Thanks so much Ann, Zak and everyone responding! Yes, I was originally thinking that styrofoam is essential for those teas, but if it needed any electrical wiring system, knowing my luck and common sense, I'd probably cause a fire, lol! And as Ann says, it may survive one winter but consecutive winters is a problem and yes Kansas does get very, very windy! I didn't think of this and thanks! The only respite is that the raised porch, trees and house help buffer that wind. I will be curious Maureen if your Lady Hillingdon survives. RU says that there is a Marie Van Houtte which survived a customer's zone 5, Mad Gallica. But yeah, I think Ann is right that in the long haul it's gonna be tough and unlikely...I would end up having to keep replacing roses. But it'd be coool if we just happened to have hardier tea that can put up with our zones. What about Mrs. R B Cant (what RU says may work). Looks like my other choices of the OGRs are far more safe so far because they aren't teas. But is Mrs. B R Cant as fragrant as the ratings say? That's another option I can look into. I will just have to sacrifice my wish for an apricot color.

I have these left. Please see my wish list for trades I'm looking for. Seeds I have to trade: UPDATED Feb 06 Amaranthus love lies bleeding (green) catananche -cupid's dart (P) corn ' mini rainbow' and a black/yellow type Cosmos 'bright lights'(A)-orange " 'cosmic cosmos"(A) dbl dwarf-orange Datura 'black currant swirl' mixed with double purple (identical) Eupatorium 'chocolate'(P)chaffy larkspur (a) blue nigella (love in a mist) dwarf dbl blue and single blue Hollyhock chatter's white (dbl) " 'Nigra' single black " 'Peaches n Dreams'- peach double (p) Ricinus castor bean. tall green leaf, 'carminceta', and pink pod (darkish leaf) (A) Salvia sp. ex. pamirs (P) salvia 'transylvanica'(P) salvia 'victoria' blue(A) all salvia trades come with chaff. sysrinchium -blue eyed grass (p) the below are just in from a swap: These are perennials joe pye weed malva bibo feldho - must be mispelled-no info hibiscus blue flax balloon flower-blue dames rocket annuals/tropicals/bienneial love lies bleeding bright lights cosmos tall yellow marigold dill lt pink hollyhock mimose quadrivalvis- cat's claw datura stramonium 'tatula' nigella agrostemma gracilis 'mila's queen' This list would be a lot longer but I keep giving away my seed as bonuses! Here are things I am growing and they are listed in the order in which they bloomed for me: This is not actually a trade list-although I might have some of these available. Maybe it will give you an idea..... Starting with the first things to bloom and going to the last one. for my zone 5a garden. (A) = annual P = perennial B = biennial _____________________________________________________________________ BRUNIFOLIA - draba, (P) groundcover, 1-2" tall, bloooms yellow- mar16-approx 3 weeks. full sun, slow grower SCILLA SIBERICA - siberian squill, bulb, 2" tall, blooms blue- April 1 for 1-2 weeks, can be sown in lawn and mowed later. full sun IRIS RETICULATA - dwarf, (P) 3-5" purple blooms, April 12 for 3 weeks . full sun 'VON SION" heirloom daffoldil-, bulb 10" yellow April 13- for 10 days. full sun RED BUD TREE, 4 ft tall now, pink april 13 for 23 days .full sun CROCUS bulb yellow 2 " tall. a few days full sun FORGET ME NOT- 5" tall, (P)? true blue, April 13- and still blooming on July 1! Part sun ALYSSUM SAXATILE COMPACTUM - BASKET OF GOLD, yellow, 12" tall, (P)!! blooms second year from seed. April 16 for 35 days. full sun GRAPE HYACINTH - bulb, blue, 4" tall, full sun or part sun, nasty grassy foliage. April 16 for 25 days DWARF IRIS- unnamed purple and white - 10 " tall, April 20 for 30 days full sun CAMASSIA- bulb with lovely purple flowers - 18" sun- april 23 for 20 days May flowers May 5 'DROPMORE SCARLET HONEYSUCKLE"- 12 ft + on 5 yr old plant- orange/yellow, (P) vine sun still blooming- 