Well Kate dear, you will have to miss Mottisfont, so you can get the garden ready. I will volunteer to help you out by going to the UK in your place. Aren't I the Generous Gardener?

Sounds wonderful, you'll have fun and I want pictures!

Carol

I have planned rose bloom for shows and also for a niece's wedding.
For the wedding, I started the 'fuss' forty days before I'd need the flowers. I watered every three days and used a bloom buster (Carl Pool) once a week. It worked.
But I know of a number of disasters as well.
A very good friend aimed for a garden party, madly pruned and all that for a forty day cycle, and had the coolest wettest weather. And he had a magnificent display of buds and very few blooms.
Something very different happened before a national ARS meeting, and everybody (north and south) were aiming for 40-45 days. Well, heat hit. Serious heat. Bloom happened over a week early (too early, even, to refrigerate.)

From these I've learned fall's a gamble. Plan for hot and cold and don't push yourself to do things to aim at a single date. Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humor.

Also be prepared with assorted interesting planted containers that can be used to fill up or accent spots. In the fall there should be lots of blooming chrysanthemums and other fall annuals to scatter around and brighten up if the roses don't come through. Although your function may not be geared to a gardening group, a couple of scrapbooks or albums of your garden pictures left out on tables might spark some interest and garden conversation.
We were over your way last week visiting colleges for the eldest and the area is beautiful.

Lisa B.

Ok, emboldened by Georgia Rose, I'll say it, plant short zinnias to fill in. Some of the short growing small bloomed zinnias will fill in nicely.

I am happy that you are finally showing your pretty garden. I know it is probably an amazing sight. It would not be otherwise.

Ann's and Georgia Rose's advice is good. I have found that we get very little rain in October but if I am planning a garden show, it will rain, so why not let me plan one for one weekend and yours for the next (LOL).

Actually, we had a tour one year in October and it rained like crazy all week long and then it stopped on Friday. By Saturday the garden was dried up and the sky was beautiful, the roses well hydrated and everything was like a gift from God and I agree about planting so that you will have flowers.

You can go ahead and seed right now so that your seed will have time to germinate and you will be able by then to purge and move seedlings around.

I recently bought a package of each white zinnia seeds, pink zinnia seeds and gold/yellow zinnia seed because I wanted different areas to have different colors.

Also do some cosmos for areas that you want to look as though the birds sowed the seeds.

Go to Meyers or some of the other garden shops in Birmingham, (there are several that do beautiful potted plantings, influenced by Southern Living) and get some ideas. I recently picked up more seeds than I want to admit at the farmers market in Montgomery, Montgomery Feed & Seed. If you happen to be in the area on business, run by the Farmers' Market. They always have good potted plantings and great seeds and plants. Also, Southern Homes & Gardens in Montgomery (both locations) has a multitude of ideas. Don't forget them if you cannot find what you want in B'ham.

Have seating for your guests. Provide something to drink. I do lemonade (both with and without sugar), usually coffee brewing. Depending on the group, determines treats at the end of tour, but I always have treats for end of the tour and question and answer period. I like to do early tours before the heat sets in on the plants. Snacks need not be expensive, just cute.

I have done this but you don't have to: Provide a diagram to your garden, what roses are located where, a little history on the roses. You can obtain enough of that from HelpMeFind to give them something to read. Allow them to take it home. When I have done that, I always provide those short little pencils (like you get with examinations) so they can make notes of any roses they might like but usually I have rose people so they are more interested in the herbs, perennials, etc.

Thank you for including me in a list of people who might have something to say, but ... I don't.

But I hope it rains at exactly the best times for your gardens this summer and fall and that all rose afflictions stay away.

This is so helpful. On a mad impulse I sent off invitations to a Rose Whiffing--similar to a wine tasting, timed for 9 in the morning when the roses smell best and people are too sleepy to be critical. I'm planning lemon bars,scones, pastries,mango lassies and tea or coffee--all cerebral so far. MAC is in show stopping bloom Now...as is Devoniensis and Mutabilis, Lemon Spice, Lady Hillingdon, Belle Storey and Sutter's Gold is just finishing up. You get the picture. God knows what will be left. I think I should label the roses, printed cards laminated and punched to be tied to a leaf in the most prominent place. I weed all the time, water and deadhead everything. I didn't do the 6 week or 40 day thing, who am I to outwit the good Lord??? Some will bloom and many will fink out on me. Second theory--no one will come but that would be too easy. Good luck, I'm sure it will be so beautiful--it's yours. I'll be thinking of you.
la

If you have enough roses to do this, why not prune some roses at something like 45-50 days ahead, and some at 30-35 days ahead, and others at the more normal 40-day thing, so that no matter what, some roses will be blooming just right? I'd probably do most on the 40-day schedule, and just a few different, since most likely the 40-day schedule will be the right one.

Keep/get as much foliage as you can, not just rose foliage, but all kinds of plant foliage, of different textures, colors and sizes. A garden rich in foliage, with only relatively few flowers, will still look like a paradise, and look like far more flowers than there really are.

