I am so depressed, I am feeling like giving up on roses. I just had to cut down my beautiful giant New Dawn that was at least 10 or more years old. It along with seven other roses died last year after the very late freeze. I was shocked, angry and now am just depressed and so sad.
They had all been perfectly healthy and had tons of new growth when it deep froze very late last spring. I thought they might come back but never did. Some(4) should have still been under warranty but since I waited to see if they would rebound, my year was up. I am just sick!

I'm just starting mine up again.

When I lived in the PNW I had >50 varieties, mostly tea roses. I've been in CO for 12 yrs learning how to adapt my gardening to this harsh dry, cold climate.

I've only had a few roses here and for the most part have stayed away from teas. I've had marginal luck with a rugosa but it may be where I have it planted. I've had very good luck with older varieties that are on their own roots. Two rooted cuttings that I brought with me from WA State have done wonderful: Dorothy Perkins and my grandmother's white rambler which I think is Mary Lovett.

Now I've researched what other older roses do well in this climate (for eg. I used the list of roses grown at the ARS display garden near me) and am sticking to those in my new landscape.

My learnings:
1. "own root" roses do much better here, plus I can take cuttings just in case the "mother" plant succumbs to an unusual weather event.

2. the only climbers worth my effort here are old fashioned roses that will either not die back or will bloom on new canes. I planted a climbing Peace rose and it has bloomed for me exactly twice in 12 years- both mild winter and long summer years so it had time to catch the rebloom in the fall (never a spring bloom).

3. I watch what others have blooming in their yards and use that as a guide. I do see some folks here with a few teas or floribundas but they are planted much deeper than I expected having come from WA. The graft must be at least 2" under ground.

4. micro-climates in my yard make a HUGE difference on success.

1. "own root" roses do much better here, plus I can take cuttings just in case the "mother" plant succumbs to an unusual weather event.
* * *
That is something I am thinking of doing. Some of mine are still patent protected but I like to 'protect my investment' too. The ones that are grafted especially, just in case the rootstock stages a hostile takeover or some sort of coup attempt.

Hello! My name is Karl and I'm a rosaholic!
I've not quit my rose addiction but I have learned to control it some. It took 25 years and a stroke but I now only add 15 or 20 a year instead of 30 to 50 and I'm down to 350 bushes from 550.

alisande,
In your zone, you have to stick with the rugosas and those that have rugosa parentage like the Canadian Explorers, Mordens, and the new Artist roses.
The Buck roses, although crown hardy, will die back close to the ground, but come back strong each year.
The Knockout line is hardy also.

If you're hungry for climbers, two years ago I planted a few "hardy" climbers from Great Lakes Roses. Last year the late freeze caused a lot of die back but this year many are looking good. Perhaps IÂve found a few that will end up actually being climbers and not just tall hybrid teas. Those with lots of surviving cane are Dublin Bay, Leverkusen, City of York, Ramblin Red, Quadra, Berlin, New Dawn, Coral Dawn, and DarlowÂs Enigma.

Other hardy roses to consider, although they are not classified as climbers they act like one, are John Davis, Gen Jacqueminot, and Lousie Odier. Mine are 5-6 feet tall right now after pruning.
Autumn Sunset and Fourth of July experience some dieback but wonÂt start the season from ground level. My four have four feet long green canes.
None of the above had any winter protection except the leaves that blew onto the base

If you want a hardy tree rose, Polar Joy from BaileyÂs is the one. Mine is planted in a large tree pot and is green to the tips. ItÂs advertised to be hardy to minus 30 and some cold climate growers are reporting that itÂs true.

Ever the optimist, IÂve not completely given up on hybrid teas. I have six hybrid teas that IÂm planting this year plus a few floribundas. Of the 38 varieties of hardy shrubs I picked up, 20 are not in my garden. So, naturally I have to set aside one of each for myself.

Any rose planted in cold growing zones needs some winter protection planning beginning when you dig the hole. If you plant budded bare roots, they must be planted with the bud union 4-6 inches below the soil surface. The portion of the canes above the bud union and below the soil line will root giving you an own root plant that's more apt to survive with minimum winter protection. I even plant own root roses an inch or two lower than they were in the pot.
Finally, don't be in a hurry to remove the winter protection. An early warm spell or above average winter temps do not mean an early spring. It just means growth may begin sooner which will be killed by a "late" freeze. If you think about it, those late freezes are not necessarily so. In most cases they're unwise early pruning and removing of winter protection. This year I began removing my protection on April 15.
Many of our rose failures are of our own doing and the result of a failure to plan ahead and making unwise rose selections.

