First my heartfelt thanks to Anita for her warm and caring comment. It meant the world to me. Much I don't remember back then, and either I or the paper got the detail wrong about the bed/machine. Bernadine had a younger sister, I remember, thought her name was Brenda, didn't sound right, maybe it was Glenda. I have thought over the years what a terrible ordeal it would have been for the family, the caring, the moving to CA and the constant sorrow and stress. I know what it is to lose a child, lost my son in December 2012 under vastly different circumstances, and I will never get over it. It was fourth grade, the fall of 1950. The family moved to Davenport from Buffalo or Linwood, and Bernadine may have started a little late that year. February 1951 was still fourth grade, and I don't think Bernadine returned to school after that Valentine's Day I mentioned in one of my posts. Then was the unsuccessful surgery in Iowa City. Bernadine would have been in a coma for at least six years before she died. There are probably still some here who remember her. It is painful to think that so much has been learned and new diagnostic methods that she could be saved were it to happen now as they are able to save to many heart patients. It was a blessing for Anita to be born the year after her death, and she was no doubt much welcomed and loved, but no child can ever replace another. So thank you again Anita for responding to my old post. And hope I didn't say anything wrong or offensive. About the roses. I had my own website and had an html page full of my "finds" where I found most of them, and how they looked after I got them rooted. The best I can do is post them to my flickr photo stream. Some you can kind of figure out but most will be a jumble. See if this link works to my flickr account. There should be 29 or so rose photos. I tried some months back to upload a couple photos to houzz and failed. I used to be able to do it with ease but not since they changed the format of the site. https://www.flickr.com/photos/44652973@N04/

WOW! Climbing Pinkie sounds very, very nice. I have 2 trellises that have nothing on them right now, because I wasn't sure what would do well in the situation they are located. Maybe you can all help me with that regarding some of these climbers. Both of these structures are in front of my house, but are on the west side, and only about 3 feet out from the house itself. As a result of this, they are shaded by the house until about 1:00 p.m. but then get full sun until sunset. I have Crepuscule in that situation (not knowing any better), and it is growing well with no disease at all. Flowers have been sporadic though, but I just planted it this past spring. I've left the other trellis areas bare because I didn't think any roses would be happy in that situation (not sure if it's enough sun). In the winter months the sunshine is obviously shortened, quite a bit actually, but the rest of the year they would get blasted for several hours. The house is white, so it probably helps reflect some additional light. What do you think? Regarding Martha Gonzales, I've had a couple of them and had the same defoliation cycles. However, she was getting some shaded periods during the day. I have thought about trying her again in a spot that would get sun from sun-up to sunset. I'm wondering if that would make a difference. Sandy

Karen, the chinese forget me nots keep blooming for me from late spring right up until the can't take any more nights with some frost in the late fall. The regular perennial forget me nots bloom just once, maybe twice sometimes and then they are gone. I keep my chinese forget me nots in part sun in 3 different beds, but the clump I tried in the back yard, in full sun, bit the dust in early July. Northener, I grow the 4 o'clocks in pots so that I can move them around in my beds to add color when needed and to help deter japanese beetles from destroying my roses and malva. 4 oclock leaves are deadly poison to the japanese beetle. they eat them and die. I end up with quite a few dead ones on the top of the mulch in the pots. They are hardy plants when the JP attack them chew up the leaves. They just shoot out more and more leaves and keep on growing and blooming. In the mean time, the roses and malva are left alone, instead of totally destroyed. Send me an email and I'll tell you how I save the tubers from year to year. I don't do anything complicated and it's really easy to do. So far they have survived for the past 2 years with the method I use. But just to be safe, I do sow 4 o'clock seeds every year just incase I lose the tubers. Fran

Julia, Mabou is from a more Northern hybridizer. After several bboming years, last year was just so-so for Citrix, but it has mnay more blooms this year than last. Mantix, Indigo Edge is about the same size bloom as Citrix. Brad, I lost my first Spoken in Parables to voles, but liked it so well I replaced it. Jean, some of the fancies take more than one season to really settle in, and I will wait6 for this for CB. Debra, my eye is too easy to catch:). Thanks, Ruth, I like too many of them myself. Chris, I really figured Indigo Edge would have trouble opening, but it opened well, early. I bought Mabou because I love the photo New York Rita posted of hers. Thanks, Jean. Sorry I've been off a a couple days. My grandkids gifted me with a virus that put me down:) kay