WOW! How lovely. I can't get over the yellow-orange rose. It's amazing!

Jodi- I love the Roses, but the kitty cat with the corn cob takes the cake! So cute!

-Frank

Thank you! Indoors, it's bulbs all the way... outdoors, it's roses! I love them, and again, really don't have a favorite. They all have merits... some have delicious scent, some are profuse bloomers, some are drop-dead gorgeous even without scent... now, if I could only convince the rabbits and deer that the tender tips taste nasty! LOL!

At first, I thought Harry was just licking the butter from the corn cob... but he was actually eating the corn! He acts way more like a dog than a cat, and if I wasn't allergic, he'd be living inside!

Wow - how does a cat fare outside in central Illinois through the winter?

I love that green rose, Jodi!!!!!!!! It is so classic-looking but with this amazing color.

Well done!

Ryan

Harry hangs out in the either the horse barn or the heated kennel... he and his cohorts have plenty of warmth over winter. Plus, animals that spend more time outside develop thick winter coats, and I believe many animals have higher normal body temperatures than us humans. Dogs are at a toasty 101 degrees. Harry will be warm.

Amazingly, Green Ice was untouched by insects this year. The red and pink miniatures around it got decimated by beetles or some type of leaf muncher! Green Ice managed to keep its beautiful plumage. It's really a great little rose!

What roses do you have in your garden, Ryan?

That is great! I used to see my dog shiver on a 50 degree morning here in Florida. I guess they adapt the other direction, too! :)

LOL, Harry's a cutie!! And yes, cats do adapt to their climate.... if the temps drop below 60 around here, the cats are screaming for the electric blanket on the bed! LOL Of course they're also getting a little old, and I'm sure arthritis has something to do with it as well.

Jodi, I'm excited to be getting the new Jackson & Perkins 2010 rose 'Sedona' as a gift this year. If you haven't seen it yet, you have to check it out... I hope it grows as gorgeous for me as it is in their catalog!! I'll keep you posted how it does.

Your Green Ice is sure pretty! And the orange one reminds me of one called 'About Face' that I have. Has a very similar gorgeous peachy-orange color.

It's so great to have you back posting again... missed ya!

Phoenix Ryan

Here is a link that might be useful: Sedona Rose

Ryan, I do believe About Face IS the name on this one! I'm glad you know your roses! The varieties have become a giant blur when it comes to names... I've looked at so many tags, planted so many roses this season... I can't remember them all. I have a huge tag making project coming up, so I'll be making a list of what we do have. I'll try to remember to share it.

We bought a roll of aluminum roof flashing, a set of good tin snips, and we already have an electric engraver and a hole punch. I plan to cut my own tags, engrave them with each name, punch a hole at one end, and hang the tags so we have a permanent way to identify each rose. Plastic and wooden tags do not last more than one season here.

As we are in zone 5, b to be exact, we have learned to avoid grafted roses. J&P are known for lovely, and expensive, mostly grafted roses. We've discovered that the way to go is own-root roses. These will actually survive one zone lower in temperature than their grafted counterparts, I'm told... with a little protection, of course. We've also discovered that it's better for us to buy roses that are grown/propagated in a climate similar to our own. Many rose growers and retailers seem to be located, or get their stock from, southern states... namely Texas.

We've learned that there are many wonderful roses being bred specifically for growth by northern gardeners, and we're relishing this discovery! It's best if we avoid grafted, tea type, tree, and other types that prefer mild winters. Our collection includes Canadian, German, Iowa Buck, a few English, and many old fashioned hardy and species varieties.

If a rose requires more than a good mulching, we don't want it. We have too much to do already, so having to take special precautions to save a rose over winter is simply not feasible. For you, I would guess roses that can take the extreme heat are ones you prefer to purchase. Hybridizers are finally beginning to meet the needs of the different climates, and our choices are growing.

Sedona is a beauty, indeed... but I do believe it's rated for zone 6 or 7. It would never survive here. Be sure to post photos when it blooms for you! I would love to see that!

Harry the cat, and all of our animals here, are acclimated to our changing seasons... they grow and shed appropriate coats depending on what time of year it is. The dogs are lucky to have a heated kennel... spoiled, actually! When our kennel was in full swing many years ago, we had our American Bulldogs housed outdoors. They were on chains and runs, with 50 gallon drum doghouses. When stuffed with straw, and having the dog inside, one of these doghouses was a steady 55 degrees in winter... even when the temperature and wind chill dipped below zero.

Dogs shiver for various reasons... pain, fear, nervous habit, and not always just to keep warm... 50 degrees is very comfortable to a dog with a decent coat of fur. A cozy temperature for us would be considered almost too warm for a dog.

The cats usually hide out in the horse barn. They have cubbyholes between the bales of straw or hay, and you can usually find a cat pile of napping kitties. Harry's harem and their offspring!

