Yes, you aren't the only one who has jumped the gun and planted seedlings that weren't properly hardened off seems I made that mistake myself. :) My experience for that was what has been suggested shade them and keep hydrated. The plants will look terrible for a while and you may lose all leaves but, BUT hang in there cause the middle section where the main stem is might rally and grow so don't pull them yet give them a chance. Tomato plants still amaze me they are so forgiving sometimes. I remember accidently breaking off a rather large stem and just for the heck of it I stuck it in the ground and it ended up growing into a beautiful plant and giving me a great harvest ta boot. Best of luck :)

Backwards! Spotted your vacation ideas first, and now this. Words are not enough, but your will, spirit, and tenacity are part of those positive forces. I bet your son is wise, and is an important element toward your personal support. I can partially relate to your journey, and the friendly cyber-support here at GW. Best wishes to you and the family.

Marianne, I'm trying to find an address for you, and not succeeding, but will continue the search. It's quite odd, actually. You, meaning you and your husband, are cordially invited for next spring. Rose season usually begins around the start of May and keeps going through about mid-June. Spring flowering gets going well in April. It's an uncertain world, but April and May offer the best chances of good weather. Bart, I looked up Petrovic's availability list for this year so I could offer some sensible advice. Even though I have a lot of Gallicas--they're the single largest group of roses in the garden--the bulk of mine I don't know well enough to be able to recommend them or not; I need years to get to know a variety. A few comments. 'Cardinal de Richelieu' I would be wary about: it has never done that well for me, and appears to have shorter-lived canes and a greater susceptibility to sunburn than most Gallicas. I have it in two positions, one favorable, grafted and own root. I have, and like very much, 'Tuscany' and 'Tuscany Superb'; these actually look identical to me, which they're not supposed to be, but I think either of these would be a healthy, sturdy, dark Gallica for you, regardless of the confusion in my own collection. My 'Ipsilante'/'Ypsilante' is utterly superb, though I should add it has about the best spot in the garden and was slow to get going, so I don't know how it would perform in more trying conditions. 'Belle de Crecy' has a great reputation; mine is in a rose-killing part of the garden and its having even survived this long is a credit to its toughness. It is known as a great suckerer. 'Violacea' is tall, handsome, classic Gallica except for its height, supposed to be not very fragrant, though; mad_gallica warns that it suckers madly, mine suckers, not madly. In starved conditions it's shorter. 'Hippolyte' and 'Rosier Eveque' are both present in the garden, both have a reputation for being dark kinds; all my plants are in hot dry spots and poor soil and are hanging on and growing. They're in too poor positions for me to be able to evaluate them fairly, but they're certainly not bad roses, and I think you could consider them. 'Jenny Duval' is handsome, tough, and suckers far and wide. Some good (great, fabulous) Gallicas in other colors: 'Aimable Amie', pink, full, double large blooms, typical habit, lovely rose in every way (may be identical to 'Louis van Tyll' and 'Belle sans Flatterie'); 'Alain Blanchard', delightfully freckled, this may finally be growing for me; 'Belle Isis', smallish myrrh-scented soft pink flowers, beautiful (similar in appearance to 'Duchesse de Montebello'); 'Duchesse d'Angouleme', delicate pale blooms; 'Mme. Zoetmans', usually not classed as a Gallica but quite like a pale member of the class, fragrant, beautiful, charming. I mention possible identical roses and similar roses so that you won't be so likely to end up with more than one of the same variety or roses too like one another. I ran through P's list hurriedly, and may well have missed interesting varieties that I do know something about. The 'Onex' I got from P. is, I believe, the Moss 'Nuits de Young'. 'Beau Narcisse' I find overly thorny and disease-prone. Carol has a point about being able to distinguish suckers. Last June I went through part of the bottom bed and flagged suckers of 'Pink Leda', while they were bloom and I could tell them apart, for removal this fall. I try when planting rows of cuttings to alternate different classes so I don't confuse them when they grow. P.S. Carol, I would be totally happy to post photos of my roses, if I had any photos. We have only a cheap camera, and whether on account of that or because I'm terrible with it, I've never taken decent plant or flower pictures. I know I need a better camera and have posted asking advice. Trospero's photos linked to this thread are exemplary.

Erasmus, I tried 'Miss Kim'. While it is indeed well suited to a mild winter climate, it completely lacks the traditional lilac fragrance. In fact I disliked the way it smelled, so I gave mine away. Currently I grow five lilacs. Two are Descanso hybrids developed for the California climate. 'Angel White' is one. Its fragrance is faint but it is true lilac. Last year I planted another called 'Dark Knight'. I don't know how much fragrance it has but I look forward to finding out as it develops. I may in time plant 'Lavender Lady', said to be the most fragrant of the Descanso lilacs. I also grow two other cultivars which are not from the Descanso collection but good in mild winter climates. 'Blue Skies' is rosarian Ralph Moore's only released lilac. I have been told that he bred several others but this is the only one he ever released to commerce. And finally there is my very first lilac, 'Sensation', a gorgeous bicolor which I find very fragrant. It is probably my favorite. Some years ago Gregg Lowery told me that many lilacs will bloom in a mild winter climate if you keep them dry in the summer, once established, of course. Based on this I would be willing to experiment with others. I already only water my lilacs once a month. Rosefolly