I am not buying any new roses this year. Well, OK, 'cept Compte De Chambord. At the end of last year I put in lots of new daylilies and iris (Iris4U is a great iris vendor!). I'm trying more clematis and peonies, which should be fairly easy to grow. And I put in lots of different varieties of lilac, and tons of new tulip and other spring bulbs.

I think the garden is prettier for all the variety. Even if you just grew rugosas and some very hardy old roses, it's a wide ranging selection and would make a beautiful garden! I like the sunflowers, too.

It sounds like a great plan to me.

Cheers,
Michelle

Rugosas, Explorers and hardy once-bloomers - those are the reliable roses for the north. And sunflowers come up between gallica canes just great. And you get to totally forget the words 'winter protection', and when it should go on and when it should come off, and all the rest of that garbage. They grow like perennials. You put them in the ground, make sure they don't totally dry out, and mostly mind your own business.

{{gwi:248876}}

Would you buy this rose?

i dunno. what does it smell like?

mad_gallica - that rose looks beautiful. What's the name of it?

I'm still addicted to roses. However space is limited here, so I will be getting rid of roses that are infected with mosaic virus etc and replace them with new ones.

I'll be trying out some OGRs this year because I'm fascinated by their history.

I will never give up my rose addiction, because of our extreme heat in the summer not much makes it but I have had snapdragons survive and salvias so am putting those in
besides my never ending roses..

madgallica, I certainly would buy that one! Michelle, not to offend but I've gathered some iris vendor names recently and they are less expensive than the one you mentioned. FYI.
I'm going on an iris kick next. Got enough clematis and daylilies.
Alisande, Sorry for the hijack. I will quit maybe next year. It's too much work for one person. I did better this year feeding and pruning than I thought but I still have 20 some in pots. I still want those few extra roses that I must have.

Carla

I would buy that rose.
I probably can't grow that rose.

I take my hat off to y'all who contend with icy winters, and Japanese Beetles, and other un-named horrors.
I'm not sure I could do it.
You deserve a special Rosarian Honor Badge.

The only consolation is, you CAN grow lovely Northern European roses that can't grow here in LaLa Land.

Carla, we love Iris.
Clematis isn't for us, but Iris grow well here.
So do things like Brugmansia, staghorns, epiphyllums, and of all things Plumerias.

Jeri
In LaLa Land

Mad Gallica, that rose looks exactly like one that was here when we moved in 32 years ago. It was bigger then; I'm thinking it hasn't appreciated the pruning and fertilizer I've given it.

Carla, hijack away. I checked out Michelle's iris vendor suggestion (thanks, Michelle!), and found it a bit over my price limit. After all, a good addict is likely to order in quantity. Which vendors would you recommend?

Susan

As busy as I am, I wouldnÂt quit. I would just grow roses like Oeillet Flammand as Mad Gallica showed you.

Says Jeri:

"The only consolation is, you CAN grow lovely Northern European roses that can't grow here in LaLa Land"

Heck yea!

I've barely ever seen snow...but boy if I did I'd have a yard filled with Albas (the most beautiful roses of all IMO) and Gallicas, Centifolias, Damasks, and other one bloomers and I'd be quite pleased.

I guess we all sometimes want what we can't have.

Bill (who's zone stretching Alba Maxima has set buds)

Well, we were 24C (nice summer day) last weekend, and now it's been snowing nonstop (it'll be about 3 days of snow). What I did was I kept my winter protection (which is plastic bags stuffed with shredded newspaper - BTW this is the best winter protection I have ever had - I can protect easily up to zone 5 - get about 1 foot or more of green cane). I had taken the bags out from under the roses when we had the nice weather. But I didn't water. When I heard about the coming cold - I watered very well (roses do better through cold weather when they are well hydrated) and I stuck one bag low in the middle of each rose. I have no concerns that there will be problems.

My point is that with grafts buried 6 inches and bags of shredded newspaper and waiting to prune until you're sure the weather will stay warm - winter can be kept at bay and you can grow hybrid teas, floribundas - etc. I have 50 roses out there, and I'm learning what works.

Carol
Keep trying!!! :)

To quit my addiction I would have to move, and never come to this forum again... not go to any rose gardens and never go outside...

