If it's possible to propagate some of Frances Grate's Tea for Kippy to try, that would be the best thing, then she can how it does in her setting. I have a similar dilemma with Homere. I really don't like its little flowers and the way that they ball, but it's a gorgeous healthy plant and there are very few sources in the US. Take it out of my home garden or not? Every year, I consider doing it, and don't. The cemetery specializes in found roses, and I bought this from Paul Barden years ago. If it weren't a commercial rose, I'd dig it up, plant it in the cemetery and be glad that it's gone! (Peggy Martin said that she once saw a Homere that had huge flowers and she's coveted it ever since - mine are about the size of Mlle Cecile Brunner. Since Homere was another popular buttonhole rose, I think that my blooms are the right size...) Anita

seil: I've had this peace rose for about 5 or 7 years now and its always grown the same way... in a large T shape and always full of blooms along that top T line. This last year its been a real pain. I have had it tied up along a fence then moved it and tied it up along a flat straight up trellis attached to the side of our redwood shed. This year its been a real brat and not wanting to cooperate with me. Hopefully now that I've hacked it down to the stump and this new growth is taking off, it will look better. When I had it along the fence my neighbor would come out and cut it down level with the top of the fence. Every year I saw buds starting to form the next day I would come out and look to see the entire top level with the top of the fence. So my husband and I dug it up and moved it away from that fence where the neighbor couldn't reach it. ANYTHING that grows up above the top of that fence they hack right off. Yes I've asked them not to touch our things. Even balled my eyes out after they dug up my flowers from my front yard right before mothers day this year. I yelled at them through tears on mothers day... Would you PLEASE leave my yard alone!! Stop touching my things!! Mind your own property and leave ours alone!! We still hold out hope that the peace rose is going to look better next year now that its out of the reach of our hacker happy neighbor.

For someone in zone 10, there probably is very little chance of mosaic type virus spread as the rose's immune system is effective at high temperatures. ----------------------------------------- Concerning Davis's indexed roses. Davis has recently published a paper where they announced that they found an aphid spread virus in their indexed rose plantings (see page 511): "In this test, RSDaV was detected in many different rose species and cultivars from the Foundation Rose Collection at FPS. In all, 129 plants in this collection were tested, and 77 were positive for RSDaV. Some of the hybrid rose cultivars tested positive for RSDaV included Queen Elizabeth, China Doll, Heirloom, Lowell Thomas, Jack Frost, New Dawn, Uncle Joe, Bridal White, Butterscotch, and Cynthia. It is interesting that the virus was detected in more than 69 plants in two rows (total number of plants in these rows was 89) of the collection which were planted in the mid 1990s. In all, 162 samples of R. multiflora from the virusindexing rose blocks also were assayed in the spring and RSDaV was found in 94 plants. The majority of RT-PCR-positive R. multiflora plants were symptomatic. Another 40 additional plants from the same virus-indexing blocks were tested in the summer and 6 were positive." Here is a link that might be useful: link for above.

I have a beautiful old fashioned rose bush that loves to sucker. I usually shovel prune. The bush is over 6' tall (I like to prune) and has clusters of small white flowers. They start out with a pinkish tinge, but once they're open, they're whiter, with a yellow center. Very fragrant. I'd be happy to let you have them, the only thing I'm worried about is getting them to you. Do you have any suggestions? The USPS has flat rate boxes for $8.95. I thought I might be able to use that. Let me know your thoughts.