--Ron

Kate---I'm sure your garden will be lovely and if these guests are rose lovers they will know the potential of the bushes even if they are not in bloom.

Laminated pictures are a good idea.

I will pray for a "Camelot Day" for you.

Florence

Kate, I looked back on my calendar. (Your weather will not be significantly different from mine that rain/cold would be significantly different). It was October 20, the date that worked for me. Just keep those plants hydrated, and as Ron suggested, very correctly, lots of foliage. You might need to buy ferns, palms, etc., now as there will be very little available at that time of year because Christmas trees are taking over the shelves of outdoor plants.

You can nest some palms and other greenery, ferns, pots of blooms here and there in any vacant areas. I went to the exhibitors forum and got some tips from there about getting the garden ready for tour, as if I was going to exhibit, but without removing the bloom from the bushes. Lots of good advice there.

I knew y'all would come to my rescue! I'm very grateful.

Now Carol, I did try to make you come with us to Mottisfont but you somehow sneaked out of it. Now I know how to entice ytou next year--I'll plan a Gardenweb get together at my place just a few weeks later. Naughty you.

Ann, wise as always. I'm still such a Northerner at heart I'd forgotten about the heat. harumph. I like the combination of your and Ron's 30-40-50 day cycles very much. I couldn't have come up with that if you'd given me 6 months to figure it out.

Zinnia's, great, I've got 8 packets of zinnias and 300 Jiffy 7's (OK so I went a little bit overboard during my winter blues. I won't tell you how many Cosmos seeds etc I have). Why am I not surprised that Ann, Lisa and Patricia would share the same genius thought. And Patricia, you're too kind about my hodge podge garden --the only good thing it has going for it is the best of intentions and 350 mangy own root roses but a Vintage shipment on its way. I love the ideas of the laminated cards and descriptions and, Luanne, don't you dare tell me you need inspiration. Little Miss I Can Turn a Dirt Day into an Ethereal Feast. Oh you don't fool me. Patricia, near October 20th will be my goal. I hope you won't mind if I email you in advance so if you can STAND my fellow alumni I might have the chance of seeing you again. And Duchesse you may not have anything to add but if you're truly in Alabama I hope you'll come visit too.

I am now excited and have to tell my lemon trees to get cracking. If I don't have any roses blooming at least I can make home made lemonade.

Drugs help :)

See ya' in a few weeks . . .

Best wishes
Jon

Kate, yes, I'm truly in Alabama. Shy about posting pictures because my gardens are so new. On a short string because of homeschooling a young girl we adopted almost 2 years ago now. Our two 'biological' kids are in their 20's now, but decided to start over with a then 8 year old who needed a home - wanting to redeem the time before old age and senility do us finally in.

Admiring of all of the truly amazing gardens I see posted here. But if it will make you believe I exist in Alabama here's a picture of my young garden taken this morning. And I think Jeri Jennings is putting a small article I wrote about adding a few antiques into Maple Hill Cemetery into the May Heritage Rose Group magazine. I live close to Huntsville.

Best wishes for your garden party; I'm sure it will be lovely! And I don't blame you for doubting I exist in Alabama as the internet is a truly odd place. And there are some mornings I wonder myself where I am!

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And finally, could anyone who loves William R. Smith be too bad of a person?

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you might try doing a search on for "kaye" on this site

she is a zone 7a (arkansas) and does (has) shown roses

at the very least, pull up her picturetrails photos from her page and take a look at the octobers (there are several)
the pictures will give you a lot of encouragement!!

I agree with the prunning 6 weeks ahead of time, start watering and put down some 10-10-10 a couple of weeks ahead of time. Also, make sure you have other things that are more reliably in bloom around. Dianthus,Celosia, Marigolds, Black and Blue Salvia, and Sedum - all are reliable heat bloomers that add color.

Have fun at your garden party!

Okay, here's what I did before all of you came to my house two years ago. I pruned the roses 6 weeks before the "day", I pulled all the weeds, trimmed the perennials, put some "fresher" flowers in the pots scattered around and prayed. 3 weeks before you came, the weeds reappeared with a vengeance, some horrible fungal disease ripped through the garden almost completely defoliating the roses, we had scalding heat and no rain and I watered constantly. I cried alot, fed them all with miracle gro (though I never fertilize in the fall) in the vain hope that the roses would grow leaves before you all arrived and started pulling weeds again. A week before you arrived the weeds were besting me, no leaves were appearing on the roses but some blooms were showing up. I put down a thick layer of mulch everywhere to cover up the weeds, threw my hands up in the air and realized that it would be whatever it was and I couldn't "fix" it. You bunch of rose nuts showed up and oohed and ahhed over the blooms and were kind enough not to notice the lack of leaves. It will be alright. No matter how much you plan, it probably won't work out that way. Buy lots of wine.....it worked with you guys :-) Love you.

Carol

I think Carol is on drugs or smoking something she should not be... I was in her garden that day! Heck, I have been in her garden several times. I have NEVER seen it look bad. She tells very tall tales for such a short lady.

