I found one last spring at a discount store....there was only one nestled among hundreds of Peace, Mirandy and Fragrant Cloud. I buy all my roses from mail-order companies and try to resist the urge to look at the cheapo bodybag roses when I go shopping, but this rose spoke to me. It wasn't in the best shape, with only 2 heavily-waxed & puny canes but I considered myself lucky to have it. I can only go on last summer but it did well, considering its humble beginnings. It got about 3 1/2 feet tall and had about a dozen blooms. I don't detect much fragrance but the blooms are very large. Mine was mostly healthy all summer, and like Terry said, the Japanese Beetles weren't interested in it much. I hope it makes it through the winter, esp. considering the WAY-below zero temps. out there right now. Here's what mine looked like.... Celeste

Love that last photo! I think I finally got this one this time. The past ones either died or were the wrong rose. Guess I'll find out this spring anyway...

I'm trying MOONLIGHT MAGIC one more time. This yr it went right into the ground. We'll see what it does. Nothing so far... WORLD PEACE is a pretty good one. Has beautiful coloring. Not a real great repeater for me, but it's in a somewhat shady area (under a pine tree), so that could be a factor, altho it's relative LOVE & PEACE does very well right next to it. IMPATIENT is one I got a couple yrs ago as a baggie bareroot. It's done very well in a 5gal pot. Hopefully it'll get in the ground this summer. This bloom was over a week ago. I seem to remember it smelled pretty good.... As for QUEEN ELIZABETH.... I realize that rose has been a standard in many gardens for decades... but personally, I find it very boring!

Jo, I adore Annie’s! I wish I could shop there in person, instead of mail order, but maybe it’s a good thing I can’t. I have loads to plant, more than the energy to do so. I don’t know what I was thinking. It sounds so easy to plop them in, but I always run into some delay. There are roots, someone is coming to install the drip system, I don’t have enough compost, or I’m struck with fatigue for a week a week or two straight. All I can do then, is water them and wait for it to pass. There’s too much lag time. I order when I’m feeling well, and by the time they arrive, I might not be. I’ll never learn, but I do like having my own little nursery to shop from, when I’m up to planting things. It’s needing to use gopher cages that adds so much work to everything. The white flowers with the sweet peas are the wild Petunia axillaris. I bought one from Annie’s years ago, and it has seeded around. It smells wonderful at night. The ones in full sun will soon suffer, so I usually pull them out when the sweet peas are spent. The ones that have sown themselves in shade look nice all summer. It’s perennial here, but since it self sows, I pull some and leave some. It doesn’t mound like a regular Petunia. Petunia axillaris will climb and weave 3-4 feet. It’s not a major pain reseeder, just a few here and there. I’ve only had it for 3-4 years, though. I’m beginning to learn that what I think is a “polite” reseeding plant the first year or two, can become much more aggressive when there are more of them flinging their seeds about. I thinking about that Cerinthe, right now. I’m not always good about removing the extras. Mr. Moses, thank you! Cafe Olé is doing well, and I have a pair of buds on one of the Little Gray Pearls, as well. I know I should pinch them of, but I’d like to see them first. I haven’t ordered the ornamental oregano, because a local nursery has promised they would have it in soon. It might have been better to order it though, I am such a homebody that I seldom leave. It’s far more economical to buy it locally. The containers look rather naked without any companion plants. I did toss a few seeds from a geranium, ‘Bill Wallis’ in with Cafe Olé, and I see a plant coming up. I’m excited to hear that you’re about to start warming up! It is funny that the minis are so hardy! I wasn’t aware of that. Of course, I never even look at winter hardiness when selecting plants, only heat tolerance. It’s a whole different ballgame, isn’t it? I still wish there was someone who would come take some pictures of your roses and post them for you. You’ve always been such a wonderful help, not just to me, but to many. I’ll bet your roses are lovely. You are wonderful with words, though and we can almost see them from your descriptions. Lisa