The wild rose is probably Rosa multiflora and most often the blooms are white, although there's a naturally happening light pink sport that shows up every so often. (Rosa caninda, the dog rose, has larger pink blooms and can be a more elegant rose, holding itself up in a vase shape.) Can you talk your husband into bushhogging this weekend? IF your temperatures are not yet in the 70s, burn them (with proper permits). Multiflora isn't supposed to be red at this time of the year nor are you supposed to be able to see that something is wrong from a distance. Please read my e-book. Come back here with questions. And could you tell us which county you live in? Ann

I don't live in SW VA, but if your area is anywhere like MD, I would guess you're seeing old multiflora and wichurana ramblers. They're once-bloomers, and most of them bloom around now (later than other roses). They usually grow alongside roads where the fences of old homesteads or farms used to be. The two most common ones I've seen around here are Dorothy Perkins (pink) and Excelsa (reddish). They were very popular around the turn of the (19th)century, and are also very easy to propagate. Usually, you can just dig up a sucker from the original rose and watch it take off. Some caveats: The original multiflora species (usually white and single, but sometimes pinkish) often carries rose rosette disease, which can infect and kill all your other roses. And many of the ramblers get mildew like crazy - Dorothy Perkins is especially prone to this. For more info, check with the folks on the Antique Rose Forum. They're very helpful.

I grow all my roses in pots. Bearing in mind that I have only been doing this as a determined effort for the last 3 years , the most important thing is to work out your general conditions. Living in Australia, I don't have to winter protect at all, but summer is...difficult. Due to how my yard is situated, have to move mine around on a regular basis, as during winter there is very limited direct sunlight, whereas during summer they tend to get the full brunt of all day sun. Second most important thing is to work out your watering. Where I live, its pretty wet during winter and v.early spring, then dry most of the rest, being very very hot for two months at the height of summer. I have to water at least once a day during this period, and even then as many as i can manage get stashed under the car port during the hottest month. They sit on concrete which tends to get very hot. I have tried ornamental ceramic and terracotta pots, but just plain plastic seems to work better; its cheaper, and drains properly. If it gets hot where you are, avoid black and try to stick to lighter or terracotta coloured ones as they don't suck up the heat so much. Seriously, I still have a lot of black pots, and after doing a touch test one heatwave, immediately lugged them all under shade after imagining how the roots were getting cooked. Then there's fertilizing. Still haven't worked this one out properly tho:) I usually go for 2 lots of slow release stuff, one just pre spring, and a smaller one just before the autumn flush, and the odd bit of water soluble watered in if the plant looks like it seems to be suffering from a nutrient deficiency, or the odd bit of bagged cow manure when I get enthusiastic. Should probably fertilize more, but I'm still a bit scared about burning roots and salt build up.

Once again, a hearty thanks to all. I'm glad I started this thread. Melissa, your post wasn't a hijack, IMO!!! It is very pertinent to the subject. I got all four magnolias at the new Obi store in Prato last spring. I doubt I would've ordered so many, because of doubts about their ability to tolerate my garden's conditions, but there they were sitting in the store, at excellent prices, too,and I lost all control. Yesterday I put out 2. Last fall, I'd ordered a Susan, which I'd planted out on the side of the main rose area. I had to put up a shade cloth for it, because it got hit by the worst of the afternoon sun in August and looked fried, but is leafing out again. It's with some baby cypress, but now that I have all these other magnolias, I decided to move the cypress and make a litle magnolia grove of three different types: Susan, LeonardM, and the white stellata. I'll have to provide afternoon shade, however there is a young oak that may, in time, do it for me. I also have a possibly loony idea: I planted the rambler Louis Mon Ami,but it got MUCH bigger and uncontrollable than I ever imagined; far too big for any structure that I can build. It ought to be growing into a tree. So, I'm thinking to plant a Paulownia tomentosa next to it. Those supposedly grow really fast...and since ramblers CAN handle growing near trees,hopefully the competition for water won't bother either plant too much. If this works, the combo will provide shade in the PM for the magnolias...I'm thinking of doing the same thing for my wildly over-grown Rene Andre. I don't know what I was thinking to have planted it where it is; it, too, needs a tree. So I'm thinking, instead of moving Rene (it'd be a huge job, and then, if I wanted a new rose there, I'd also have to change the soil) "if the mountain won't go to Mary, let Mary go to the mountain" as it were... what do y'all think, folks? Any chance that this could work????????? The new magnolia Susan I planted in a less harshly lighted spot about 2 meters from another rambler (Mannington Mauve). The problem there is that the soil turned out to be pretty shallow. It's always like this in my garden, it seems: there's always SOMETHING "wrong" with every spot, but since magnolias are shallow -rooted, let's hope it'll be OK.Cori Ann, I love your Fun Magnola Facts. No, I didn't know that! However, I can't really drip water; I don't have running water out at my garden; things have to rely on rainfall. I can imagine myself giving extra water to the magnolias while they are young. Ann, I'll check out those maps..