very nice kentstar, i have 4 of them now. They are very vigorous growers that seem to be pest free for now. My Tiki Torch WAS doing great til'something started eating the leaves, now it seems stunted. My Mac N Cheese is growing in slow-mo next to the TS. My other TS are next to Indian Summer Rudbeckia. Can't wait to see them open.

Josh, Congrats on your first brug bloom of the year! Your plants look amazing and you said you had not had rain since April? I can't begin to imagine that and don't want to! Hope you get rain soon. I think you are the one that posts the pretty pics in the winter when it is foggy/misty that I enjoy. Love the bottle brush too! Thanks for sharing. Joyce Now I can't get that song out of my head...It never rains in California.

I knew there was a reason I love this forum! I am reminded of it often when reading these posts from all of you. What sweet gardening friends you are! Thank-you for your anniv. wishes. I agree it was a most perfect gift on our special day. I can relate SO well to those of you that are growing roses for the first time. I was in EXACTLY those shoes last year. I bought four bare-root David Austins from Wayside and only ONE of them took! sniff! You wouldn't believe what my dh and I went through to create the bed for them if I told you so suffice it to say that I had four roses, three of them dead and he declared we MUST have something to fill those empty holes so we went to the local garden center and splurged on two KO blush bushes. Already established and blooming. That was one of the best purchases ever in my opinion. They are double the size and covered with buds this year. I got another one for Mom's day! hehe The rose in question in the picture is a New Dawn climber. I bought two of those last year in POTS. They were tiny but they were already alive and growing. They have gone bonkers this year and are already nearly up to the roof of my patio. They are also covered with buds. I am SO impatient to see them all in full bloom!! Of all the plants in my garden, nothing ever thrills me as much as my roses when they are blooming.

That one, and a pink but otherwise similar one, were from some random rose hips my mom found and sent to me. I have others from trades, those didn't bloom yet because they are rugosas and I don't think they'll bloom until they go through a winter phase. I also currently have freshly gathered rose seeds from my don juan and golden showers roses available to trade. Those are hybrid teas, a deep red and a pale yellow. I also have a new double delight and a rescued old pink noid tea rose, but neither have made hips yet.