Good advice here so far -- I just wanted to add that I bought a few large planters from Home Depot for just $20 each for my pot-pet collection of red HTs. They look like wooden barrels but are made of resin. You'll have to make the drainage holes on the bottom, but they're already marked off. They measure 22 1/2 inches in diameter across the top, about 16" in diameter across the bottom. Here are a couple of mine with roses but before I add annual "fillers and spillers." On the Home Depot website, these planters are for some reason listed twice, with two different pics -- but if you look at the descriptions, you'll see the same sku# for both. The angle of the pic in the second link makes it look more tapered than in real-life. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-22-5-in-Resin-Whiskey-Barrel-HDR-505742/203580708 http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southern-Patio-22-1-2-in-Whiskey-Barrel-Resin-Planter-FGS-468573/202294014 For the HTs that don't get as large, I found these pots for $10 each at Rite Aid (they were on sale, normally $20 each). There weren't many at a time, so I bought all I could find when I saw them on-sale -- and as such, I ended up with four red, three terra-cotta, and one brown. They're about 15" in diameter across the top. These I'll likely stick in the garage or on my enclosed back porch for Winter, but the larger pots I'll leave out, perhaps mounding Autumn leaves in them and covering with burlap. Be on the lookout for on-sale pots at stores where you wouldn't assume to find them! :-) ~Christopher

You have to really research your climbers to find those that are cane hardy. Unfortunately they are mostly once-bloomers, or if they repeat it is scant. I grow New Dawn, some Canadian Explorers, Chianti and Constance Spry(older Austins) and unknown OGR as climbers and I am always searching for more, but have to be very choosy. Don't want to plant a rose that gets killed to the ground every winter and blooms only on old wood! Or one that is supposed to be a climber that only grows to 3' because it keeps getting set back from the winter. I grow a lot of Austins and have rarely lost any. I bury the bud union 4-6" deep. They don't need any winter protection, but certain ones benefit from some insulation so they get a better start in the spring. A pile of pine needles around the base is the most I do, and only for 2 or 3 of them. The roses that seem to really dislike my zone 5 are the hybrid teas. They need winter protection, and despite that still don't really thrive, if they do make it over the winter. There are probably some that are better than others.

Hello, Just wanted to butt in and say that I have plenty of seeds for the orange milkweed or butterflyweed, and I have lots of seed pods forming as we speak. I also have many volunteer baby Rue plants that could probably be mailed in a pinch. I haven't checked for seeds of the Rue, because I have so much already growing. Unfortunately, I have yet to see any Giant Swallowtail action, despite having every host plant it is known to frequent. I also have seeds for two other varieties of milkweed, A. incarnata (swamp) and one called "Red" by Seed Saver's Exchange. If you're looking for seeds, try the wintersowing forum--also an excellent way to get multiple plants started inexpensively and very reliably. I could certainly send you a care package to get you started. Let me know. Martha

I got mine one ebay from dogwooderitternet. He sells small afordable starts, mine is still too small to take cuttings from or I would share with you. I have emailed him before looking for a particular plant and he emailed me back when it was listed. I have to agree with Brandon I love Plant Delights Nursery, my fave mail order and Tony Avant is a wonderful entertaining speaker if you ever have the oppertunity to hear him speak. But unless you are planning on buying several things shipping can be costly, but they are a very high quality mail order. Mary