Thanks for the info! I think I may try a few in pots, and maybe one or two small ones in the ground. Oddly enough, the other day I was at Big Lots and they had Paul Neyron roses for sale. They were $3.00, so I figured I didn't have much to lose by trying. I can imagine that in pots they would need extra water in the heat of summer, but what about winter? Can roses withstand being completely frozen? I'm going to look into the David Austin roses. They are fairly easy to find. Sherry - I know what you mean!!! :)

Gosh, what great suggestions! I have a Mrs. Oakley Fisher in a pot. I'm wondering if because she is an older hybrid tea she just might do O.K. on her own roots. Actually, if a rose can't hack the own root thing, there are plenty of others that can. Kronprincessin is planted by Cramoisi in another bed. It's a very small baby but looks so pretty with the red. I do have a band of Souvenir de St. Annes, so when it blooms I'll see what I think. I was discouraged today and was going to plop Louis in a pot until I figured out what to do, but my husband said that he liked him where he was, and that he would be striking against the white house. Right now he is only at the toddler stage-if that. I hope he is a fast grower. I'm trying to plant STURDY, but pretty roses on the west side of my house, because I've learned the hard way that what goes there will have to have the ability to withstand whatever our hurricaine seasons dish out. It seems the twiggy bushes let most of the wind go through without whipping them around too much. I put Madame Lombard on the corner of the house near Louis, because the other one I had never had a problem with wind. Probably because she is built like a tank. I like to mix colors, prettier that way IMO, as long as they don't jar each other. I wonder if Hollyhocks will do well here. I'm planning on researching companion plants so that once all the roses are in place I can tuck a few here and there. If any of you know where I can start my research let me know, hopefully with a place that knows Florida. It's too bad all you ladies don't live closer. It would be so great if we could actually look at each others gardens. Sandy

Hi Betty Lu, 1. I think they'll be fine as long as they don't freeze. Above 50 is better, and you can put in a small heater if it dips down. Some species are more sensitive to cold, like most aechmeas. Neos are more tolerant of cold. 2. Not necessarily. If a plant puts out nice pups which grow out, then I separate them when they are 1/2 to 2/3 size of the parent, and I will repot the pups in a single pot. As they get bigger, you can of course put them individually in larger pots. I keep the parent plant if it's still alive to make more pups. 3. They are constantly growing, and will flower at different times depending on the species. 4. I keep mine in part shade/bright shade in the warm months. Morning sun is good because it doesn't burn like the afternoon sun. They can make nice groupings under trees or large bushes where there is filtered light. Maybe you can put them out when night temps are above 55F? I'm in N. California and bring the prized plants indoors for the coldest months. Some stay outside under the eaves where it is going to capture some warmth emitting from the house. While they may not be hit by an overhead frost, they are still vulnerable if a persistent freeze comes a long.

Wow! That box is in good shape. It looks hardly used. It is similar to the one we had in the 1940s in southern Illinois. Rural electrification came to that area in 1947 (after WW2) ending the iceman's delivery and the icebox. Most iceboxes were discarded because a refrigerator was a vast and welcome improvement and less costly. I remember that our first month's electric bill (for everything) was less than what we had been paying for ice. Places to look for identification: 1. top side 2. Back side 3. Bottom 4. A stamped logo on the inside. 5. Lift out the metal drip pan to see if any id was under it. It is possible that your box was not manufactured but home-made by a handy cabinet maker. There is no fancy mechanicals. The major requirements are: Insulation, rot resistent materials, and a water tight drip pan and drain. The pan must be rust resistant and safe around foods. It should not have any lead bearing solder - most solders of the time were lead alloys. The usual material for the ice/drip pan was zinc. A galvanized steel pan could be used, but a 100% zinc pan was more corrosion resistent, Finishes on the interior had to be water resistent and food safe.