Harmonyp, I completely agree with you about doing what is best for your wallet. You really have a kind heart and perhaps your roses like it and their growth reflects it. I sincerely believe that plants and animals have an inane ability to see our inside and react towards us accordingly. I think the main theme of most of the comments is to buy the best you can, and support the true rose lover's (the nurseries) as much as possible. Sometimes our wallets force us to act otherwise. I really don't care about the wallymart that much, but I end up going there because certain items are really cheap there and shopping for those saves me a bunch at the end of the month. I know that probably hurts a small mom and pop business, but my wallet almost forces me to overlook that. I try to reduce my shopping there to the bare minimum for that reason. I wish I could stop going there. Anyway, does someone know why my supposedly intensely fragrant roses from sams and hd are not fragrant, even if they appear to the be the right cultivar? Thanks.

I love species roses! My local botanic garden, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont has a really nice collection of California native species roses collected from around the state (and even more in their seed collection). RSABG has R. californica growing on the grounds from Colusa, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Siskiyou (this plant is spineless), etc. counties, sometimes multiple selections from these counties. I have pics of some of them, but they are not all together in a rose garden per se, but scattered around the garden in the plant communities in which they would be found naturally. This makes it really fun and interesting to see how they grow and what they like. They are not all identical. I have 3 that I have purchased from RSABG: R. californica 'Los Berros' (a selection by David Fross of Native Sons Nursery in Arroyo Grande, California and named for the road, Los Berros, it was found on--Los Berros has larger and darker flowers and larger and thicker leaves than is typical of the species), R. californica 'First Dawn' (a selection from Suncrest Nurseries, California, FD has very pale pink, small cupped flowers and blooms in huge sprays, few thorns), and R. californica grown by RSABG (this is a newly-arrived plant in a 1 gallon pot that I bought at their spring nursery 50% off sale, it has just produced its first flower for me which was a light to medium pink). All 3 are extremely fragrant. Los Berros has particularly "plushy" feeling leaves. It is also very, very thorny whereas First Dawn has few thorns. The latest arrival has almost no thorns. Unfortunately the label on the pot doesn't identify from which county this plant originated. RSABG does have R. nutkana in its plant communities. I have pictures of their R. nutkana from Sonoma county, both this year and last (I'm pretty sure I took some of its hips), but I don't have any pics (easily remedied!) of their R. nutkana var. muriculata from Del Norte county. They also have R. pinetorum and R. gymnocarpa (I just recently took photos of this one in bloom during a neat spring walking tour led by one of the RSABG volunteers). My hard drive now has, I'm afraid to say, easily hundreds of photos taken at RSABG.;) Maybe now is a good time to try out the new photo posting utility for this forum. It always seems to take me forever to get things posted first on Flickr. Hopefully I can get some photos uploaded for you to see and maybe they will be helpful. Below is R. nutkana from Sonoma county.

Additional info - as I said, you can sign up for each day separately, each meal (or not), etc. On Sunday for $20 they offer "garden tours". I inquired which gardens will be on the tour, and just got a reply: 1) The Marin Rose Society Garden at the Art and Garden Center in Ross - this is a very small but pretty rose garden on the property of what used to be a large estate - there is a great antique shop on the property also!, 2) A private garden in Ross belonging to the Scales family, which is said to be amazing - the garden of a Master Gardener (if you have never been to a home or garden tour in Ross, most of the properties are amazing), and 3) the private garden of a garden writer and rosarian in Novato which I am also sure is lovely. Jackie

I have no first-hand knowledge of most of these groups, but here's what I find online: Garden Thyme Herb Society - no official contact info online. If you're interested, contact GardenWeb member evasage for more email. You should be able to email her through her GardenWeb member page. Eva's super nice and might also be able to tell you about other local groups. Ken-Ten Iris Association (Dresden, TN / Earnie Royal, president / 270-489-2819) - local American Iris Society group I can hardly believe that the Tri-Cities doesn't have an AIS club in that area, but it appears that this one is the closest. If you are into iris, you might consider starting a club in the Tri-Cities area. I bet there'd be plenty of interest. Mid-Appalachian Bonsai Kai (Kingsport / Anita Bausman at 423-239-7602) - local American Bonsai Society group Tri-Cities Daylily Society (Kingsport, TN / Dennis Hall, president at 423-288-7040) - local American Hemerocallis Society group Shady Oaks Garden Club (Johnson City, TN / Cindy Hintz at 423-282-9106) _________________________ I didn't see any local groups associated with these groups, but you might consider starting one: African Violet Society of America American Daffodil Society American Hosta Society American Rose Society Cactus and Succulent Society of America wildflower groups _________________________ There are also other groups that are somewhat associated with plants and gardening, like: Bays Mountain Park Association Bristol Bird Club Friends of Roan Mountain _________________________ And, of course, you are cordially invited to attend the East Tennessee Plant Swaps. Look for info in this GardenWeb Forum closer to swap time (usually one in spring and one in fall).