Trish

Oh, and did I mention that one of the visitors to my garden was David Stone who is over the gardens at Mottisfont? He was coming for dinner and to see my "garden"....I fed him take out pizza because I ran out of time and had to pick up LA at the airport.....

Ignore Trish, she, ahem, tells untruths on occasion.

Carol

Duchesse those are beautiful photos, a lovely garden. Since you're near Huntsville you're near Orchids2000. She doesn't post much anymore but I had the pleasure of meeting her and some other Alabama folks when Petals from the Past had its annual greenhouse sale. Have you been to that? It's a lot of fun.

Carol,
you can't fool me. I've BEEN to your garden, remember? I distinctly saw lots of beautiful leaves AND blooms. There was not enough wine (though there was plenty) to make me remember incorrectly. Though, admittedly, Beauregard's canine kisses did make me a little weak at the knees.

And Trish, Carol says you're fibbing, are you just gonna take that??? (fight! fight!) :-)

I will take care of Carolina- that girl can look you straight in the face and lie! Then say "well bless your little heart". Ha-

Those of us that were in her garden ALL know that she tells stories!

Kate- I am sure your garden will be just lovely, but if you do dress those pugs be sure to send me photos. I adore pug babies!

Well, there is another fine idea. Dress those adorable pugs and no one will notice the garden because they will be enchanted with the pups.

It will be beautiful, Kate, and no matter what you do something will go wrong and fray your nerves. It's inevitable. As Jon said, drugs are an acceptable option :-)Have fun and don't let it drive you too crazy. I wish I could be there.

Trish, bless your little heart......

Carolina

Carolina is deluded. Her garden was stunningly beautiful. If that is what her garden looks like when it is bad, then her garden at its best would blind me with beauty. Silly girl.

Kate, last October I pruned out my Hobbit Garden because it was past its prime. This is a mostly annuals, mostly late-summer-and-early-fall garden area. My younger daughter was horrified because we were giving her a going away party and this garden is on the path between the front gate and the back patio, where the party was to be held. I quickly rounded up all sorts of potted plants and placed them in that garden and it looked fine. She was happy and no one knew the difference. So if all these wonderful techniques don't work -- and they most likely will -- your fall back plan is to run to the garden center and buy some colorful seasonal plants and plant them in all the empty corners. No one will know the difference.

Good luck with your garden tour. I predict that you will wow them.

Rosefolly

I'm sure you'll charm them to death and they'll be cooing "what a nice lady for a yankee...all the way home, bless their hearts. Carol is not to be trusted she is a born poor mouther, which is some southern tendency to make little of what she does even if it is awesome and it is, just like her garden--did not see one crappy leaf nor a weed. And David Stone still e-mails her, uh-huh really put off by that pizza...
At this point I went to Annie's Annuals and bought ruffly apricot snaps,blue latin names, pink latin names, veronica,ruffled CA poppies and other latin things. I'm going to give them bubbly water with lemon and green tea to keep their palates clear and then if they are nice I shall haul out the cookies and scones.
The roses are seemingly all of a mind to have the most overwhelming bloom in history 10 days early so I may have a bottle of wine just for me...Good luck on your party--wish I had 10 little crowd pleasers ready to soft shoe across the stage--big fat cat, not....
la

We hosted two garden tours last year in June. I had worked 40 consecutive nights in Feb/March (so I started out behind) and we had done a remodel on the house which required putting a hosta bed into pots for 6 months and bringing a small bobcat into the yard thru the lawn and generally making a mess of things in Feb.

My husband and I consentrated on getting the lawn into good shape (starting seed) and getting the ripped up garden bones into good shape. Got the hostas back into the ground asap, wish I had spend another day enriching that soil, missed opportunity.

Start some pots w/ annuals and then you can place them where there are holes or where you need a focal point. I planted up everything container that I had. This was different for me, I almost never buy annuals but I was glad I did.

More water than normal but mine was early so we still had rain. Well thought out pruning. I was trying to delay some things (Phlox and lady's mantle). Then no pruning starting about a month in advance.

Only two weeks before I went out and bought veggies, herbs & (more) annuals to plant a "kitchen garden". I did throw some money at it and bought what looked good, not what I wanted to eat, not my usual style. Planted closer than normal and lots of miracle grown and people had a hard time believing that it was that new.

Have a good, trusted friend come thru and tell you what looks ratty.

I put out pitchers of ice water w/ lemon floating and store bought cookies on a real silver tray. Make it easy but elegant. Fresh cut flowers on the patio, tablecloths, seating where there is a beautiful, quiet spot (even if normally you keep it open for easy mowing).

One garden tour brought in a single live jazz sax player. He wandered around playing and it was sooooooooooo cool. He was pretty special but maybe the local college or something could come up with something similar?

It is great to hear peoples feedback. I never thought of two aspens in the corner as focal points, but obviously they are, I had countless questions about them. Personally I never even see them. I really do see my garden differently than I used to.

My biggest advice, take the day off the next day and SIT AND ENJOY YOUR GARDEN. It's probably never looked so good and you deserve to enjoy it. Make your self sit (I never seem to get around to this part!). Have a good time.