The thought is chilling...

I sorta quit for a yr or so. It was awhile after we moved into this house. I had waaaay too much going on inside the house and got sort of burnt out on the roses. But, not to worry..... I got back into it full swing and have been steadily addicted (again) ever since! Now I'm afraid I'm getting too old and too tired to keep up with all this. But I just keep plugging along... and buying more roses...!!!

When I read the title of this thread I thought, now who would still be coming here to this forum if they *HAD* quit their rose addiction, LOL? Quit it? Nah. Tone it down a tad? Definitely yes. Like Beth, I'm feeling unable to keep up with the pace I had going and now it's the 'order one - take one out' rule for me. That means twice the digging so I must be sure I want a new rose before I order. (And yes, I must really want those 18 I ordered for this spring, LOL.)

I just feel sorry for anyone who is giving up on roses due to a lack of success. Truly, if your interest in roses wanes on its own that's one thing, but if you're frustrated because of past failures, I wish we could all help you figure out what went wrong, because you'll always have regrets if you give up.

I should post some of my iris that I planted last year from Iris4U. I always bought less expensive iris in the past from a local iris farm, and am used to waiting a year or more for them to get going. These came up and have proliferated like crazy in less than half of a growing season. I am tickled pink with them.

Plus I bought tons of them during their half price sale later in summer. :-p

Cheers,
Michelle

I think I would have to quit the forums too. Too many beautiful pictures and enabling.
Susan, Here are some that people have recommended to me: Woodland has Louisiana Iris.

Blue J Iris
Woodland Iris
Shadowwood
Zydeco
Schreinersiris
Here's a bunch of other ones:
http://www.flowerfantasy.net/ mid-range to expensive
http://www.argyleacres.com/ decent prices, lots of older varieties
https://www.cooleysgardens.com/Default.aspx lots of 1/2 price ones
http://www.malevil-iris.com/ mid-range prices, alot of hard-to-find ones
http://www.mid-americagarden.com/ expensive, but gorgeous!
http://www.napairis.com/index.html decent prices, good selection
http://www.riverview-iris-gardens.com/ the ultimate cheap prices, thousands of varieties, but no pics, so you have to research... or know the names of what you want...
That should keep you busy a while.
Carla

By far the easiest way to grow roses anywhere around here is to start with truly hardy varieties and give them regular perennial care. Anything else carries a real risk of doing more harm than good, and unless somebody is extremely stubborn it doesn't end well. There is such a fine line between enough and too much that even very experienced rose growers can have absolutely disasterous winters.

Unfortunately, 'hardy' has become a meaningless marketing term like 'lo-fat', 'new', 'improved, and 'New York sharp cheddar'. There isn't much connection between what is described as hardy and what will really grow in the colder zones. This is particularly true in the northeast, which has a distinctly different climate from the midwest. There are enough subtle differences that what works further west does not work here, and you can kill a lot of roses following their advice.

Since Oelleit Flammand was trying to colonize a bunch of siberian iris (Shaker's Prayer, in case anybody is interested) I had to get the Napoleonic roses out of Russia. The end result is about 7 pots of Oelleit Flammand and 4 pots of Shaker's Prayer waiting for my garden association's plant sale. Which brings up the great question of whether or not I can sell them. In the past, we've done well with the herbal roses, Apothecary Rose and R. eglanteria, and R. glauca. Even with that picture, and heavy emphasis on its hardiness, disease resistance and durability, this may not be easy. However, this is the magic key to the door of northern rose growing. Without it, you are very much on the outside looking in.

Unlike the ARS in New York, the AIS is very active. Most local clubs have sales sometime around the first of August. While labelling is suspect, and there are quite a few NOIDs, the prices are excellent, and the iris are proven local growers. Unless you want something specific, there are a lot of advantages to buying there. I picked up my sole Louisiana at one of those sales, even though digging them in August isn't really recommended.

Oooh, thanksÂfor both the iris and rose information.

I'm not giving up on roses; I just want to get over the annual obsessive desire to acquire more.

I dug up Abbaye de Cluny this morning after seeing only black canes and not a sign of life. But I had forgotten how deeply I'd planted it, and no sooner was it out of the ground when I noticed green at the base of the canes, and budding. So........I replanted it. I don't have much confidence in a rose that suffered so much die-back, but you never know. In any case, she deserves a chance.

