Late nights of music after days of gardening fuel my rose posts often. Roses that I have coveted at one point or another that might do well in pots include: Jean Mermoz - Pink Polyantha Treasure Trail - Pink-Apricot Blend Barden Remontant Moss Snowbird - Creamy White HT Anne Marie de Montravel - White Polyantha mentioned above Marie Jeanne - Light Pink Polyantha Grey Dawn - Grey Floribunda Lullaby - Light Pink-White Polyantha Archiduc Charles -Cerise/Red/Pink China Indigo - Mauve Portland Lady Emma Hamilton - Orangeish Austin September Morn - Pink HT Violet Hood - Mauve Polyantha Pinnochio (but I don't think it's available now that Vintage is closed) - Pink Blend Floribunda Precious Dream - Orange-Apricot Blend Hybrid Bracteata by Moore Wedding Cake (if you like wacky roses) Pink-Green-Cream Moore Floribunda Cream Veranda - Cream Floribunda by Kordes and probably more if I thought about it. I'd go for something you have coveted for a long time, that wouldn't go as well with your planted garden color schemes, that you'll care to water and attend to a bit more, and/or that is from a breeder you have had success with or have been meaning to try. I personally think I'm going to add a Treasure Trail for a pot the next time I make a Rogue Valley order. And my mom is ordering a Jeri Jennings for a spot along what will be the "Hybrid Musk Wall" across from a row of grapes growing along part of one side of my parent's house. From what I understand, it can get fairly sizable in a warm climate. I've seen pictures of Felicia that look like a Floribunda though, so Hybrid Musks appear to be versatile in the garden. Jay

Perle d'Or became a huge shrub for me. It might overwhelm that whole area, including the mail box. I don't know whether you can grow Austins but Sister Elizabeth stays small and is so beautiful and fragrant. Ditto for Harlow Carr. Sweet Chariot would be beautiful and I second Caldwell Pink. Heinrich Karsch is a polyantha from Sequoia Nursery that is a beautiful purple which I have (three of them actually) but you'd have to hurry since the nursery closes the end of April. It would definitely stay small. Good luck in your search. Ingrid

Renae's good in heat, although, as Jeri says, that's a tough situation if your summers are very hot, so I couldn't say for sure if R would be OK there. She's not overly vigorous, and I should think you could easily keep her trimmed back/espaliered/trained against the wall, if necessary. (She's somewhere in between a shrub and a climber.) An advantage for a narrow spot like that is that she's pretty much thornless, so no fear of scratching passing cars or people. Pinkie and China Doll, both shrub and climbing versions, are very tough and drought tolerant once established. They're also both particularly continuous/long-blooming. The ones we have here are thornless, but I have an idea they may not be in the US versions. Some people find Pinkie's flowers boring, but they both provide a reliable and constant splash of cheerful colour in the garden. Jackie, I've only seen AO as an enormous shrub; I'm interested to hear she doesn't object to that sort of regular trimming. Comtesse :¬) PS You don't mention your zone, Theresa, and not being familiar with your locality, I am wondering if you get cold winters, as well as the summer heat? I'm not sure how the roses I've suggested go in the cold.

Once again, a hearty thanks to all. I'm glad I started this thread. Melissa, your post wasn't a hijack, IMO!!! It is very pertinent to the subject. I got all four magnolias at the new Obi store in Prato last spring. I doubt I would've ordered so many, because of doubts about their ability to tolerate my garden's conditions, but there they were sitting in the store, at excellent prices, too,and I lost all control. Yesterday I put out 2. Last fall, I'd ordered a Susan, which I'd planted out on the side of the main rose area. I had to put up a shade cloth for it, because it got hit by the worst of the afternoon sun in August and looked fried, but is leafing out again. It's with some baby cypress, but now that I have all these other magnolias, I decided to move the cypress and make a litle magnolia grove of three different types: Susan, LeonardM, and the white stellata. I'll have to provide afternoon shade, however there is a young oak that may, in time, do it for me. I also have a possibly loony idea: I planted the rambler Louis Mon Ami,but it got MUCH bigger and uncontrollable than I ever imagined; far too big for any structure that I can build. It ought to be growing into a tree. So, I'm thinking to plant a Paulownia tomentosa next to it. Those supposedly grow really fast...and since ramblers CAN handle growing near trees,hopefully the competition for water won't bother either plant too much. If this works, the combo will provide shade in the PM for the magnolias...I'm thinking of doing the same thing for my wildly over-grown Rene Andre. I don't know what I was thinking to have planted it where it is; it, too, needs a tree. So I'm thinking, instead of moving Rene (it'd be a huge job, and then, if I wanted a new rose there, I'd also have to change the soil) "if the mountain won't go to Mary, let Mary go to the mountain" as it were... what do y'all think, folks? Any chance that this could work????????? The new magnolia Susan I planted in a less harshly lighted spot about 2 meters from another rambler (Mannington Mauve). The problem there is that the soil turned out to be pretty shallow. It's always like this in my garden, it seems: there's always SOMETHING "wrong" with every spot, but since magnolias are shallow -rooted, let's hope it'll be OK.Cori Ann, I love your Fun Magnola Facts. No, I didn't know that! However, I can't really drip water; I don't have running water out at my garden; things have to rely on rainfall. I can imagine myself giving extra water to the magnolias while they are young. Ann, I'll check out those maps..