her own. Verdun is one of my oldest roses. It will easily stay at about 3' high, if you deadhead the whole cluster of flowers once they're finished blooming. It grows mostly vertically, with little spread. This one must be sprayed in order to have any leaves in summer. Shailer's Provence -- my original Shailer's grows in the front border by the cherry tree, so it gets less sun than it probably should. It wants to be about 5 - 6' tall. My second Shailer's is in the rose field, in full sun, and it's the same height. The difference between the two is that the one in more sun is suckering like crazy. Plan for this. Mableton Rouletii should stay about 2 x 2. It grows very densely. When it starts blooming in spring, the whole plant is a mass of tiny pink flowers. Wonderful! St. Thomas China is a bit looser than Mableton Rouletii, but still a compact grower. There was no winter damage on it this year at all, while Single Pink China and Comtesse du Cayla on either side of it were killed to the ground. 3 x 3, maybe if it grows for a couple of years. Little Buckaroo will fit very nicely with the other mini chinas. The size should be somewhere between Mableton Rouletii and St. Thomas China. Beauty of Rosemawr ... I'm beginning to doubt the ID on this one. It was sold to me as BoR, but I haven't seen a photo of it online or anywhere else that looks like the one I have. The flowers are stunning, but it's definitely not what BoR looks like on HMF. Thanks for the endorsement. I have tried really hard to make this a welcoming place, with quality roses and good information. It's nice to see that it's working. Too many other old garden rose nurseries have left us ... I have to hang in there to make sure these roses have a home, and to provide a source for people who want to grow them in their own garden. Connie

Yes, rain or shine! (We'll figure out how to accommodate anything Mother Nature throws at us.) I'll bring an umbrella, plastic sheeting/tarp and maybe old blankets to keep things from making the car floor too wet, and maybe an extra pair of shoes if it's really heavy rain... And rag towels to help keep the house from getting wet tracked inside...

TOMATO TASTING > > The Garden Exchange Group and the Garden Committee of the Friends of Peter Burr, Inc. invite you to participate in a program about tomato growing and a tasting of the tomatoes from our gardens on Saturday, August 16, 2008, at the Peter Burr House and Farm, Bardane, WV. The morning will begin at 9 AM with refreshments, and the program will begin around 9:30 AM with a discussion on tomato culture, followed by the tasting session and an opportunity to vote for the favorite tomatoes. There will be a guided tour of the Jane Burr Kitchen Garden, a recreation of typical 18th Century herb and vegetable plantings, following the tasting. Please bring a lawn chair,and if you have any unusual or tasty tomatoes, please bring 3-4 of them for the tasting. The Peter Burr House, the oldest standing wood frame house in WV, ca.1751, is situated on the remaining acreage of the original 800+ acre Burr family farm. It is being restored to its 18th Century appearance by a group of volunteers, who are also interested in presenting to the public the story of what early agriculture and gardening practices were in early western Virginia. The Peter Burr Farm is located at the end of East Burr Boulevard,just off the Charles Town Road (old route #9) 4 miles north of Ranson, WV. To get there: Turn off Charles Town Road at the tall Shamrock Lighting Sign, onto East Burr Boulevard, go through the Burr Business Park, and park in the Hamilton Building parking lot or in the grass field, just before the farm. You will need to walk in from there because of a recent change to our driveway. Questions? Please email Peterjane2@aol.com or call 304.535.6825 before Saturday the 16th.