Three roses that were new last yearÂJohn Cabot, William Baffin, and that dreadfully-named Wildberry BreezeÂare popping out with leaf activity. Another new one, Blanc Double de Coubert, looks like winter was nothing more than a little draft. This encourages me for sure, but this year I'm determined that I'll enjoy what I've got without digging any new holes.

I wonder if I'll stick to it......?

I don't have room for any more roses. I replaced several 2 years ago, and haven't bought any since then. Hard for me to do.
Last year was the Year of the Daylilies, bought 30+ of them, and, guess what? I now have not only rose rust, but daylily rust to contend with. Who knew? Only a few are rust-buckets. I'll probably spade them later this year, after I get to see the blooms. I ordered too many, anyway. Roses are still my favorites by far.

I do not have an addiction, I can stop any time I want.

Lance

The obsessive buying of roses is something I've never understood. Possibly because it's so rare for anything decent to show up locally. When my daughter was little, my friends with sons commented on how all the baby/toddler stores were overrun with girl clothes. So clothes shopping for their boys was simply walk into store, go into obscure little corner, pick up a couple of pairs of jeans and a couple of pairs of t-shirts, and they were done. It wasn't something they spent either a lot of time or money on because it wasn't fun.

Yes, you can do mail-order, but the bareroot season is over. That's a big reason I've got to sell all these once-bloomers locally rather than send them off all over the northern US. And just as there are northern roses, there are also northern nurseries. Most of the places commonly recommended here are places I just can't imagine actually ordering a rose from. Also, once the churn stops, you can literally run out of room. Four full grown rugosas, space far enough apart to comfortably fit companion perennials in with them, eats up a fair amount of real estate. The early yellows are bigger. All that takes time and effort to maintain, and works best if some realistic expectations are part of the planning.

I have scaled back quite a bit, from 150 roses to a little over 100 now. Not because of lack of success, more because of time/energy contraints. I also grow quite a lot of other shrubs, perennials, and reseeding annuals and biennials in my garden. I have found that I am more interested in having a mixed cottagey garden than just focusing on roses, though roses will always be a part of my garden and the hightlight at different times of year. The maintenance of my garden turned out to be quite a chore when I was in the mode of expanding and adding more and more stuff, and now I've shrunk back a bit so as not to feel so overwhelmed. So I'm only adding about ten new roses a year or so now, mostly to replace ones that fail to do well and not to expand the collection. I have NONE in pots. I guess I'm not addicted any longer... always will love roses!

I started my quest with roses by picking only roses that were no spray and then I put them in a good hole and waited. I didnt water much and pretty much have left them to their own devices. Survival of the fittest.

I wanted to have the roses but with 3 kids, I knew I would be short on time. My yard is full but I keep ordering roses. lol

I think that each area has its own unique challenges. We have terrible BS here and JBs. I mix things up in a cottage style so I have other things to play with with the JBs feast. We do have a mild winter here compared to those in zones above us BUT, I am glad we do have a winter season because I personally need that 'break' to stay energized about my garden.

I guess what this jumble of text is trying to say is that rosey people are famous for taking the good with the bad. I don't think you need to quit roses just adjust your expectations and find your comfort zone.

As decobug said....I would have to stay inside to quit.
As Lance said....I can quit anytime. (snicker)

I'm with Lori elf with this one. I've made up my mind to pretty much slow down with roses at least for now. I have so many that aren't doing anything worthwhile and a bunch more that are so weak their not worth keeping. There are those that have outgrown their welcome and I want gone. I have several new ones, but I'm planning on keeping the ones that do well here and get rid of the rest. I will always love roses best, but I've reached my limit.

Yes, I have quit roses, several times. Just one more, this time will be the last, I promise.
Nancy

Yes, every winter I quit. Then spring come a callin' and I just take a peek at the nursery. Next thing I know I've fallen off the wagon again. But I happen to live in an area where roses thrive with minimal work so what's a roseaholic to do, I ask you!

Diana, going out to plant a new Evelyn : )

I have not QUIT my rose addiction - I am not buying anymore though. Only my tough ones will be spared of my shovel pruning. The wimps that cannot handle the southern Wisconsin winter deserve no place in my garden! I will protect them and stuff TO A POINT - I will not baby them and consistently pick off the JB and deal with black spot. If they die,they die. I have tons of other flowers and stuff in my garden. They are too much work!

