YOU ASK THIS: Also, when I do water with the drip system, how long should I leave the water on at 1 gallon per minute? Everything seems to say 1" per week, ======== THE NURSERY GUY SAID [and i am very! impressed said]: Following the advice of the nursery, I'm checking down in the soil several inches for moisture content before I water, and only watering if it's dry down about 3". They said that overwatering is a common problem and was important to avoid. =====WHERE IS THE CONFUSION ...???? gallons per minute per weeper is irrelevant ... you WATER WHEN THEY NEED WATER.. like the guy said ... and you dont overwater ... i struggled with the EXACT issue when i put in drip irrigation.. and after 2 years of thinking i needed a rocket scientist to figure it out.. i ran the system for a couple hours.. and went a dug a small hole.. and found out if that was long enough to get it as deep as i needed it ... and if not.. ran it for another hour .. and another hole.. until i figured out how water moved thru MY SOIL... that is really the reason you cant get a straight answer from anyone other than yourself.. because no one knows anything about YOUR SOIL ... and how water moves thru it ... just some time, patience and digging.. and you will figure it out ... if i can.. you can ... on tree/shrubs/conifers.. long deep waterings... and allowing them to NEARLY dry in between .. is much better than infrequent shallow watering that does not get thru the root zone ... good luck ken

I don't know if letting them handle the roses is a good idea...they're likely to get crushed in the process. Letting them smell the roses might be nice...if you have cut ones in vases that can be smelled with hands held together behind backs :) Younger children can sometimes lose interest very quickly, so keep it interesting for them. Jam jars that can be passed around without the contents being damaged are a good idea. You might also want to explain the history of roses to them in an easy to follow, condensed version. Something like the older roses (gallicas, albas, damasks) and how they combined to produce the later roses. If you can include a world map and point out France, Damascus, China, etc. that might be fun, too. Again, make this very short and mostly a way to hold up a sample of the roses and point to the map :) Have the children draw their "If I were a rose" and if they're old enough to write well, they can explain their choice.. Make sure to have color crayons or pencils. Ask them to tell you, or write in their explanation, if they chose by color, fragrance, looks, location or a combination of these. Also nice if you can explain that roses (without pesticides) can be used for potpourri, teas, jellies, candies, etc. If you have any samples, that would be nice too (even if the kids don't try them, they can see them). Sounds like fun and the kids should really enjoy it!

I know there are many older/old fashioned rose gardeners here, when you're retired you have all the time to kill the bugs one by one or two by two, I think that's great, you keep going. :-) For the young and restless gardeners, we have too many things to do, just not enough time.......work full time, and have other passions in life like riding, camping, kayaking, hiking......not a wild child, just have things to do, To take care about 500 roses after work before dark is a rush job for me. Spray is the only quick and easy way to take care of the bugs in my garden for now. I am sure many years from now when I am retired I'd join many of you kill the bugs one by one with my hands ( have to wear gloves).......we all have to kill the bugs before they kill our buds, that's one common goal for all of us. Squish, squish, spray, spray, all start with a magic "s". :-) Cheers, Summer

Well, Cecily, I'm glad my trials & tribulations are SO entertaining & comical for you, meanwhile I'm shaking my fist at these damned pests! ;) I'm doing things much outside my comfort zone & I'm thoroughly enjoying it, except for certain things like hoping I didn't unknowingly smear a sawfly larva in my hair, freshly plucked from a leaf, when I wiped the sweat from my brow, or the sinking feeling of "wait, is that a spider mite web I feel across my face or is that just a single strand of my own hair that I'm feeling?! Oh God, what if I have spider mites IN MY MOUTH?!" Yes, it may not sound like when I'm posting every little new critter I come across, but I really am having fun with these roses! It's relaxing (believe it or not) and quite fulfilling (already) & I'm super stoked I can share my experiences with like-minded people who give me advice & input, because I really think my husband is getting tired of hearing me talk about roses already...