I'm working on a list of Vintage roses to add to the cemetery. With a couple for me, of course. It's all because of you guys, I decided to see what was on the list, and now I've given the rose garden curator a "little list" of found roses or ones that we "should" have in our collection.

I really fell in love with Noella Nabonnand at Vintage last spring, and there is NO good justification for it being on the list, other than it's gorgeous and it's red. We still have some space on the cemetery fence and it would be so pretty there.

We "should" have at least one spinossissima, of course. And any of the found teas or chinas that we don't have. And maybe some more noisettes. Oh, the temptations are many!

I go truly brain dead at nurseries - almost never buy anything, and find myself amazed by people walking around with half a dozen roses or more. When looking at a catalog in the safety of my own home, with HMF and the Vintage catalog online, I am much more likely to buy. I am much weaker when I'm in my PJs and slippers.
Anita

Bloominganne,

It's not so difficult for me. If Olga recommends a rose, I get it.

I also, however, will pick out a few that I've not heard of much before if they happen to fall into the particular class of roses I'm "into." For example, this last order I focused on hybrid chinas and spinossissimas. So, I picked out what Vintage had available (being sure to add those that Olga had recommended.)

Robert

I placed an order to Roses Unlimited the other week with clarity and purposeful thought -- really, I did. Old Gray Cemetery had to be on the list because my original one died this spring, and I had to have another. I love my Red Radiance, so I got the original Radiance for the antique HT bed in front of the house. The other 4 are ones that I thought would be interesting: Mrs. Keays Pink Noisette (you know about me and found roses), Dr. J. H. Nicolas, Ringlet (a cool Alister Clark climber), and Pharisaer (an old HT).

With my fall Palatine and Pickering orders, I concentrated on getting roses to replace the ones that I already have budded on Dr. Huey. The exception to this is Peace. I have Peace from a Walmart bag, Peace VID ownroot from Vintage, and now I'll have Peace on multiflora. I'm going to grow them all just to see what happens.

I agree with the assessment about shopping at an actual nursery (except when I'm with Robert -- hey, Robert, how many plants can you stuff into a BMW?). Went to the nursery yesterday to get some supplies . . . wandered through the plant section and oohed and aahed at lots of stuff (tropicals were 50% off, BTW) . . . went back inside and left with 2 bags of spagnum, a huge bag of perlite, and 3 packs of bamboo stakes. No plants. But, put me in front of a computer with a cat in my lap and a credit card close by . . . you all know the rest. :)

Connie
P.S. I blame it on the cat.

At least the part of my brain concerned with paying for it. I love the ease of firing an email to Pat at RU and having it added to my order...something easier about "buying" a rose when you don't have to pay for it up front :)

Then I get the invoice in the Spring...d'oh!

Here's what I've got so far (God gave me a present and made a tree fall down, doubling my rose growing space :)

RU
- Mme Caroline Testout
- Radiance
- Gloire de Dijon
- Distant Drums
- Marchesa Bocella
- La France
- The Faun
- Quietness

Pickering
- Pomponella Fairy Tale
- Cl. Etoile de Hollande
- Sandra Renaissance
- Coup d'Hebe

Connie, I guess I need to get a cat :-)

After I posted my first message on being brain dead, I was somewhat embarassed that you all would think your input wasn't helpful. It's all your beautiful descriptions and especially the photos that make it so difficult to chose but I have to remember to plant roses that can take the heat & humidity.

I am reading "A Southern Garden" by Elizabeth Lawrence and she is naming roses in her Raleigh garden that are some of the same ones recommended here. Duchesse de Brabant, Safrano, Perle des Jardins, Mrs. B.R. Cant, and Gruss an Aachen are just some of the ones she admires.

She wrote at a time (1942) when the Hybrid Teas were just about all you could find at the nurseries. She does mention that the old roses, at that time, were starting to come back in vogue because the HT just do not grow well in the South and many other parts of the country.

bloominganne

Brain dead is a good way to put it because the overwhelming choices just make me numb. Oh, there's one that might be even better...and yes, this one looks spectacular.....and on and on. And then I go back and forth between the catalog and HMFR until I could scream. After I've ordered I almost always change something, so the agony continues. And yes, this is my idea of fun. Should I be under psychiatric care? Possibly, but I'd rather spend my money on roses...

My most recent orders, for anyone interested.

Heirloom: The Fawn, Salet, Jasmina

Vintage: Rosette Delizy (former one died, my fault), Etoile de Lyon (I originally ordered Madame Cornelissen but then gophers killed Julia Child and now I need another yellow), Mrs. Dudley Cross and Lilac Dawn (to replace my perpetually midget Ley's Perpetual). The latter sounds like a strange choice for a replacement but it's in an area that has only purple roses other than two climbers and I really liked the description and pictures of Lilac Dawn.

I also badly wanted another Souvenir d'un Ami or two but they're not available yet at Vintage, but I'm told they'll have it later this year. One is really almost forced to keep spending money. Fortunately my husband has not yet mentioned anything about divorce proceedings and is still willingly digging holes....

Ingrid