I think it's a great time to plant them, especially if you are going to plant larger roses from a nursery. I planted a bunch today that have been growing in pots from cuttings and bands - some of them are still quite small.

More importantly, what'cha planting? :-) Have you picked a variety yet?

Cheers,
Michelle

I may do some planting later this afternoon too! Not roses though. I planted three red bee balm plants late last summer, and the grasshoppers have demolished them. Plus they started blooming today, and they are NOT red, but lavender. They are getting the shovel as soon as I find a replacement. This bed is all reds, oranges and yellows, so the lavendar is out of place there.

On a positive note, it is somewhat overcast and only around 90 degrees today, which is the coolest it has been in almost three weeks!

Yay! I had a feeling it would be just fine. I want a yellow one, that is about as far as my choice knowledge goes. It will probably be a Canadian Hardy rose, I'll try the Flower bin and maybe elsewhere if they don't have one. Honestly, I wouldn't mind another pink rose, although pink is my second least favourite colour, I am liking it more and more in my garden.
Hah!! I have it so easy. It is about 65F right now!!! nya, nya, nay :)
Thanks for the responses
J

I would highly recommend Morden Sunrise if you can find it. The HMF photos of it do not do it justice. It's sooooo pretty.

And nya, nya yourself. Mine are planted, you still have to dig holes!!!

:-)
Michelle

Alright, girl! Watch it with that 65 degrees stuff or you just might get disinvited to the Swap! ;-)

And then you gotta do it when Highalt has just said itÂs "only" 90 degrees! You really know how to make folks suffer, donÂt ya! Glad to hear itÂs cooled down a little at least for you over there on the western slope, High! You guys have really been getting beat down with the heat this year.

ItÂs about 85 in my backyard right now, but the clouds have moved in, so it doesnÂt seem too bad. DonÂt yÂall wish we could get some of that rain thatÂs drowning everybody in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas? Sure wish there was some way to even it out a little bit!

Anyway, I just came to harass you a little bit, J! Actually, IÂm glad youÂve cooled down a little bit. Wish we all would!

Leaving the rose advice to the rose experts,
Skybird

P.S. YouÂre still invited to the swap! :-) :-) :-)

Thanks for watching my back, Skybird, LOL!

I dug up what was left of the bee balm plants and replaced them with a couple of 'Orange Perfection' tall phlox. Don't know anything about growing phlox, and they are not even red, but it was the only thing that the garden center had that would come close to filling the empty holes left by the bee balm, and they should still fit in with the color scheme in that bed. Those bee balm plants were big scraggly monsters, and it felt really good to dig them up, though I did feel a little guilty when I put them in the trash.

What did you end up with, J?

All right, okay...no more teasing about the weather.
For today, at least!!

Well, darn, I ended up with nothing. They had two Morden Sunrise and they looked icky, scragly and just blah. We walked around for ages and my boyfriend had the list in hand and read each label, Nothin'!

I am online with Highcountryroses right now and am about to order the J. P. Connell, my other choice. I just don't know. I've never ordered roses or any plant online. Gee, I've never ordered seeds, even.

Frankly, I think I should do it and find out for myself how it works. I forget now, but someone gave me a reference to HCR.com and said they were a good place to look. Unfortunately, Morden Sunrise is out till later next month and so is Morden Fireglow, but they have J.P., so I think I'll go for it.

Oh, and I think reds and oranges look terrific together, Highalt. I want my neighbor's red poppies. They are next to her red/orange poppies and together they are striking. Such bold and bright colour! I have the red/orange but I don't have that awesome red...yet... Oh, Oriental poppy, that is.

Heh, I can't complain about the weather. It was so hot for a while there that I just didn't go outside. I suffered for it with miles of bindweed pretending to be pretty but really just threatening to take over. I hate the way it wraps around and up everything!! If it would wrap around the stakes only, well, that would be different.

By the time I got out there today, I pulled bindweed, clover of unknown origin and all the other "stuff" growing about and blocking the view of my little petunias. Gosh, those little things sure produce big blooms!

Come to think of it, I really came close to buying one of those ratty looking Morden Sunrises, I just couldn't do it. It looked kind of yellow, I was surprised as their roses were looking so good earlier. I also thought about Harison's yellow, but the attached paperwork did not specify a zone hardiness and I am a bit chicken about that. Heck, I'm not the kind of gardener that is going to go out there and pile up mulch and re-pile it each time the gusts blow it away. I want something that will live with or without all that effort. Oh, gee...am I giving away how lazy I am?

On a positive note, almost all the rose cuttings from cnetter are showing foliage growth!! No obvious roots yet, but they sure look cute. The Lancaster York is the only one not showing any growth and it is looking awful tired. I hope it holds on!