3-4 months, don't do cuttings- layer to propagate. May 7 'SAMOBOR' GERANIUM (P) 18" in bloom. noteworthy dark variagation on leaves- dusty pink, blooms 4 weeks, sun- part shade, not exceptional may 10 IRISH MOSS, (p) groundcover 1" tall, white, sun- part shade, slow grow, 3-4 weeks may 11 'PURPLE SENSATION' ALLIUM, 2 weeks purple ball flowers 24" tall bulb (p)- can be dried, sun , seeds viable, will make new bulbs slowly May 11- WOOD POPPY 'FLORE PLENA'PAPAVER - strange bushy plant with double yellow blooms. I've seen wood poppy in shade, mine is full sun (P) self seeds a lot!, still blooming 8+ weeks May 11 - CERASTIUM, SNOW IN SUMMER (not snow on the mtn). gray fuzzy leaves, white flowers, pleasant mound, sun, dry soil ok, 8" at most- quick to spread, 5 weeks May 11- DWARF YELLOW BEARDED IRIS (P)1 week- think I'll yank it! May 12 BLACK COLUMBINE with double flower, 3 weeks, part shade. black flowers 18"tall blooms second yr from seed May 12 'GLADIATOR' ALLIUM, taller lighter purple than purple sensation, sterile seeds, will make new bulbs slowly, 2 weeks May 12 'MAY NIGHT' SALVIA (P) purple 24", will bloom first yr from seed, longest bloom for my of salvias- 4 weeks, - then cut back for 50% rebloom-still blooming- july 7 May 12 DIANTHUS- unnamed pink (P) grey /green foliage- which is the main reason I grow it. Tough, drought tol, sun, 4 weeks May 17 BLUE COLUMBINE (P)- 2-3 weeks, part shade, drought tol. self seeds, blooms second yr from seed may 17 GYPSOPHYLIA REPENS- creeping babies breath - white, 4 ", sun, drought tol. seeds viable , 4 weeks May 17 COLUMBINE CANADENSE- native, yellow- red, pennant blooms, part shade, drought tol, also blooms second yr from seed, too tall - 26"- DIANTHUS 'TINY RUBIES'(P) pink pom-pom blooms 2 -3 inches tallBlooms May 19- for 2 weeks Full sun DIANTHUS 'FLASHING LIGHT" (P)(walmart) hot pink 2 inches plant and 4 inches blooms, blooms may 19- for 2 weeks. prostrate plant with darker leaves- a splendid dainthus for tumbling over rocks... DAISY (P)- shasta maybe, blooms may 19 for 7 weeks altho tapers off after 4 weeks. Very self sowing and spreads quickly.will compete against crab grass! VARIAGATED BEARDED IRIS. (P) Hold var. color all season. Full sun. I have several types and they all bloom the same color- light purple and same time, may 19 for 2 weeks. The aroma of grape jelly is TO die for!! I have an unnamed one plus, : iris pallida 'Aureo-Variegata'and Iris 'Variegata (Zebra- striped sweet iris) Bearded iris for me have had trouble with bacterial root rot with our soggy springs, I haven't had this problem with this iris however, don't put it in a wet spot. CLEMATIS "Guillain Blades' (P) vine white 3 inch blooms may 19 for 3 weeks the has cool hairy seed swirls. mine is part sun would be taller if I taught it to climb- label says 12' COLUMBINE (P)- pink may 19 for 4 weeks, 16 inches, part sun- blooms in 2 yrs from seed NEPETA(catmint) 'walker's low' (P) light purple may 19th and still going 7 weeks later. full sun, drought tol, collects bees that act drunk on it. shorter at 20 inches but give it room- 4 ft across! I cut mine back last year and was sorry- it took so long to rebloom- I'm going to leave it this year. propagates by seed but quicker by division. GERANIUM'Brookside and Johnson's blue- (P) I can't see any difference in these two.Neither are truelly blue. sun, floppy so I have them propped by neighboring plants so this way they are 2 ft tall. may 20- and still going so 7 weeks+ SIBERIAN IRIS 'Caesar's brother' (P) purple)only 2 weeks of bloom starting may 25, but the foliage makes it one of my favorite 'grasses'. Less fuss than bearded iris. Grows 24 + inches tall.visitor's favorite. Divides well and fills in quickly. DAYLILY'stella de oro' gold/orange(P) longest bloomer of daylilies 20" may 27 and still going on a few plants- 6+weeks can be seed grown but quicker by division .part sun