For some reason, I lose a lot of canes on Black Magic to die back. I attribute it to canker. Each year I worry about losing the entire rose, but it keeps on going. I really like this rose and I am going to give it lots of tlc this year. But I just can't get it to be a big wide bush. So, to make a long story shorter, maybe this rose is just susceptible to this problem? Hope yours makes it. It is really a nice rose--keeps its color, does well in heat. Kathy

Tessiess, thank you for your input. I used alfalfa pellets for the first time this spring, and upon closer observation, I have not noticed any major differences that I can definitely attribute to its use; unfortunately I continued to use my normal March cocktail which could account for a lot of what I saw in terms of growth etc. I research, research, research and many experts warn against the use of alfalfa as it is believed to raise the pH, which is the opposite of what I want for my high alkaline soil. Years ago, I attempted to grow Blanc Double de Coubert. I had just began rose gardening and I am sure its demise is gardener error. I am happy to learn that you have had luck with rugosas; with very little intervention, which is probably key to its success? Now if I can just find someone who has had success with Paul Neyron to discover what the issue is with as so many gardeners seem to despise it.... Lyn, you are so correct. Las Vegas has its name because it means the meadows. This land was once very fertile and wet. Generally, the soil in Las Vegas has inorganic minerals, but is very low in organic compounds . We aspire to have soil that is 5% organic compounds but have to amend a lot to get there. We also amend the soil to lower the pH.

Hi Melissa -- did you ever get that email I sent you about digging a swale to capture rainwater on a hillside? I'm working on a similar project (slowly) and thought of you. Fundamentally I agree with you. It's best to grow plants that want to grow in the conditions you can offer them. I have a couple exceptions. You mentioned blueberries. I just adore blueberries. If you stick to the newer southern highbush varieties such as Misty, Oneal, and Sunshine Blue you may have better luck. Sunshine Blue in particular is said to be a little more tolerant of higher pH. Try a raised bed filled with compost, wood chip, and peat as a growing medium. I'm experimenting with the same mixture, some soil and sulfur added, dug as a trench in the ground. It is too soon to tell, but so far all but one of my blueberries are growing well and not chlorotic. I did lose one, but think that I lost it to hot dry weather when I was away. They do need water. I don't begrudge it to food plants. My other exception is that I planted a couple of avocado trees because Tom loves them so much. I'm not convinced that I'm going to be able to make them happy, but we're giving it a try. After killing about two dozen rhododendrons, I've given up on them. I have two left. One under the redwood trees actually looks reasonably happy. The other, alas, is on its way out. I do so love rhododendrons. At least I have roses! And apples. And plums, and figs, and citrus. Really, so much does well here that it is silly to sigh for the few plants that won't thrive for me. It means that when I go garden visiting and see favorite plants I cannot grow well, I have the special thrill that comes from seeing the less accustomed beauty. Rosefolly

The main rose we grow for drying is Sarah Van Fleet, a 1920's rugosa hybrid. We generally pick in the tight bud stange. It's a big plant, starts blooming very early and practically never stops until after several frosts. We also pick a lot of The Fairy. It has small blooms, we pick them in clusters and use them mainly glue-gunned onto moss -covered straw wreaths. Similar but less prolific are some old polyanthas -- Margo Klostner and Mothersday. Another favorite is Raubritter, a 1930-ish Kordes introduction that has long, thin, winding canes that tend to snake close to the ground. It gets small, cup-shaped flowers (no scent) with a great "old-fashioned' look to them. I think it's classified as a R. macrantha hybrid. It's available from a few old-rose specialists. I got our bushes from Hortico in Canada. We've dried the flowers of Reine de Violettes and Mme. Isaac Peirre on screens. They make nice medallions in the end, but they shrink a lot. Other roses that we sometimes dry, usually as buds or just beginning to open are New Dawn, Mme. Alfred Carriere and Fruhlingsgold, another Kordesii shrub. We dry a variety of old roses for potpourri -- mainly the apothecary's rose, but also some centifolias (Fantin Latour) damasks and albas (Maiden's Blush). With roses that bloom in clusters, we pick stems with several blooms and place them over wires that we've got running back and forth along the sides and roof of the loft in the barn. For other roses -- buds, large blooms and petals for potpourri, we use horizontal screens. The basic screening material is 1/2 inch hardware cloth. If we're drying a large bloom or semi-opened bud, we'll stick the stem through the cloth to hold the flower upright. For potpourri, we add a layer of fiberflass screen on top of the hardware cloth so that smaller petals won't fall through when they're dried. We also grow some roses for their hips -- R. rubiginosa (eglantine, sweetbrier), R. glauca and R. canina (dog rose).