Eric, and whomever else can't come on the 14th, this garden is always open to the public, so you can come any time. It's well worth the trip. I saw it only once before, two years ago, and have talked and thought about it ever since. It's especially a revelation for a California gardener, since there are OGRs growing there so much better than we can do in our warm climates, including many that I'd never seen before. For you zone 5/6 folks, here's a collection that's survived for thirty-five years, with bushes of magnificent, mature size. Anita

Here rugosa hybrids can get BS pretty bad. Species (alba, rubra) and some less hybridized rugosas are quite resistant. Unfortunately TB is not one of them. Rugosas can't be sprayed with old oil based fungicides. Last generation fungicides like Banner Max, Bayer, Compass can be sprayed w/o any ill effect. I don't spray now, but did it for many years before. I used Banner Max and never even when it was 90+ degrees Banner hurt a single leaf on my rugosas. Olga

my first rose was a milk carton baby that my mom bought when we moved in to our first home in 77. she said i could take care of it and so i was kinda excited at the age of 6. over the next 15 years or so, that thing was two stories tall and massive, even though no one had a clue of how to take care of it other than occasional water. looking back i think it must have been a climber; perhaps a dublin bay... anyhow , fast-forward thirty years to my townhouse that i now live in. we planted a small rose bush on a whim next to a trellis 4 years ago and ignored it for two years. i did everything that one is not supposed to to a rose. i don't even think i planted it right or anything. turns out that it was a climber and an own root at that; a viking queen. i found out two years ago that you need to let them grow and not chop them to the ground. i also found out that they take about four years to even establish, never mind thrive. after accumulating over firty roses now, this rosebush is still the crowning glory in my garden. it is also as tough as nails and laughs at disease and the such.it is a monster now and will not stop growing or thriving in spite of my ignorance early on. i can only wonder what it would be like if it got what it needed from the get go. this newfound obsession is so satisfying to me. one of the most rewarding things i do now is make my almost weekly pilgrimage to the nursery and pick out a rose that i certainly do not have room for. it is so satisfying to find another beauty to plant. the great thing about roses that many do not understand, is that they almost respond daily to your care or neglect. they are sensitive and will communicate to you and tell you what they need if you will listen. a lot of plants just do nothing after many years, whereas roses change a lot over the course of a season, plus they bloom and put on a show longer than just about anything else. they truly are living plants.

Hi Mary, I've learned a lot from this forum as well! Another factor in my preferences is I'm getting older and don't want to bend down low to "smell the roses." Tall, fragrant & low maintenance is what I want for my garden these days. Fragrant miniatures I hope to keep potted & up higher to enjoy. Yes, there is crown hardy, then there is cane hardy. Most of the Morden roses are only crown hardy for me - their canes die but they grow back fast & strong. But not all zones are the same (ex. my neighbour's Morden Sunrise rarely dies back & is 4 feet tall, mine dies back to the snowline. I swear they're at least half a zone warmer than me!), maybe that's why cane hardiness is rarely described on tags. A quick run down of some of the rose groups as I informally think of them, based on what is available to me. I'm sure there are more official ways (and multiple names) to describe them. They overlap in the sense that some Explorers are "rugosas", some Explorers are "modern": Types: Species (wild roses such as woodsii, arkansana, virginiana, etc. My understanding is all roses are bred from species roses, which affect the hardiness depending on the species used.) Rugosas (rugose leaves) Rugosa hybrids (cross between a rugosa and a modern rose) Scotch (aka Spinossisima or Burnet) Gallicas (dark rich colours, once blooming) Albas (modtly soft pinks, fragrant, once blooming) Hybrid teas (not hardy for me, but often fragrant with large blooms. Ex. 'Peace' or 'Double Delight') Modern (I use this term to describe the mixed bag of roses developed in the last few decades. These are usually somewhat shrubby, lower maintenance & meant for the garden.) And then there are "brands". These are usually developed from a rose breeder or company with specific goals in mind. Some brands available to me: Canadian Explorer (ex. Martin Frobisher, Jens Munk, John Cabot, Frontenac & more. Most are tough/hardy, but many are larger) Canadian Parkland (ex. Morden Blush, Moden Sunrise, Winnipeg Parks, Hope for Humanity & more. Smaller compared to the Explorers, flashier flowers, but poorer health for some.) Canadian Artist (ex. Oscar Peterson, Campfire & more.) 49th Parallel (ex. Chinook Sunrise, Canadian Shield & more. The latest series of Canadian roses.) Pavement Series (ex. Snow Pavement, Purple Pavement & more. Mostly rugosas.) David Austin (ex. Heritage, Golden Celebration & more. Famous as Engligh shrub roses) Buck Roses Collection (ex. Distand Drums, Prairie Princess & more. Known for good health. ) Oso Easy from Proven Winners (these make a great landscaping rose for constant colour but I don't grow them as they are low growing and usually not fragrant to my nose). Note, the name Prairie at the beginning has been used by a few different companies/breeders. Although some may share some of the same parents, not all do. For example, Prairie Peace and Prairie Celebration are very different. My latest interest are roses like Therese Bugnet, which was bred in Alberta. Here's a garden shot from 2017, things are a little late to bloom this year: