I think bands are definitely out for me. We only plan on being in this home for 5 years (give a few) and I want to get the landscaping going :) Perhaps that's a thought for the future though... Thanks for the Regan Nursery tip! I gave them a call and they're already potting up their bare root roses so I think I'll head over in a month or so and at least get a good look at the blooms in person. Looks a bit like I missed the rose boat this year, but that's alright, now I have plenty of time to do my research for next year :)

Ebb Tide is one of my favorite roses, and I have several. Though harmonyp and I live in different zones, I think there are some challenges involved in growing ET, especially if you live in an area with hot, dry summers. First of all, be patient with this rose, because it takes several years to reach its full potential. Its blooms grow darker, larger, and more perfumed after a few years, for me, anyway. However, blazing sun will bleach the blooms, and even fry them, so July-August are not good months for ET here. For me, ET does not have a nice growth habit, like say, the rose Julia Child. But my reward is the uniquely purple blooms. For me, they are to die for. I personally like the dark smoky look, too. Diane

Well, madgallica, from the point of view of the squirrels, cherries are more valuable than roses (haven't they discovered rose hips yet?), and so they do their squirrel farming. It just seems impossible to keep everything named, between labels, maps, and lists. I try. I like the sound of your garden, wars and all. Catspa, I've used purple and yellow before as well: it's the dominant color scheme for mid-spring in the shade garden when the lilacs are in flower. I like it a lot too. It started by accident and then I developed it further. I still have a cherry-pink tree peony that I need to do something about, though the thought of moving a tree peony intimidates me. If I can lay my hands on a deep purple, or even a lilac pink tree peony--I know they both exist--I believe I could nerve myself to try. Stick to your story. We need our roses. P.S. you name a couple of interesting-sounding plants. Gladiolus tristis? a species? purple Iris ochroleuca? I thought the latter was the definition of yellow and white. Ingrid, you work out methods to deal with hundreds of varieties Though accidents happen and discipline slips and chaos is always at the door, and as a result I have way too many mystery roses. I haven't done the mapping review that's so important this time of year when the once-blooming roses are in flower. The name of the lavender rambler came floating up to the surface of my mind this morning as I was lying in bed: 'Rose-Marie Viaud', she of the chlorosis, from cuttings I got in a swap by mail. I looked it up on HMF and sure enough that's my rose. One mystery solved. The other rose has cupped, small, double white flowers and is a Wichuriana rambler of the 'Dorothy Perkins' school. This post was edited by melissa_thefarm on Sat, Jun 15, 13 at 1:59

You can post a photo right from your computer by using the "Image file to upload" option at the top of the follow-up posting box. A photo is probably the only way we can guess accurately but a few of the more common deep purple ones off the top of my head: Ebb Tide, Midnight Blue, Wild Blue Yonder, Burgundy Iceburg and Blue For You.