to full sun. Thinking about trying in full shade- anyone tried it? SALVIA'Blue Queen' (p) self seeds. sun 20" height and 3-4 ft across after a couple yrs. purple/blue color. blooms may27 for 4 weeks. TALL BEARDED IRIS 'superstition' called black but actually extremely dk purple. lost 60 to bacterial root rot. Too much 'fragrance' for vase. 2 ft blooms may 27 for only 5 days sun Silene U Druetts ( P) may 27- still going mid July. White Dr. Suess flowers on groundcover. Mine from seed bloomed after two yrs with all gray/green foliage,came from mom's and her's have variagated foliage. 3" tall. sun SALVIA 'East Friesland' (P) redish/purple may 27 for 4 weeks. new and so short 14" sun LINARIA (A) 'dwarf fairy mix' many colors, bloomed first, now full size mix in bloom ,sun, wintersow, may 28- july 6 weeks if you plant both types. 1 ft to 18" LEMON LILY DAYLILY. These were 3 ft tall blooms with 18 " foliage but new to my garden so bloomed .shorter. Lemon yellow, sun/part sun. Flowers appear to hover above foliage. May 28- 3 weeks If you look at my member page you can link to my webshots for some pics of these gardens:) Toodles Karen

When you put them in the ground, you may also want to plant them a bit deeper to give them a head-start on getting through Winter. When I planted the first of my roses here, they went into the native soil level. I built raised beds around them, and added 6-8" of composted shredded tree mulch in mid-Autumn. As it turned out, their first Winter was that harsh "polar vortex" one of 2013-2014. A few -- Chinas and Teas -- were cut to the soil level, or just above, but they had buried cane that was enough to get them going again. As I planted companion perennials the following Spring, I noticed that the roses started generating roots into the mulch layer, which meant that they had nearly 18" of root depth just one year after coming as bands. My Winters aren't as severe as yours, but what I did worked for the "borderline-hardy" roses I planted. Out of about 75 planted that year, only 2 didn't make it -- 'Jaune Desprez' and "Secret Garden Musk Climber". I didn't replace the former, as I realize that was a bit of a pipe dream here. But I did get a more substantial gallon-sized SGMC, and it made it through last year's almost-as-harsh Winter. :-) ~Christopher

Just thought I'd post the results I had in one garden bed that's clay-loam. Last year I had amended this bed with home-made compost. Everything did well last year as first year plantings. This year they suffered from too little light. (I just put the roses there to get them through the winter and hoping they might like the eastern exposure. Heathcliff, Sugar Moon and Falstaff like sun in my neck of the woods, it seems. I'll probably be moving the viking Queen next Spring as she's a fraction of the size of her sister in full sun, and hasn't bloomed since Spring while her sister would be non-stop if not for the midge.) Anyway, the soil was very dry even with rain. I thought the heavy leaf layer prevented water. I stuffed the empty holes with alfalfa hay, compost and leaf mold until I decided what to plant. I also put the alfalfa under the leaves in the rest of the bed and gave it additional compost. Wow, when I went to plant Lavender Lassie and two hydrangeas, all the soil was so soft and fluffy and moist, even though we had less rain that earlier. I'm now prepping my holes in advance of next Spring and filling them with the same and covering the entire bed with alfalfa hay, etc. The new plantings have taken off even in the reduced light of late summer. I repeated this in another new bed and Mme Alfred Carriere and Awakening seem to love it even in their NE exposure. (Of course, they could just be responding to being in the ground vs. in pots. : ) ) Lesson learned. : ) I'm also trying gypsum on some new beds I'm prepping since they're on an incline. I'll report back.