Gee, did I write enough? I sure enjoy the support here!! And, oh yes, I'll be at that swap with or without something to trade! I am hoping that my cuttings from my two hardy roses will root soon, that way I can share them at the swap.

ciao`
J.

Alright, J, I think youÂre gonna like this! If you can get your neighbor to let you dig up a couple of the red oriental poppy roots and bring them to the swap with you, IÂll use them to show how to propagate oriental poppies from the roots! I was planning to do it anyway, but was going to wait till closer and ask on the Swap thread if somebody had one they could bring some roots from, but if youÂve found a color you likeÂand youÂre good friends with your neighborÂyou can be the one to bring them! If youÂve got a HatfieldÂs & McCoyÂs going on with your neighbors, IÂm sure there will be somebody else who can bring a couple roots.

HereÂs something else you might be interested in. ItÂs Garden Watchdog, a site where you can look up what other people think about any particular mail order gardening companies. You can just look up a particular company by name, or you can look up all the companies that sell a certain item. If you donÂt use it now, you may find it useful in the future sometime. IÂve never actually used itÂsince I donÂt do mail order for plants, but itÂs a link I keep around. (You should see my favorites!)

And, High, IÂm sure youÂll like your phlox when they bloomÂtheyÂre really prettyÂbut they are inclined to get mildew, so keep an eye out for it so you can treat them early if they do get it. But donÂt moan because they might get mildew! You got rid of the right one! Beebalm is one of the mildewiest things IÂve ever seen! IÂve never grown it myself because of the mildew problem, but when I was selling it, I donÂt remember ever seeing one that didnÂt have mildew. Usually by the time they were blooming, all the leaves would have fallen off because of the mildew. I never stopped being amazed at what people would buy, tho. With beebalm, there would often be one single flower on top of an 18" bare stem, and theyÂd be going gaga about it! I once stopped someone from buying a blooming hen & chicks! They had picked it because it was blooming, but there was only one "hen" in the pot (and no chicks), and the hens die after they bloom, so in a couple weeks they would have had a dead plantÂbut that was the one they wanted because it was blooming! Go figure!

Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Watchdog

I'd rather check out what Harlequin's Garden in north Boulder has than mail order roses this time of year. Mikl has alot of the same roses that High Country has. HCR used to be Dr. Campbell's here in Denver.
I'm supposed to be receiving a replacement rose of sharon in the mail and I'm worried about whether it'll get here without baking.
I drove past the Flower Bin a few hours ago, thought about going in, but figured I'd drather get to the FREE Elders concert early.
Didn't you get some Freisinger Morgenrote? Similar colours to Morden Sunrise.

Hey J, now that the bee balm is gone, there ISN'T any red left in that bed (except a peony, but that is a spring bloomer). So now I'm left with a bed of varying shades of yellow and orange. There is nothing wrong with those colors, but I just wanted touches of red for contrast.

Some of Skybirds crocosmia 'Lucifer' would fit the bill, hint, hint. Or maybe I will stick in a couple of red daylillies for next year.

Oh, by the way Skybird, I think those bee balm plants had mildew on them in addition to being a grasshopper magnet. I went out this morning to see how my new plants were doing, and guess what ... NO GRASSHOPPERS!!! Well, there was a tiny one on a yarrow plant, but I think removing the bee balm was definitely the right thing to do. Yeah, I have read that phlox is prone to mildew too, but it can't look any worse than the bee balm did. Have you tried that milk solution yet?

So you want one of my ÂLuciferÂsÂ, huh, High? How about planning a day trip down to the big city on September 8th? >>hint - hintItÂs too hot to even think about sending one out your way right now, but if youÂre still interested when the weather cools, you can send me more stamps and IÂll get one out to you! But itÂll be little! The swap ones are too!

There really arenÂt very many red hardy perennials, but hereÂs a couple more you might consider.

Lychnis chalcedonica http://www.robsplants.com/plants/LychnChalc.php

Geum ÂMrs. BradshawÂ
http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?invocationType=imageDetails&query=geum+chiloense&img=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naturehills.com%2Fproduct_images%2Fthumbnails%2Fmrs_bradshaw_geum.jpg&site=&host=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garden-helper.com%2FShop%2Fperennials.asp&width=96&height=96&thumbUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages-partners-tbn.google.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AGPSHjdz2Y6YjKM%3Awww.naturehills.com%2Fproduct_images%2Fthumbnails%2Fmrs_bradshaw_geum.jpg&b=image%3FinvocationType%3Dtopsearchbox.image%26query%3Dgeum%2Bchiloense

http://www.peoriagardens.com/images/perennials/GeumMrsBradshaw.jpg

I wouldnÂt have even thot of the Geum, except I started some Lychnis from (store bought) seed this spring, and the leaves sure do look like Geum leaves to me! I hope itÂs at least the red Geum, rather than the yellow, but IÂll just have to wait till next year when it blooms to see what IÂve actually got!

