Oops I spelled it wrong above. It's really Osteospermum -- otherwise known as "freeway daisies" in these parts because they require so little care. When they do get the same care as roses -- fertilizer and water -- they bloom year round. And the white ones stay low and make a solid carpet of white -- much prettier in mass than as single plants -- but easy to grow from cuttings. The purple ones however, are climbers and you have to keep untangling them from the plants above them to keep them low. So, white is best. Haven't tried the other colors. Kathy Here is a link that might be useful: White Osteospermum

Rugosa Roses need mostly sunshine in the day. They require little else except good drainage. They don't need to be sprayed (in fact don't like to be) and you can prune them back anytime. Our Rose Society does not recommend pruning this type of rose back to the ground, but you can if you need to it won't kill the bush. They mostly grown between 4-10 ft high. Some can be used as climbers. They can have invasive offshoots if they are not taken out. They are not like the multiflora that are very invasive and sprout up everywhere. Rugosa can be a very good rose for people who want shrubs that bloom all the time with no extra work.Keep them in the sun and they should be fine. There are several varieties that stay about 4-5 ft tall. I have about 15 Rugosa bushes and they make a great hedge for me. They smell is wonderful as I walk down my driveway.

I have three of White Pavement and they are all doing well with no disease problems. I do find that in my garden , they tend to wilt in high heat. There is a picture of mine under Rugosas on this web site. Here is a link that might be useful: White Pavement

Here I am again after coming in a few minutes ago. We could have worse vices, yes. I didn't realize the Dowdeswell Delphs were the NZ types. My good gardening friend, and far more experienced than I at growing perennials, grows these. I saw them a couple of weeks ago at her garden, and I've never seen such lovely delphs. I can't get her to take photos, so I can't share any pics, darn. I would be interested in the shorter ones you mentioned because of our awful wind. I expect to stake anything like that out here, but it gets to you after a while. If you hear anything more about the shorter ones, please let us know. As a cheap substitute for tall flowers like foxglove and delphiniums, I use double hollyhocks. They are quite lovely in all sorts of pastels, reseeding readily. I also gather seed and throw it out starting in late autumn. They are in all stages of growth and blooming, which means when half of them are blown down, there are more coming along. I never tie them up, and of course, they are the type of plant that really breaks good when they blow down. There's no saving them then. Jim, those marigolds are really stunning. I think I'll try them next year. I didn't realize that they were slug food in some areas. Definitely not here, though. I grow a lot of calendula or pot marigold, not a true marigold like you grow, more by accident than anything. They look good for about three weeks max, then go to seed. and do they produce seed. I really don't like them very well, and they are the darn blister beetles' favorite food. I like your train track scene, very green and beckoning--makes me want to walk along the tracks in that cool green grass. Well, back to viewing the hired goats eat brush out back. DianePoor woman's delphiniums. Diane