As an aside, I was watering my indoor garden last night, and I noticed that a majority of bulbs are overdue for a fresh pot of soil and some grooming. I'll probably be rearranging the jungle once again... very soon! I just brought a load of plants inside... tender types, like a banana tree, Crinum, Oxalis, Alstromeria, some Brugs, etc... the question now is... where will I put them?! They're presently crowded on a basement table!

Ok... I've rambled enough... tell me about the roses you have, Ryan... what varieties do you find work best in your climate?

Ah, yes, I forget about the grafted thing. For you they probably really are more work to keep alive during winter than they are worth.

My roses are just coming out of hibernation right now. This summer, with our BRUTAL heat in July, was really hard on them. I have most of them planted under a large olive tree, which will provide shade during the summer, and as the sun dips to the southern horizon, they get ample winter sunlight. However it wasn't enough this year. I think I may have lost a few (poor Mr Lincoln is just a leafless pile of twigs).

A few of the more sensitive varieties like Scentimental are closer to the base of the tree and better protected from the sun, but even they are a bit worse for wear right now.

But the Arizona rose is going strong (go figure!), and Hot Cocoa appears to be doing well. About Face, Gypsy (a gorgeous red/orange), Moonglow, and a few others whose names are escaping me at the moment are all starting to grow again, so I'm hopeful for my traditional Christmas rose display again.

I'm pretty much giving up on the roses in the lavender family of colors, as they just don't seem to be tolerant of even the mildest heat, and just are not vigorous shrubs. Stainless Steel, Barbara Streisand, Blue Girl and all the rest just languish in the rose garden.

The hybrid tea's are by far my favorite, but I'm really starting to take a liking to the Old English roses, and have been starting to buy some of the Heirloom varieties. We'll see how they handle the heat.

Being so dry here, I don't have much in the way of fungal problems, unless I cause them by watering too late in the evening. But aphids are my arch enemy come spring. However, this year, I had very good luck underplanting my roses with petunias. I still had some aphids, but they were much more manageable!!

It's going to be sad to leave the roses behind when I move in a few months, but my mom (next door) doesn't have enough shade and always loses her roses each summer, so at least she'll still have mine.

Most of those roses are from CENTRAL Texas or even further north. Tyler is the rose capital. But a lot, most of those roses won't grow where I am. Too much humidity, too much heat for too long. I stick to own root heirloom and have much better luck. I have friends that are huge rose fans, they spend literally every single day working on them, and a lot of money and energy fighting fungal diseases because of the humidity. UTMB lost every rose in their extensive rose gardens, which have 2 full-time gardeners. Duchesse de brabant is one of my faves and does great here. And she survived Ike with no problem. So do 7 sisters, mermaid, Angel face, a few climbers, mostly the ones that will get out of control and try to take over the world.

Jody-send me an e-mail in the spring and remind me, the variegated crinum has babies and I'll seperate one out for you. It should do great in a pot for you. Here it will be a monster but it is fairly slow growing.

Our dogs don't get a thick coat usually. They want in when the temp goes to 70!! And the cats will hang out by the dryer vent when it's in the 60s. We had snow a couple of years ago and they refused to leave the bed for 2 days, even for canned food. Spoiled brats.
Tally HO!

You know, Ryan... you could always take cuttings, and by the time you're settled in to your new home, roots should have begun.

I was told about a nifty way to root rose cuttings... you cut open a black plastic garbage bag, and make strips about a foot and a half wide by as long as you can make them. Lay them out, and place a layer of moistened sphagnum moss on the bag... then, lay your cuttings on the moss halfway in, with the tops hanging over the edge, about 6 or 8 inches apart. Then, fold the other half of moss layered bag over the stems, roll up the bag like a cinnamon roll or sleeping bag, tie it with twine, and place the whole thing in an empty pot, upright, with the tips sticking up. Place the pot out of direct sun, or under a bench, so they can root. I would use a rooting hormone powder, but I've heard there are other things you can use instead, like willow leaf tea or other natural rooting helpers. I plan to try this method, myself... it sounds very easy!

I'm sold on the own-root roses... we haven't lost one yet. Last winter was especially nasty, so it was a test for many roses. We lost a total of 2... one was grafted, and the other was a zone 6 shrub, and I wasn't sure it would make it, anyway.

Tally, I will remember to email you next spring... we'll do a trade!

I suppose our animals are just acclimated to this area... Maia and Huck love to play in the snow... but since they're inside dogs, they don't like to stay out too long! Even the horses grow thick undercoats, and they seem happy to run around out in the snow, pawing the ground and kicking. They do like to come in the barn though, when it's really cold or windy. In summer, they spend most nights out in the pasture... but in winter or poor weather, they come in. The kennel dogs are lucky... they have a huge yard to run around in, and a heated kennel. We let each run out for a time, then bring them in and let out the next run... a run holds two dogs. I guess most of the animals here are spoiled... they gets loads of attention, loads of play time, and have us humans to take care of them!