>I'd prefer Felicia to Cornelia since Felicia, I've heard, has stronger scent? or is that not true? I have a couple Felicias that are babies now. (like I said in my previous... I'm not sure if they're doing well or not. They may just be young?) Hi Aimee, Rogue Valley lists them both with three "f's" out of a possible four for degree of fragrance. Francesca is for sure a beautiful rose, so good luck with it! If you ever do consider Cornelia too, well, I've read a few comments that its fragrance wafts on the breeze. >Both Kathleen and Mutabilis (which I guess are similar to Bermuda's Kathleen) are listed as shade tolerant... Neither one makes it to the ARE shade tolerant list, though they do sell both. (The person running that nursery is extraordinarily knowledgeable so I'd take his advice over the opinions of others.) >I'm open to Darlow's Enigma, too. I want something that does WELL there... otherwise I might want to try a shrub or something more tolerant? I've seen so many gorgeous pictures of this very fragrant rose that at one time I wanted it too. But it was a turnoff to discover that it is supposed to be unusually thorny. >I really like camellias too. Mary, that was one of my other ideas. So if the roses won't do well, I'd rather go with something that will do better. Your roses are probably going to do fine, with the right selections, I'd guess. On the other hand, with more thought as to the whole picture, you might want a little greater diversity in the front yard and some things with a bit of a heavier shinier leaf look to them. Two books to help you form your own landscaping ideas: House and Garden Book of Country Gardens," by Charles Quest-Ritson, and Landscape with Roses" by Jeff Cox. Consider Japanese maples if you end up looking for more trees. I never tire of looking at ours (three kinds here). >I have a small camellia roughly in that spot now, it's getting a little bit of burning on the leaves, but overall seems happy, so I'm guessing as it gains maturity, it will be able to tolerate sun better. I don't think you ought to generalize the experience for a single camellia (japonica?) to all the many others you might consider for the same spot. Some varieties aren't too picky about how much sun and sun protection they have, and some are very picky. The variety in that spot is just probably one of the pickier ones and is wishing it were in a slightly shadier spot or were getting better watering. >Mary, how do you mean "for the front walk"? sorry, I can't figure out which part you mean exactly., do you mean along the sidewalk coming from the front door, on both sides...? (before it does a right angle?) Edging each side with shishigashiras would work well for the entire distance, I'd guess. >I'm just having trouble with the part that's right up next to the front of the porch (the foundation) There are an unending number of potential choices and combinations, all of which would make a nice inviting entrance for your house. It all depends on what you personally like best. If it were my house, I'd opt for some Bonanza camellias spanning the front next to the porch, with perhaps a rose climbing the two pillars where you have two MAC's planted now. >I'm seriously considering putting a tea (probably Archduke Charles) in the front middle area. I think that one is a china, but it should still do quite well in your climate. Gorgeous! If you're hoping for the evergreen quality that many of the tea roses have you'd just have to ask locally about that. >I also was thinking about pillaring a rose, like you said. but I'm on the fence. It would be great if one of the roses already on my short list was one that could be pillared. In seeing some more pictures now, I'd suggest the pillar for a larger planting area than what you have right in the front. The height of your climbers next to the porch might be enough for that area; too many focal points amounts to not having any. A pillar might make a really nice focal point in your side yard though. I'm not sure which roses are on your short list-- I might not have seen that list anywhere. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to post them all again in a very organized fashion. Ideally, include a division as to front yard/side yard/back yard plant intentions, assuming you've taken the ideas that far. It also would be very helpful to actually make it into a much longer list, listing first the names of the roses you've already purchased/planted in those yard areas, along with a dotted line to separate the ones not yet bought but that you're considering for future purchase in those same particular yard areas--with all three yard areas totally separated by lots of space and double dotted lines. You are doing enough stuff all at once there that it is easily confusing to try to recall everything you might have mentioned somewhere sometime in different posts now, and this is the very most basic information that anyone wanting to offer suggestions needs to have. There's also a benefit to forcing yourself to organize your own information: it's not just a benefit to your readers, but you yourself can do a better thinking job with the information, once you've organized it enough to have it ready at your fingertips. Best wishes, Mary Here is a link that might be useful: A shade-tolerant rose resource

The boards on that fence look suspiciously like green wood to me, unless they have been protected with something. A fence like that wouldn't last long in western Ks, not with our wind. Also I can't tell if they are wood posts or covered with wood. At least you got the pretty side. I have a new shadow fence on the south side of my yard, 6 ft is our limit, but since every yard on this block drops a foot, it is really 7 feet. The reason for this fence is I'm trying to block out all the soccor balls that find their way into my yard. What a nuisance, last year I lost a lot of my vege plants, and have a broken tree peony, a flying soccor ball can do a lot of damage, and now another pest has invaded. I think every child around me got a drone for Christmas, Of course they don't know how to control them, so I'm constantly having to fish one out of shrubs ect. This is going to be a whole new way to garden along this fence. I've been watching the shadow line for a month now, and trying to figure how much sun I will have, of course it will be ever changing as the season progresses. I'm hoping I can plant daylilys and clematis this spring, I need to break up this 100 foot of new thats staring at me. half of the 100 feet will be in my vege garden. I'm afraid I've built myself a gardening nightmare. Help!

I have been here since 2001. Enjoy checking the KT most days. Lots of good conversation for the most part. We have been married 49 years and have lived here for 48 of those years. It is a small rural community. Nice neighbors. Many have passed and new ones moved in. There are only 3 of us families left that were originally here. The house to the north of us has been empty for almost 10 years and finally new people have bought it. They are from the big city. Nice folks. We've been sharing our garden with them which has really been nice. We have 1 son and 2 daughters. They all live within 30 minutes from us. We have 8 grandkids, 2 step grandsons and a new great granddaughter.. they are all in school now except the great granddaughter so we don't get to see them often. i have a lot of hobbies, like sewing, wood cfafts, and gardening. My health is now as good as I would like it to be but I try to do the best I can. Had a pacemaker put in a year ago and now am fighting a bit of cancer. I've been down this path before so I know what to expect. I'll fight it until my last breath. i am involved with my church and the ladies group there. If we could just get a couple of the ladies to guit complaining it would be grand. Doesn't matter what we do they always have something to say in the negative column. I try to ignore it but it sure is hard sometimes. I hope all you out there in the storm areas stay safe and it passes quickly.. I'll sure keep all of you in my prayers.

I finially went and got a few groceries, enough for 3 days at least. My son dropped off beef stew a few days ago which his gf made it left much to be desired but we ate it so I picked up a sirloin roast that I'll cut up for beef stew. Annie over in the cooking forum posted her stew instructions for me. She made it recently and posted a photo which looked so good I had to ask her how to make it. Anyway I'll make it Monday I would make it tomorrow but the kids have been asking for ham BBQ sandwhiches and I promised. Amiee and the boys just put two pumpkin pies in the oven. They recieved no help from me but they did use the premade Pillsbury crust. They said they needed to practice for Thanksgiving LOL I will be a willing taste tester. I have a load of the boys school clothes washing now, actually just their school jeans. 125 deg.F Tide Free and Gentle Pod, and 3 rinses. I still have time for one more load tonight so I'll do school shirts. Tomorrow is another day. Elizabeth if your reading this I don't recall you posting lately of course I may have missed it...are you ok? Have a great Saturday evening everyone.