Happy Birthday Ann
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Best wishes for a very Happy Birthday!

Judith

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Happy Birthday, Ann!!! Best wishes and many happy returns of this day. Thank you for your help.
Olga

Very best wishes to you, Ann

Here's some of our local pets:
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Jon

The very happiest to you Ann, and a wonderful year to come. Such a good friend you are to us all; tireless, warmhearted, and wickedly funny. Hope to see you soon again one of thee days.

Rosefolly

Madame Lambard and I wish you a beautiful birthday!

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Happy Birthday Ann. Your rose and RRD knowledge is an invaluable resource. Thank you for being so willing to share what you know. I hope you have a happy and healthy birthday.

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Eric

Happy birthday, Ann!

Jon, I feel right at home with your photo ... Hook 'em Horns! Looks a little "furrier" than a Texas Longhorn though, must be an English Longhorn :-)

Randy

Painting by Henri Fantin-Latour:
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Ann, I wish you a very happy birthday. You have always been so available with your plethora of facts and information so valuable to struggling gardeners such as myself. I will always remember you for your patience, brilliance and generosity. I wanted to get to Tennessee one day to see your roses and if that invitation is still open, I might make it in the very near future (upcoming season).

Happy Birthday to our resident botanist and all-around rose expert/historian/heroine to the rescue. Have a perfect birthday!
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Maman Cochet

Sherry

Happy Birthday Ann! Hope your day is just what you wish it to be. Here is Clementina C. for you:
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Best wishes,
Joanne

Jon, some of my family used to have longhorns. I love your furry headed ones!

Carla

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be at your back,
May good friends be there to greet you
And your table never lack.

May your life be filled with laughter,
and your heart be filled with song.
May God shine His light upon you,
As you live your whole life long.

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Happy Birthday, Ann! You have been such a help to me over the years. My garden is much healthier and more beautiful because of your endless patience and good advice. I hope that some of the rain we've had the past two days is falling in your part of Tennessee as well. I know you would appreciate the rain even more than chocolate at this point!

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Carol

Thank you all so much. Winter set in seriously about three weeks ago and we've been gray and dreary. OTOH, we've had much needed rain. The bright pink roses do command attention. On a gray day, nature's pink is a punctuation to life.
Jon, do you have aurochs or wizents? Are those the 'wild' cattle that I read about (shudder) thiry five years ago (or more) in the NYT and have wanted to see in color ever since?
Larry bought me the wonderful book Gardens and Historic plants of the Antebellum South by James Cothran for my birthday. (You may appreciate this, he found out that he'd chosen that for my birthday when it arrived via Amazon on Friday.) Before I returned the library copy, I got to read a lot more of the book and found the 'real' names for a lot of the plants of my childhood. These were passalong plants on the Piedmont of Virginia, and like so many of our roses they are the roses that survive our weather.

My rose gardens impress me with their survival abilities. The small new plants need some coddling; the big plants can handle late freezes as well as ground cracking droughts. This year should make for some interesting rose rescues. A wet winter is what the roses gone wild need to make a great spring bloom.
So far, winter's cooperating.

Ann

They are Highlanders, Ann. We have a fold of a dozen at Mottisfont, though it is a soft life for them on the rich water meadows of Wessex.

Just West of us in the New Forest (that is 'new' as of 1079:), Highlanders and other breeds graze freely with the ponies, deer and wildlife on Common land. They are 'owned' by local farmers, but certainly appear wild, and have right of way on the roads.

Best wishes
Jon

Here is a link that might be useful: Highlanders

Birthday greetings from the corner of Main and Davis in downtime Culpeper, look familiar?

Kathy
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Ann,

I wish you the best.

You are warm hearted and generous. I love what Paula said, 'wickedly funny'.

Enjoy your winter reading.

Carol

Ann:

Many thanks for sharing your knowledge of roses, their diseases, their history and just general information. Hope you have many more happy birthdays.

Sorry I'm late Happy Birthday!!
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Happy Belated Birthday, Ann. I hope it was very happy. I also hope you have a nice wet winter (and share it with some friends to the south!). Thanks for all your helpful knowledge. Jeff

OH mercy yes. Happy Birthday and many thanks for sharing so much with us all.

patricia

Ann, I have learned so much from you over the years - thank you for sharing your wit and your knowledge with us.
Many very Happy Returns,

Anne

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Belated happy birthday wishes to one of my favorite rose maniacs. May the gods offer you a perfect year of gardening in 2009 - we all know you deserve it! Much affection and gratitude for all you do, Ann.

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Sue

Sorry I'm late-------I want to wish you a wonderful year with lots of healthy roses.

I always read all of your posts with great interest--

You are a wealth of knowledge for all of us.

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Happy birthday,
Florence

Ann,

I'm late as usual, but with some flowers at least: late for your anniversary, but still able to offer good wishes for the next year of your life. I wish you a fulfilling year and many moments of joy. Thanks for the information, the point of view, and the willing help you offer all the rest of us on the forum.

Happy birthday!!

Jaune Desprez and Maréchal Niel
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Melissa