IÂm waiting for the ÂLucifer to open a little bit more, and then IÂll take another picture and post it. It is absolutely one of the most striking perennials IÂve ever seen. This is the first year itÂs really looked goodÂlike so many of my other things. Last year it was so infested with mites that it never bloomed at allÂso itÂs been a LONG wait. This year itÂs been fed a steady diet of systemic insecticide. I was NOT gonna go another year with no flowers!

I havenÂt tried the milk yet! So far the baking soda with DW soap if working pretty well. IÂll post on the other thread when I do try the milk. IÂm really curious myself.

How are you doing out there in dirt  ÂSilt? None of the fires are too close to you, are they?

Hope all is well,
Skybird

It's funny you mentioned the geum, Skybird, as I had that one on my list when I went to the garden center looking for a replacement for the bee balms. I bought a couple of geum 'Mango Lasi' earlier this year from Big Dipper, which has soft orange blooms that resemble roses. I liked them so much I ordered a couple geum 'Fireball' when Parks Wholesale did their annual sale. I doubt I will see blooms on those till next year, but I really like these plants.

J, I would not hesitate to order what you want online. They won't be as large and full as what you find locally, but the selection is way better than what is available around here. Out of everything I have ever ordered online (which is a lot), I have only lost three plants ... two of them were freebies anyway, and the third was replaced by the company that sold it to me without any problems. If you don't HAVE to have a full sized plant right away, it can provide you with a way to get the selections you REALLY want. I say go for it!

Oh, and Skybird, I sent you an email about the fall swap.

I chickened out and haven't bought the online rose(s) yet. I am going to try to Harlequin place and today we are going to the botanical gardens while visiting friends in Denver, so I might look there, in the city, too.

I think I want everything...everything I see!!!!! But I also don't want to go nuts and buy a bunch of stuff that isn't appropriate up here.

Oh, I love yellows and oranges! In fact, aside from the fact that I have only two roses and they are both pink, I prefer the yellow/orange colours to pinks anyday!! Nobody seemed to have them when I was shopping, though. I want that sunrise and fireglow...ooooooh!

Freisinger Morgenrote, huh? I'm going to look for it today. You never know what I'll find in Denver....

I am going to try for that red poppy! I think she will do it, she is sweet as can be.

Thanks!

But, why mail order when what you want is available locally?

Harlequin Gardens has Morden Sunrise on their 2007 list, which is a pretty impressive list. They also have some really hardy yellows if you want yellow instead of a blend. I don't think you can get hardier than Fruhlingsgold or Harison's Yellow. If you order from High Country, don't get Mr. Nash - it's a gorgeous yellow blend but it won't be cane hardy for you. Lordy, they're still using my old picture for it from 1995.

I've personally known both the owners of High Country Roses and Harlequin's for many many years and can recommend both. Both nurseries have a huge selection with alot of similarities, for obvious reasons.

Here is a link that might be useful: List with Morden Sunrise

J, if you happen to see this before you head down to DEN, you might want to check out Paulino's for roses. They usually have a pretty good selection. Problem is that they have a BIG rose sale on Mother's Day, and that narrows the selection down quite a bit---but still not a bad place to try.

They're just off I25 at Exit 215 which is 58th Avenue. Then a couple blocks west to Broadway, and a couple blocks south to 62nd. If you're heading south on I25, you'll see their big sign just to the right of I25, just before you get to the 58th Avenue exit. The sign in on their property.

Have fun at DBG,
Skybird

Oops, typing at the same time. Freisinger Morgenrote isn't commonly available. It's that yellow, pink, orangey blend fragrant modern looking rose on the east side. I thought you might have gotten cuttings. Somebody got cuttings, but I forget who now.

Oh, man...I had so much fun at the gardens but it was super hot!! We walked the whole place, slowly, because our friend volunteers there so every where we went had some story to it. Then we were suddenly very thirsty, that kind of thirst where it has to be NOW. We had yummy fresh squeezed lemonade but it was almost four dollars a cup!
They had Morden Sunrise there!! I was all sneezy because I sniffed each and every rose there, furiously.
I am typing with my dog Pablo and he is all over my hands, arms and laptop!
We spent so long there that we only got back at about 10:30, so we never got around to the garden shops. Oh, but you can bet I am going to Harlequins tomorrow or Monday...depending on when they are open!!
off to sleep...
Thanks all!

I did it!! We finally made it out to Harlequin's Gardens today and I bought their last Morden Sunrise. Yipp, Yipp, Yippeeeeee...

Fact: Very nice people, helpful, nice and many choices, good pricing...great shop!

Thanks for the tip :)