Oh hey, Jeri, just saw you posted after I replied. I was planning on ditching that weird thatch of growth on CI, so good to hear your thoughts are in this line----unfortunately- SBP, doesn't have much else going on, so I will leave it to do what it will this summer and let it die back in winter. Our climate is not really ideal for roses in--- 50 percent of our winter days are above freezing, and nearly every night is below. Some times we get to the high 40s for a while with sun, then head back below 20. Over and over. This excessive freeze thaw cycling doesn't seem to bother the Austins and old roses, but the HTs are harder to keep alive and growing larger than in zone 4 montana where it freezes and stays frozen. My mom grew an unprotected (no mulch no nothin) Double Delight with the graft a good 4 inches above ground for 20 years- blooming it's head off and growing a massive root system like driftwood before a very early freeze (went from 60s to 5 degrees in late October) took it and many old trees with it.

Are you definitely committed to only growing modern roses? Because, you could have, teas, Noisettes, at least the earlier, bushy ones, the smaller Bourbons, polyanthas, and some some of the early HTs. You might like to consider Autumn, everblooming HT with the fantastic color changes Princess de Nassau, the total garden package, beatifull, low growing bush with lovely foliage, as well a pretty flowers. If you want large flowers, there is the SDLM family. I am partial to Mme. Cornilessen, but all are stunning. And. the exquisite Lacharme Bourbon Noisettes are small enough for pot growing. Boule de Neige and Coquette des Blanches are still available, and I think Roses Unlimited might have Louise d'Arzens. Geschwind's Marie Dermar is said to be a seedling of Louiae d'Arzens. Mine was too tender for our winter, alas, but was completely free of BS.

Hey, I just saw that this nursery does carry 'Gold Coin', I'm just not sure I saw it. I'll admit to not perusing the pine section much since I presumed (inappropriately) that they'd all be too big. Perhaps I need to re-evaluate this one. Ken, did you recommend this one because it better fits the size requirement? I saw a Silberloche tonight on a garden tour... it looked pretty ratty. This garden is probably similar to mine in that it probably gets some decent wind thru it in winter. Not sure how much sun that little tree got, but about 2/3 of its branches had needles that looked very very dry and maybe, in total, had 3 branches with needles the way they're supposed to look. Wonder what gives on that one? I've seen it in another garden and it was fantastic top-to-bottom, but this garden was more city and was very very protected, to the point of jap maps being able to overwinter just fine. The not-so-great looking Silberloche is at a property adjacent to the MN Arboretum, so it sounds like I might need to take a trip there. Ginkogonut... This nursery does cary some Pinus parviflora selections, including Goldilocks. They also carry Pinus cordata 'Taylor's Sunburst', though it's much more pricy than other selections I was considering and the size is listed as 15-20' wide.... might be an issue. Who knew this would be such a tough decision. The nursery where I shopped is a very large local nursery. Because they're a supplier to so many tradesfolk, I'd be surprised if the continued to carry an evergreen that wasn't at least a decent performer here. Nonetheless, I'll inquire about the koreanas.

I'm going to just guess (because I really can't see much of the larvae) that you have Elder Cane Borers, quite common in that plant. About the only thing you can do is to prune behind the section where the larvae are feeding and growing and dispose of the branches. Be sure to prune back far enough....you can see how far they burrow into the cane. Can't get any more organic than that! It's suggested, by the way, that you burn (if you are allowed to do so in your location) the affected branches or bag them immediately. I've attached an image of the adult beetle. Perhaps you've seen a few of checking out your yard. Here is a link that might be useful: