looks like mikael samuelson from the detroit red wings.. in another life.. lol ... and i presume i slaughtered his name.. ken

I daresay that if your DH expressed his love of roses and he specifically loves red roses, he does not have Knockout on his mind. KOs would be disappointing for him and for you, too. I would stick to a few red HTs, and would choose one or two, which are fragrant. In my humble opinion, the most important thing is to choose a respectable vendor to order roses from. In your area, as far as I know, multiflora grafted roses do very well; so do search the websites of Pickering and of Palatine roses. They are excellent vendors and Palatine sends exceptionally healthy and huge plants. Additionally, grab DianaNJ offer - she is very helpful and can give you super advise re what grows well in your area, alas, she does not like red roses :-((( There are quite a number of Hybrid tea roses that are not that difficult to grow. Royal William (Duftzauber), for example, is an excellent dark red rose that is easy to grow and it produces long stemmed dark red blooms in great number. Furthermore, Palatine offers a relatively new red HT that is the first ADR rose in red and ADR certification means that it should be very disease resistant. In other colors you may want to explore Buck roses and ask the forum members which are disease resistant in your area. I can also recommend the newest very disease resistant Kordes floribunda or shrub roses - most available from Palatine, a few are available from Pickering and also, a few are available own root from Ashdown roses. However, if you get red roses, I would advise you to plant them in eastern exposure so that they are protected from scorching sun in the afternoon otherwise the petals of red roses can burn. Any of these above mentioned choices in roses would give you both greater satisfaction than to start with Knockouts. If you can, prepare a rose bed instead of individual holes. In the long run it will be easier to maintain and better for the roses as well. The bed can be prepared in the fall (actually it is better to prepare it in advance) and it will be ready to receive the rose(s) in early spring. Here is a link that might be useful: Palatine roses

Rhizzo.. Exactly! That is why I never suggested that anyone should do this practice..It was just facts that I stated that happened and that I saw myself. It is another option that one can try if one is desperate or brave enough to alliviate pest issues and provide more room. Before I posted this back then, I was contantly visiting this greenhouse and making sure they did ok..And as the pictures prove, it worked..I tried this on one of my pondersosa lemon trees, and it came back with no problems after 3 months of plucking last winter. I also had a lemon myer that defoliate on it's own for the whole winter, and came back strong once the days staring getting longer in my cool room..... Purposely defoliating trees is not something I suggest to do, just what I saw with my own eyes.. I posted this to show that these trees can be quite resilient if one happens to do so, or just very lucky.. You know the tree that completely defoliated I posted on thread that I forgot to water? It is coming back with growth in places I never saw, very close to the trunk, looking like it is going to fill in nice a bushy, something I could not get this plant to do just trimming the ends off.. Quite interesting..Could it be that not all things quite live up to what is written in the books? Who knows..Those plants and the ones at the nursery proved otherwise.. I also stated so that no ones gets me wrong... "This is something that probably most people would only be able to do if they provide the right conditions for their trees, and keep them on the dry side.... If you have a greenhouse on your side and this older thread can be very encouraging for you:" I personally make it a habit to trim mine up in the growing season because of reason you described and so had Al.. I definatly side with you also with not trying this practice with in home ones..Just my feelings and that of many experienced people suggesting not to like you..If I had a greehouse where my trees flourish, I would try it for an experiment at least..Just me.. I also stated that, it is recommended that one holds off till spring to cut back their plants, but I do not wait if it is needed, and still never have a problem.. Ever since I saw the local nursery continually pluck EVERY leaf off all their citrus, all winter to avoid pest's, just to see them keep pushing growth, made me think.. "I usually prefer to trim in the growing season as suggested, usually about June, but if I have too, I do anyway with no worries..If I do not have too, I will pluck the TIPS off to to keep it bushy if new growth occurs and suggested by a very good friend who knows pruning very well.. " While what you say is absoulutely correct, no denying that, I question too why their trees come back stronger than ever after an all winter defoliation? If anyone thinks I am encouraging or suggesting plucking all your leaves off, I am not, and I thank Rhizzo for clarifying that and the possible consequences.. Rhizzo is much more experienced at growing healthy trees and full of great advice, and if she suggests not too, then I would take her words strongly seriously It is just an option one can choose to decide for them selves based on the pictures and what I saw.. Mike :-))))

I don't have the native celandine, but I do have the alien variety. In some locations in our area the alien seems to stay within reasonable bounds. However, in my location (wooded area only a mile or so away) it really takes off. It has reseeded so much that I'm almost ready to call it invasive. I'm constantly having to pull it out. Though it can grow fairly large (about the size of a medium bush and quite pretty) it doesn't have to be more than a couple of inches tall before it can and often does, flower and reseed. Not sure exactly which conditions allow this plant to behave so differently in it's growth habits other than the soil, since the lighting is the same and this plant isn't really too fussy. I am also at a bit higher elevation. Do be careful handling this plant as the Yellow/orange sap can be VERY irritating to some people!!! This is considered a medicinal plant also.