I'm in recovery...I think. In fact, this spring I was actually shovel pruning more than I added until I got some I didn't expect.

The ones I shovel pruned weren't all thrown away. If they had faults but weren't disease magnets, I gave them to people in my garden club or neighbors. Like, two of them had great vigor and pretty flowers, but they were flat and I didn't like the shape. Another one had great color and scent, but the flowers only lasted a few days.

Right now, I like all my 215 roses and don't want to shovel prune anything! But, they are very hard to take care of, and I shouldn't even have this many. I have decided that one curative I will use is to go out and spray all those roses on a hot, humid day and then think about adding another one!

My problem is an urge to try out the new and different, and I am going to resist that from now on. I saw the new ARS winners and immediately started talking myself out of them. Like, one (Pink Promise) is a scented pink HT. I bought two scented pink new releases this year! (Falling in Love and April In Paris) Do I really need another pink rose? Or a red one? Or even a striped one? How about another white thrip magnet? Nah- not any more!

I still love roses but with our weather and lousy clay soil it's hard to commit so much time and hard work into roses only to see mother nature wipe it out. After weeks and weeks and weeks of wind, tornados, hail, rain and flooding I go out to deadhead a few of my old timers and see RRD on one. I know that the steady 25-50 mph winds over the past months has probably carried the mites long distances. I've been through this RRD saga before, so I know the odds of this rose surviving even after I cut out the infected cane. I've grown this rose forever, but if it goes I will not replace it. I only ordered two roses this year and they are destined for containers. Easier to chuck when disaster strikes. Roses will always be my passion, but daylilies are looking better and better to me all the time.

I don't THINK I'm addicted to roses (though DW might disagree). I tend to view my yard as a composition, a living canvas on which to create a picture of beauty and fragrance. Roses are just one ingredient in the recipe (to change the metaphor), to go along with other perennials, trees, and yes, even expanses of grass and a vegetable garden. I have one acre to play with so I do have some room to spare, but crowding in lots of different kinds of roses seems to defeat the larger objective of creating a beautiful landscape. So as long as I keep this perspective, it helps me avoid feeling I NEED to get yet another rose. Reminding myself that time not spent planting is more time spent enjoying helps, too.

However, I might be addicted to landscaping - pruning, mulching, thinking of complementary plants to those I already have, etc. That would be tough to quit! We all need at least one hobby in life to live it to the fullest, so if roses meet that need, thinking of it as an addiction is probably the wrong way to look at it. To each his/her own...

Rick

No, no more addiction to roses, the rehab worked, In fact, just in the past couple of hours, I chopped down two Heritage bushes (ok, one, just down to 2 1/2') and three Sunset Celebrations (as far down as I could, and I'll remove those entirely) and I'm eyeing Charles Darwin finally, my three of them. Maybe I'll keep some canes of ONE bush and remove the other two, and there will be more who will get the ax. Why? Because I'm changing my idea of what I want my garden to look like. I want to keep the ones I LOVE, not the ones that are just "eh".

I'm off again on again. It all depends on how they're doing.

At the moment I'm high on Baltimore Belle a rose you should consider. It is about 10x10' spread on a wall so no depth to those dimensions. All 10' are tip hardy in z5 so might do for you.

it is a once bloomer but what a sight and what a fagrance. I tried to count the buds by quickly gave up. At least 100 on just one cane and there are at least 10 canes. 1000 buds? Seems remarkable but it is lots and lots.

I have officially quit buying roses. None the last two seasons. Plus, I dug up five and tossed 'em last winter.

However, Mother Nature refuses to let me go peacefully. My roses continue to produce sucker children at a frightening rate. Rotes Meer, Rose de Rescht, The Mayflower and now Sweet Bouquet, my Hybrid Musk.

So I have more roses than ever. But, its not my fault.

I like what ronda in carolina says...

"I guess what this jumble of text is trying to say is that rosey people are famous for taking the good with the bad. I don't think you need to quit roses just adjust your expectations and find your comfort zone."

Changing my expectations is exactly what I've decided to do. I've done some careful research, and have decided to go only with own-root roses that are hardy to zone 5. I made the mistake of ordering 2 HT's this year without first researching more thoroughly, but I'll winter protect them in the fall and see what happens. I also bought a Buck rose (Country Dancer) so I have a slightly higher expectation for that one. But I could be surprised.

I have had great success with Rugosas, knockout, and the Fairy Rose. I think next year I might try the Northern Explorers as well.

