Irisgal. I do not think it is a climber. It's planted too far from the wall and grows in a very classic hybrid tea sort of way. I do trim it down to about 6 feet every year. Perhaps not severe enough. I do not think that, whatever the variety is, it is listed as being able to grow that tall. Gold medal has too few petals, and gets too pink. The pink is the slightest hint at the very tips of the petals. The photo above shows the pink. This photo shows it a bit more obviously while it's in bud stage. Elina is a bit too open as well. And too pale. It's got really full flowers. And they don't bloom in clusters. They flower singularly on really long straight stems.

It’s warmed back up a bit here, too. I walked around this morning before work and actually still have some roses blooming after the freeze..yay! Maybe I will have a few to cut for a Thanksgiving arrangement. If not, at least I was able to take bouquets to the cemetery on Veteran's Day for DH's father & brother. Ingrid, your pictures are lovely as always. That Baronne Henriette de Snoy bloom is perfection! Your garden posts are always so inspiring to me. Although our climates are very different, the fact that you persevere through your climate challenges gives me strength to trudge on through ours. I actually think of you often when I'm cursing the skies over too much rain or not enough and wonder how I would handle the drought issues you deal with. Sultry, I only started growing dahlias a few years ago, but I'm enchanted with them. If only they had fragrance, I'd be ripping out some roses to make room for more. I don't dig up my tubers, and most have come back for me...a few haven't, though. I've ordered some online, but I've gotten most from a dahlia society out of Birmingham. They set up a booth at a spring festival each year at a nearby monastery. Those ladies have been so helpful in my choices, but it's funny to talk with them...dahlia experts are like rose addicts…I’m sure they roll their eyes at my newbie questions when I’m not looking…lol Anyway, those are aging blooms on Myrtle's Folly...a kinda crazy, fun dahlia in form and color. It's a late summer through frost bloomer for me; whereas, some others will bloom from late spring until frost. Other favorites purchased from the dahlia society are Almand Joy: Senior Ball (with volunteer pop ups of the clashing tropical milkweed for the Monarchs surrounding it): Chilson's Pride: Tartan was just from a Breck’s sale a few years ago...tall plant with HUGE blooms & requires strong staking, but a good bloomer, and I think the coloring is striking (and more tropical milkweed in back of it...lol): American Dawn (another from a Breck’s sale a few years ago) is one of my best bloomers and doesn't require staking, but coloring is not everyone's cup of tea (and yes, that's more of the tropical milkweed around it...but you really can't imagine the amount of Monarch cats that come for it): Lilyfinch, If I could get another milkweed to live in our soil, I sure would pick a different color…but glaring tropical milkweed is it for here. It reseeds like crazy, so I pull out a bunch each year, but leave a bunch, too. In addition to seeing the Monarch cats munch on it every year, I also get their cocoons hanging from all the outdoor furniture, door frames, etc…really cool! Clair Matin smells divine! Mine is just a few years old being grown as a shrub rather than a climber. It does blackspot some, but not horribly. I looked for a full bush shot, but don’t seem to have one. Here are a couple of pics from August. And one from May: Sheila, Your pictures are just magical!!! That first one should be made into a puzzle…I could see myself working your frozen garden picture puzzle on a cold winter’s day :)

I am finding more and more with various amount of bud drop. I hope this stops soon! One was a first year seedling, either that or a deer swooped in among all the other scapes and took off the buds. Course, could have been me. I was weeding and knocked off the top of another 1st year seedling bloom. I decided to let the weeds go, they can't do any more harm than me!

HONEY ON MY LIPS: Prolific mid late bloomer. Fertile both ways. BOUNDLESS BEAUTY: Performs very well for me. RAYGUN GOTHIC: Interesting name. Late bloomer from a hybridizer about 90 minutes away from me. EDGE OF HEAVEN: This photo was taken at 5 pm with a heat index of 100. PLANET MAX: I tried to take a picture showing the scape. It is so well branched. The best one of the year. That is all for me. Thanks for looking. David