Get some real butter and sugar and cream it together. That is the color of Celine Forestier. (Sometimes a little lighter, sometimes a little darker, but that pretty much is the exact color.) Now take that butter and sugar and make some cookies and sit down with warm cookies and milk and comtemplate your roses. Isn't this the best response you've gotten today? ;-) The buds start out with a pink blush on the outside as they open--made me think I'd gotten the wrong rose at first--then open into perfectly wonderful blooms. If I was strictly looking for a foliage plant, it might not be my first choice, but it's good enough for my front porch railing. The leaves are a lighter green with a matte finish. I may end up planting a clematis to grow in amongst it just for fun, but it's a really nice plant. If you look closely you might find a leaf or 2 with some blackspot, or maybe a hint of powdery mildew, and I don't spray. Sounds like it either likes your conditions or it doesn't. Maybe it's just in a sweet spot in my yard, but I've had absolutely no winter dieback, and it has the potential to become a beast. Right now it's my only noisette, but it's so nice I might try to squeeze in another.

Daisy, I only had rust once in my garden, and that was a year when it rained pretty steadily from mid-May through mid-June. 'Zephirine Drouhin' got the most tremendous case of rust, defoliated, grew new leaves in the now-dry summer, and that was that. We have no rust this year and mildew is at about normal levels. So we've been luckier than you, enjoying the benefits of increase rain without suffering any of the drawbacks. The spring certainly was wretched. We've been in Italy since spring 2000, and this is the first year we've had such a mild and moist summer. Local knowledge is probably correct about 'Felicia', but it doesn't hurt to have one's own opinion. Of all my Hybrid Musks this is the least prosperous, although no plant of it grows down in the shade garden where the Hybrid Musks do so well. So it hasn't really had a fair trial in my garden. It sure does smell good. Perhaps I ought to look into finding a place for a plant of it down there. Laura, I'm glad you enjoyed my post, and were inspired to look up some roses! I got so caught up in my own eloquence that I forgot to add that I wanted other gardeners to write in about roses in their gardens: varieties that aren't terribly well known and that they've fallen in love with or are feeling particularly enthusiastic about. Spread the word about their finds. Melissa

Took one lousy poorly focused picture of my teapot choice. Camera battery began dyig while I was snapping. Sorry about the poor focus. No pictures of my tea on the patio darn it. I hadnt used my camera in several weeks. The tea was yummy. I made Earl Grey Green Tea...and put ice in it :) Worked outside raking and sweeping gazillions of maple seeds before they sprout. A tea break was a welcome relief. Next week I will be sure my camera is charged. Here is a link to a brand new site I started at Shutterfly. This is the only picture there as of now..but will add more later. http://wabbittracks.shutterfly.com/ Here is a link that might be useful: Wabbit Tracks Guest House Tea

Busy past 3 days for me. Tuesday - taking Mom to have her port flushed then new knife shopping (3 stores), then a Red Lobster Crab Fest lunch. A treat for her birthday. Then dropping her off at Kohl's while I go to the thrift store. It was half off everything day at the thrift store - very crowded even in the afternoon. Didn't find anything I wanted - oh well. Wednesday - Taking Dad to plastic surgeon for consult on cancerous lesion. He was worried, but the doc was able to ease his mind I think. The doc will cut it out in a few weeks in the office, no surgery center, no radiation or chemo needed. Then a few more errands. Then a nice Mexican lunch where Dad enjoys a relieving jumbo margarita. Today Mom's annual pet scan. Two boring hours for her at the cancer clinic, whilst I do Walmart, Aldis, gas station, a 2 more thrift stores. I score a silk blazer for a quarter that is too big for me. Maybe I can alter it enough to fit, but if not...I'm only out 26 cents. And then lunch at pub I hadn't been to before. Mom quipped that going out to eat 3 days in a row felt like a vacation! I agree, but since all these excursions involve a 45+ mile round trip each day and numerous stops, as the driver I'm looking forward to a few days off! :)