Yes, I am addicted, but it's under control!!

60 minutes had a good segment on last night about why the people in Denmark were the happiest people in the world, and the main reason for their happiness was that they didn't have high expectations...they were willing to accept things as they are...good food for thought for us rosaholics! LOL.

NO, but I'm fighting it! =;-)
Jim

"60 minutes had a good segment on last night about why the people in Denmark were the happiest people in the world, and the main reason for their happiness was that they didn't have high expectations...they were willing to accept things as they are...good food for thought for us rosaholics! LOL".

Ahhh ... we do have dreams, hopes and expectations, but they are low and this way we always get pleasantly surprised and do much better than we expected!

'One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our window.' ~ Dale Carnegie.

as one of my favorite bloggers quoted today!

Cupshaped hit the nail on the head.
It seems to me when we start this addiction, we are apprehensive and begin with a few....then with success we enter the expansive, full blown (might I say voluptuous?) middle stage with our disorder where we feel we have to personally own and grow EVERY ROSE as if we are the "keeper of the keys" and then as energy wanes and with experience and time we realize we can't own or possibly take care of 'every rose' and so we learn the wisdom of contentment and acceptance with what we have and whittle our rose growing down to those whom we really love and who love us and bask in the enjoyment of what we have and our taking better care with fewer numbers.
(That's my goal anway! LOL)
Jim

This is only my second year to really get into roses. I THINK I may be addicted, but I'm not sure yet. I really love them. I did plant lots this year and still have about eight in pots to plant in the fall. My garden is quite small so I have started to tell myself that next year, I won't buy as many. Yeah, right.

I'm thinking about it seriously. I've only bought 1 rose this year and as it sat in it's pot waiting for a spot, it got eaten alive with all the other roses by slugs. They completely devoured everyone this year. Leaves are just lace. It's embarassing to even have anyone over at point. Why bother. And the Beetles haven't even arrived yet.

i am sorry to say that up here, are biggest problem is the occasional rose slug and a few aphids. the rain can be a downer too, but aside from living in a rainforest, i have had amazing success in my garden of 40 +roses.i get upset if i see a yellow leaf. but some days it is exhausting to upkeep it and i do not know how i will go on holidays...

I guess I never thought of my love for roses as an addiction. I just buy what I like, water, spray, fertilize, prune, water, spray, fertilize, prune, etc... until I wish I were dead then I sit back and enjoy the fabulous blooms and share some with my neighbors and friends. The joy they bring bring and the smiles I enjoy are enough to press me on to the next round of blooms. My name is Chris and I am a rose addict.........

Here is a link that might be useful: My Rose Blog

Not willingly ;->

They'll have to pry the felcos from my cold, stiff, grubby little hands.

I'm a newbie addict! Is it possible to kick this? I just love it.

Hmmmmm......I suppose if I have quit, I won't be reading this. No, in fact, it is spiralling out of control.

Together with my obssession for bamboos...........and water plants...............and hostas............and...etc. etc....

Oh Please!
I've tried the patch, the gum, the meetings...
Acupuncture
Inhalers
Therapy
Calculated the money I'd save by not buying another rose, knowing it would pay for a trip to Hawaii
I've tried holding a rose without planting it
Exercise
I've tried mental preparation, will power, cold turkey, distracting myself, guilt, eating...
I even tried to switch to chewing roses
Tried to quit with a friend.
Tried a fake rose
Set a quit date... 24 times
Nothing has helped...
In the end I didn't make it to Hawaii, spent more money on the "quit methods" than I ever spent on roses and realized how many more roses I could have bought with that money :o)
I now have 102 roses with yet another 2 on the way...
Oops, correction:
I fell off the wagon again
I went to the Nursery for rose food this morning and left with "Winter Sunset" too :o)
So, lets go ahead an make that 103 roses.
Thus by the end of the week, if I don't leave the house that is, or visit www Heirloom, I will have 105 :o)
And there you have it!
The Lioness

Lioness, that was very funny! I'm enjoying all these great responses.

I guess it's time for me to confess that I planted five new roses this year: three Bucks (Earth Song, Quietness, and Aunt Honey), Strike It Rich, and Sunsprite. I balanced this out by planting 14 perennials and ordering 17 iris. I decided that I should plant to my heart's content while I still can. If I still can 20 years from now I'll have one heck of a large garden.