YeeHAAA! Glad to hear it's growing after all of your concern & care.

Isnt that the best feeling?? :)

I am having the opposite experience- I am watching a band of Bouquet D'Or slowly decline. I thought it would be ok- but odds are it's a gonner.

I feel the same way when I have a smaller plant in the ground, and it really hasnt put on size etc.. and when those basal breaks show up it is happy dance time. I have another Bouquet D'Or that has been 2 canes, and not happy (my fault- I didnt take care of it at all after planting)- 2 new basal breaks have surfaced- Yay!! I was so worried about those canes being damaged when the compost was blown on I spray painted a big white circle around this rose, took the guys out and said "This one is special- nothing can happen to these new canes".
I got some funny smiles and I told them "I know- crazy rose lady".. and that was the running joke of the morning.

I am so glad Annie is perking up and on the mend- I know you were most worried about this precious rose. Sounds like you have a winner and will be enjoying this rose for years to come :)

Marleah

Hi Ingrid: I'm happy for your Annie. What are the little things that count? Virtues, such as truth, fairness, respect for others' freewill, and a good conscience. This is what I wrote in the Roses Forum when someone went negative with no basis against Kelp4Less:

"I never shoot anyone down, unless I have actual proof. That would be defamation and could incur a lawsuit for libel. I have no ties to Kelp4Less but my brother is a physician, and suffered plenty from an employee's revenge, whom he fired last year. That's why I never bad-mouth a business carelessly, when people need to work to feed their families.

There was Neptune Fish Fertilizer and some people here boycotted them due to their Menhaden harvest. I am a truth and info. seeker, so I wrote Neptune a letter to challenge them. I was feisty, and could had been nicer. Neptune wrote back 2-pages long explaining it's wrongful info. and slander, theirs is small business with families and children to feed. They sent me a press-release newspaper clipping on the facts.

I posted Neptune's letter in the Antique Roses Forum, and Ingrid apologized for believing in the wrong info. about Neptune. I respect Ingrid for her fairness and integrity."

It's the little things that count in this forum: truth, encouragement, and being positive. I never see Ingrid attacking anyone, or shooting them down for a different viewpoints. Thank you, Ingrid for those nice things.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, May 25, 13 at 18:06

Thank you, blue girl, for sharing in my joy.

Marleah, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your Bouquet d'Or. That seems like such a special rose and I'm really happy that one is doing well for you finally. Better a "crazy rose lady" (a title many of us could lay claim to) than a cherished rose being decimated. It sounds as though the guys appreciated your sense of humor.

Teresa, I'm blushing, but thank you. I remember the post about Kelp4less and was so happy that you went to all the trouble to educate us about this company. In fact, I'll be ordering some things from them. I love to support small, family-owned businesses at home and on-line, and they often go the extra mile to please their customers.

I'll keep you posted on little Annie's progress. The next milestone will be the first bud, if I'm that lucky, and there is no way that I will not let it develop into a flower, although it will be the only one for some time.

Ingrid

Amen, sister! I'm also having the same experience with a tiny young band starting some new growth this past week.

It's the little things that count.

I was thinking the same this morning. After watering the plants, I picked a couple of blooms and put them in a little vase by the computer to enjoy throughout the day. Such a small, simple thing, but it makes me happy having them here.

I agree with the above, although I missed the story Strawberry is talking about. But another aspect of something little that I enjoy is the bantering and fun that I have here, talking about all the various aspects of gardening. It is really fun to see into people's lives and how important their gardens are to them.

I laughed out loud last night, reading about prairie laura in her garden outfit, Kippy with leaves in her hair at McD's, and Florida with worms in her hair out with her husband on Jeri's thread on missing threads. I can so relate to them. Campanula with her sock advertisement cracked me up. It is just fun to be here.

There is also the encouragement of knowing that people as knowledgeable and kind as Jeri, Kim, Malcolm Manners, Pam, Michaelg, trospero, Jon, Brent, Ann, how many others who really are knowledgeable and willing to comment and encourage, also hang out here sometimes. I've learned so much here.

I thought about how stupid my cut finger story must have sounded, but I thought, oh, well, just another crazy gardener story.

And I have not yet killed the r. fedtschenkoana cuttings that Kim gave me. Yet. hooray! Gean

This post was edited by harborrose on Sat, May 25, 13 at 20:43

I'm so happy for you Ingrid. I really want that rose. I'll get her one of these days. Early this spring I had a couple of bands that I worried over, Climbing Ophelia Type and Climbing Sutter's Gold. Climbing Sutter's Gold was so frail that I wasn't charged for it. I put them both in the greenhouse and fussed over them. They are doing fine now. It is a satisfying thing.

Oh joy, Ingrid. Really rooting for your ALM. You may turn out to be more successful with her as Kim says she likes warmth, which I can't give her.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us. My plant is at a standstill since last fall.

Diane

My goodness, fogrose, that's a long time not to see any action on your rose. This may be a rose, at least for some of us, that takes some time to get going, but I have a feeling when it does it will all be worth it.

Pam, I'm glad your little ones made it. I hope they're grateful and bloom extra well for you. belle, I hope yours also pulls up its socks now and keeps up the good work.

Ingrid

Ingrid

Yippee! I am celebrating with you!! These tiny darlings are truly our little rose babies.

I have a RVR Botzaris that subjected me to similar parental joys and frets. When the postal stork arrived with it, Botzaris was just a minute green sprout tucked into its cozy 4" pot. I watered it and then transplanted it to a larger plastic cradle in a very special corner of my nursery. I checked on Botzaris several times per day, testing its soil diaper and nursing it diligently. One morning I went to the nursery to peek at its progress and discovered that...it was gone! Eek!! I practically stuck my nose in the dirt in my frantic search for traces of Botzaris. Then I spotted the remains. An 1/8" stub just above the soil line. The fluffy-tailed tree rats had struck my garden again. In a tearful panic, I ran to the garage in search of anything resembling armor-plating. I spied my rather expensive English riddle teetering on a shelf at the back. (This unique piece of equipment was purchased from Smith and Hawken back in the day when S&H was truly S&H.) Yes, the riddle would serve the purpose. But the riddle would rust and disintegrate in Portland's late winter/spring downpours. Hmmm. Rose. Riddle. Rose. RIddle. As you may have guessed, Botzaris--my precious baby Botzaris--won the debate. After keeping a watchful eye (like a mama hawk), enduring more stretches of constant nurturing including many gentle feedings of compost tea, I spied a microscopic stem with even dinkier leaves emerging next to the stubbins. My neighbors must have heard the WHOOP for blocks! I left the rusty riddle in place and maintained a constant vigilance against further attacks by fluffy-tailed rose assassins. When I finally witnessed my little white damask growing into a strapping young toddling beauty, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Ahhhhh. The joys of parenting!

Please post photos of your first grandflower!

Still cheering for you in PDX--
Carol