Kim, I'm not convinced that the color was so rare- a search of Tea Roses at HMF shows quite a few that are called red or dark red, including FD's presumed ancestor, 'Souv. de David D'Angers'. The dark red color combined with the large flower probably was a real treat, though, and it sounds like the plant was a nice shape if grown in suitable conditions on suitable understock. I read the review below of 'Francis Dubreuil' from a 1906 issue of Gardening Illustrated Magazine, and felt that 'FD' was being praised for his beauty, but also subtly dismissed. The writer suggests that because 'FD' has a weak neck that the HT's 'Liberty', 'Warrior' and 'Richmond' are better choices for red flowered pot roses, and that 'Princesse de Sagan' is a better choice for mass planting of a red Tea in the garden. 'FD' is best grown as a standard for buttonhole flowers. Honestly, if I were in the market for a red Tea rose in 1906, I wouldn't have rushed out to buy 'FD' after reading this review... As for why 'FD' wasn't available in U.S. nurseries at the turn of the 20th Century, it may have been due to something fairly simple- poor marketing, problems with importation, plant losses due to weather/poor storage or some other factor(s) lost in the sands of time. Or you may be right to suspect that 'Francis Dubreuil' just wasn't a very good or useful rose, and American nurseries preferred to devote limited space to better/ more popular plants. Virginia Rose Francis Dubreuil Red Tea Roses appear very much out of place when mixed with other Tea-scented varieties at the exhibitions, but in the garden their value is justly appreciated. It is a question whether the Rose under notice of the variety Souvenir de Therese Levet is the better, but I think the place of honour is usually accorded to Francis Dubreuil. It is a lovely Rose, of exquisite shape in the bud, and of a rich dark amaranth-red colour, with a maroon shading. Its beauty is best displayed when grown in standard form. Here it will make a glorious head, if budded upon a thrifty Brier, and one may always be sure of a good button-hole flower from a tree of this sort. Neither this variety nor Souvenir de Therese Levet is seen to very great advantage as bush plants, their growth being rather too diffuse to be used as garden varieties, but upon a low wall they would be grand. Where highly-coloured flowers are appreciated several plants of Francis Dubreuil should be grown, considering the scarcity of good reds among the Hybrid Teas, and by good cultivation upon well-drained soil blossoms of great beauty may be obtained. Being a true Tea, it is as free flowering in autumn as in summer. The tropical weather of the last few weeks has been very favourable to this Rose, and I have been able to cut numbers of lovely blossoms. There is a beautiful reddish Rose named General Gallieni which is worth growing. It has a tinge of coppery-yellow at base of petals, and often pervading the centre petals, but its general effect is red. Betty Berkeley and Friquet are two other good crimson or...[bottom of the page is cut off]... but the best of all for general effect in the mass is Princesse de Sagan, which is as much a China as it is a Tea Rose. How effective are its velvety crimson blossoms, so quaintly twisted and so freely produced! Another Rose that has been splendid just lately is the Hybrid Tea Etoile de France. I have been inclined to condemn this Rose, but must hesitate in view of what I have lately seen. I am afraid that in a cool or wet season it would be a failure, but in seasons like the present it will be fine. As a pot-Rose Francis Dubreuil has one failing, and that is a peculiar weakness in the stalk, which causes the blooms to bend at the neck and appear on the plant quite distorted. Market growers have, for this reason, been obliged to discard the variety. Perhaps it is not wanted as a pot-Rose now that we have such beautiful reds as Liberty, Warrior, and Richmond. ROSA.

and i've seen i. cristata growing in areas in digs that nothing else would. it's a tough little booger. cyclamens do like the dry shade, but set the snooze for 10 years if you want to see much spread- :). they are slooooow. i'm just now getting some babies 10+ years after i planted my first ones. you know, most folks consider violets weeds, but they can deal with dry shade well. as can epimediums. and i really hesitate to mention that periwinkle does just fine with dry shade once established (and i have lots if you want some- lol). did anyone mention hellebores? they don't seem to suffer when it gets really dry. up at camp in PA, bracken fern spreads really well in the dry shade. not sure where to tell you to get it here, but...

Thanks to both of you for the answers. The pictures were lovely! I do like your garden look. You replied even if you have large spruces with ground covers around it, it wont harm neither. The ground cover may try to crawl under the spruces, but it won't matter. Thanks for that statement. That is what my main concern was so now I feel better. What about something like a sea green juniper planted near a Colorado blue spruce? I don't know why but I thought I heard if you have a Colorado blue spruce and let low lying shrubs etc grow into them that the Colorado blue spruce tree quits growing where it touches the other shrub hedge etc. Do I need to be concerned about that? Can various evergreen shrubs of various sizes be planted in the bed with the Colorado blue spruce trees? And yes they will no doubt in time grown together. Is this all bad? Or do you remove the evergreen shrubs as the trees and the shrubs get larger and closer together? Thanks again!

The spot is now filled, but my reading is that Erigeron karvinskianus is suppossedly hardy to z5 or 6 (not 15F), but I've never tried to grow it myself. In general things that thrive in CA hate it here, can't grow a thing that likes San Francisco climates (just noting the apparent fact). Also saw recommendation that it prefers cool summers (we don't have that), a comment that it doesn't seem to like summer humidity (we have that), or cold damp winters (we have that), if happy can spread invasively (don't want that). Lol, sounds very iffy and if it really did do well, a nightmare in the making. I appreciate your suggestion, but I think I'll steer clear. No, I have a western wallflower (my own idea...kinda doubtful), blackfoot daisy, and texas craig lily in the hole now. And a purple poppy mallow waiting in the wings in case the something gives up a space.