My Heirloom roses came today and I unpacked them. Small as usual. No matter, they always grow well for me here. I have so many roses in my garden from Heirloom now and they all look good. Grow quickly. I have another order of roses to come at the end of the month. My order of bands from Vintage. Thats it for me. Hopefully I will not get the crazies to buy more roses this year.

Fortunately, Carla, I read your note too late, as I already have my last order from Heirloom - or what better be my last this year! I did get LOUISE CLEMENTS and then decided to get AMAZING GRACE also. I hope that will be as fragrant as your FRAGRANT MASTERPIECE. I seem to have gone Heirloom crazy this year, as I previously bought IMAGINE, GENEROSITY, WELL-BEING, NEW ORLEANS, DISTANT THUNDER and ROBERT CLEMENTS. They are all doing well. I think it was a partial result of their sales, plus the fact that my previous roses from them looked particularly spectacular this year - PEACH SILK, LADY OF THE MIST, THE IMPRESSIONIST, and HIGH SHERIFF. Now I have to get back to my attempts at recovering from being a rosaholic. Thanks for all the advice! And, if I ask again, please tell me they are all ugly!

By happy accident I found the sale. I have never ordered in the full heat of summer before. The bed for the 2 I ordered will not be dug till Fall. I will pot them up in full 6" nursery pots and put them in a place that will get only dappled sun in the heat of the afternoon. Will that do it. I ordered Lady Of The Mist and Summer Wine cl. The new bed is the 4' strip of land that runs between ours and the neighbors driveways. Summer Wine cl will be trained up the corner of our garage. The bed will be filled out with Dayliles and companion perennials. I know I will have to keep up with watering for that environment.

Beth, I would second the nomination of Long Ago Roses. Unfortunately, Linda no longer ships to Cali. Linda is great, and the way she packs she can send four rose bands in flat rate box for a much lower shipping cost. Linda and Burling are the best at keeping shipping costs low so that you're paying for roses, instead of paying the postal service. (frugal) John edit...whoops, Beth, see you've already checked Long Ago, lol. I had the window open too long before I wrote my comment :P I was trying to find another source for Gitte and Well Being.