mendocino rose, thanks for bringing Carolyn Parker's rose blog back to my attention. I stumbled over it quite a while ago, but then completely forgot about it. I don't know how that happened, because I remember that it was really worth reading! When I have time I will go over and visit her rose blog, again. Her photo blog is new to me and I will go check it out, too! I also have one of Carolyn Parker's book, I think the title is "Roses A to Z" or something like that and I love her photography, style of writing and her flower arranging skills.

I understand a number have, which isn't surprising given the position they are planted in and the abundant over growth which has surrounded them for years, trapping moisture, shading them from light and competing underground with their massive root systems. Teas and Chinas can be quite prone to mildew in the wrong conditions, which that space became over time. Very little, if any, "collecting" occurred in the recent past and everything which grew there when we had our very active volunteer core was replicated and spread everywhere they were accepted. My "function" as a volunteer was propagation. I admit I was obsessive about making sure anything which didn't appear to be readily available in the Combined Rose List was propagated and given to any and every nursery and garden who would take it. I've lost rare things before being able to share them. The Huntington had lost rare things before being able to share them. Ralph Moore freely shared rare and interesting things after he learned the hard way, he lost the only plants of something important simply because he treated them as proprietary and didn't spread them around. After suffering that, he made sure anything he valued grew in as many places as they would be accepted. Several of us had the pleasure of restocking him with things he created, used then lost. Had I not shared the seedlings with Mel Hulse for The Heritage, Rayon Butterflies, Annie Laurie McDowell, Super Jane and a few others would be extinct. He was the good steward who preserved them until needed. Every rose in the Tea and China collection; every found and Bermuda Mystery Rose; every polyantha; every rose in the Study Plot; every older HT and floribunda; every odd species which grew at The Huntington was reproduced and sold at the Symposium and Friends sales; shared with Pixie Treasures (now gone), Ashdown (now gone), Sequoia (now gone), Vintage, and several others. Very many I grew in my old Newhall garden and shared freely with anyone seeking cuttings of them. I never want to hold the last unicorn horn as I am sure to lose it. That's too heavy an obligation to endure. I've spread every rose I ever imported as far and wide as they would be accepted to insure they remained here in case mine were lost. It worked with many and failed with several. I imported Louis Lens' Pink Mystery and spread it everywhere I could. It is extinct in this country. The same with R. Arkansana "Woodrow". Anything old, rare, unusual, desirable which grew anywhere on those grounds through the early nineties has been propagated and spread far and wide. Whether it has remained spread around or not, I can't guaranty, but every effort was deliberately made to get them "out there" to preserve them. After that time, there was a deliberate shift at the Library to replace volunteers with docents and the main efforts to collect and propagate ceased. Some purchases were made, but the whole focus changed from preservation and distribution through propagating our own plants for the sales to obtaining commercially available, five gallon, bud and bloom plants. The market changed from "collectors" of the unusual and rare to the "coffee table book crowd" who were willing and able to pay $35 for a pretty rose in a five gallon can, where "collectors" were thrilled with small plants in gallon cans for $6 to $6.50. That change was well under way when I stopped volunteering and working the plant sales. Initially, the commercial stock was donated. That changed as the industry suffered greater losses until I understand the stock was purchased for resale. Potting up commercial bare roots for sale is much less labor and time intensive than collecting cuttings from the gardens and other venues, striking them and nursing them along into retail worthy plants. It takes one-sixth the quantity to produce the same gross dollars at $35 each than $6. It takes significantly less labor to move a couple of hundred five gallon rose than it does a thousand gallons. With that said, no, I don't expect any earth shattering, exciting discoveries to be made from the rose audit there. It's very much the same with what happened with the Mildred Mathias Rare Plant Collection at UCLA. While Ms. Mathias lived and collected plants, they were the only source for their wonderful collection. Once she wasn't collecting and the university didn't support new collecting, often not even supporting propagating what they already had, what they originally had exclusives on became common from multiple growers. Just six years ago, the last I had access to that collection, I could buy two inch pots of "rare" salvias from them for $13 COST each, or four inch pots of the SAME salvia from nearly a dozen other sources for $3 cost, each. To remain a 'rare plant source', you have to continue adding rare plants. Once you stop, what was rare quickly becomes common. Kim

I lived in Emeryville for many years and had to send several roses "over the hills" to the other side of the Caldicott tunnel because there was not enough heat for them to open. I'm an organic method gardener and nearly all the China, Tea and Noisette roses were healthy for me, with one caveat, three were not suited for the marine area where they were covered with powdery mildew: Georgetown Tea, angels camp and the China-Tea "Ducher". this rose needs the heat of Lafayette to open well, very fragrant and lovely, nearly bullet proof foliage , the scent wafts around the plant in a breeze: Alba Odorata" a bracteata hybrid, not an alba rose. this has one very long bloom cycle, c. 3 to 4 months long, and can make a lovely 7 foot tall hedge. No spray roses in Oakland include: Pernetianas: President Herbert Hoover" gorgeous and very very fragrant, vintagegardens has it this month. Duquesa des Penardana Gruss an Coberg Mari Dot early H.T.s La France Ophelia Golden Ophelia Mrs. Herbert Stevens Shrub "Mermaid" though it is a thorny monster I love it. Healthy H.P.s Grandmothers Hat Souvenir du Dr. Jamain" Mme. Boll Reine des Violettes Ulrich Brunner fils" "Sydonie" Jaques Cartier Portland from Glendora" In lafeyette your hotter environment will favor rust, so be careful when choosing a red H.P., there are plenty of pink H.P.s that are suiitable for a no-spray garden in the s.f. bay area. Rose des Rescht" rusted badly. I think there may be possibly two different roses sold under this name, one has nearly bullet proof foliage in my neighbors garden but mine rusted to death under nearly identical conditions. Now I wish I had kept it to evaluate its identification against the disease free one that is grown at Luannes, but also at the Berkeley public Rose garden. Gloire Lyonaise" blackspot. Because san jose heritage rose garden has a micro-climate that is very similar to yours, I suggest that you visit it and take notes of their healthiest roses that you love, the last time I asked it was an organic method garden. It is a must-see for lovers of old roses. Or check their rose inventory list on the Internet. Best wishes, Luxrosa

If I was starting all over, I would have put my windbreak in first. Especially with David Austin roses which don't like rough wind. If you don't have enough tall plants or structures to provide shade during hot afternoon sun fine little petals fry. Deep green provides a wonderful backdrop for light colored roses. I would include at least one tall hedge and a wall of some sort to train climbers on. We all wish we had space for another climber because they are so spectacular. If you want to have fruit trees, decide where they are going now before you place many more roses. Decide where your garden shed will be. Decide where your compost pit is going and where you want to park extra mulch, etc. Is the big red shop to the south? If it isn't, I would plant a line of fruit trees there with a hedge of something green in front of that and then a bed of mixed roses and perennials. Another idea that always looks great is a small structure with roses growing up it and a table and chairs underneath. When you don't have a thick group of trees or a big land feature in the background, adding height really helps a garden from being dominated by other big features nearby.