There are a jillion rose books already out there. (And I have a lot of them!) Personally, I can do without another book on how to plant a bareroot rose and how to prune in the winter. If I could create a rose book just for me, it would be an annual that had pictures and profiles of all the newly released roses. Such pictures and profiles would be taken and written independently from Jackson & Perkins, Weeks, Meilland, Austin, etc. I would also like to see each of those roses put through standardized tests regarding various features. You could have a blackspot benchmark, a powdery mildew benchmark, a last-in-a-vase benchmark, a fragrance benchmark, height reports from various parts of the country, etc. It would be like a Consumer Reports evaluation for roses. With a book like this, you could actually make a more educated decision prior to purchasing. It is my understanding that roses that are chosen for commerce still have to be grown for several more years in the fields in order to have enough to distribute. Somebody in the know should get a hold of them for long term evaluations. - HershiGrl

Thank you for looking and commenting...obviously, I love pinks. My favorite pink changes according to what's blooming. (I totally understand the "for now" Vickie) There are more pinks that are pink, not coral or peach for me now, Maryl. Sarah, I buy from Maryott, Marietta (pink gingham came from there and is one of their intros), Rorcroft, Blueridge, hybridizers, and the auction. I only buy from Roycroft when he has a sale. Val, I like soft and bright ones too. Again thank you for your nice comments. kay

Yes, I'm talking about Mike Lowe's. Unless it has been cleared out a bit because he's no longer propagating and selling roses, it's also pretty much just roses because that's the only way it would begin to all fit. Unless it has changed, Elizabeth Park is mostly modern roses. It's an AARS test garden, so is obligated to grow a lot of new varieties. It's a good opportunity to see why new varieties aren't the greatest idea around here, but isn't that big on alternatives. I haven't been to Roger Williams park yet, but heard Mike Chute speak a few years ago. I remember him being one of those 'experts' who honestly has no clue how his favorite roses do after being hit with -15°F, or relatively normal zone 5 temperatures. Being mixed up with a big public HT garden for several years now, I helps to think of them as public utilities. They are there for photographic opportunities, for people to stroll through and enjoy. They are *NOT* display gardens for the purpose of showing people what roses do well in that area. Because that leads right into the big can of worms that most roses that do well here are once bloomers. So they are fine for a private gardener who knows how to handle them and mix them up with other things. However, they truly puzzle public gardens. I haven't been to Mike Lowe's in about 8 years. The last time I was there, it was one of his Open Garden days. Belle_Isis was there, we both brought the kids, and took turns watching them as they played on the swingset Mike had set up for his grandchildren.

I think that it's fascinating that you hybridize some yourself. That would be so much fun to see what you can get. The last one you show is, to me, a particularly stunning new rose!! Does it have a good scent since Intrigue is one of the parents? Congratulations!! Betty Boop is a rose that I've often thought of getting, but I always pass on it. But your full bush shot shows how lovely a bush it is and how large and vibrant the flowers are. I just might have to get this one! Carol