Just checked the Heirloom site regarding pricing, and the prices on miniatures are what is posted above for the sizes stated but the prices of the other classes of roses are much higher. Here are some examples (all include free shipping): Baby Cheryl, miniature 4 x 4 x 6 banded pot $20 one gallon pot $27 Lemon Drop, miniature 4 x 4 x 6 banded pot $20 one gallon pot $27 Tuscany Superb, gallica 4 x 4 x 6 banded pot $26 one gallon pot $36 Boule de Neige, bourbon 4 x 4 x 6 banded pot $26 one gallon pot $36 Compare that to what is available elsewhere and Heirloom doesn't compare favorably any more (unless during a big sale). Antique Rose Emporium sells bigger roses, in 2 gallon pots for $18.95 plus shipping. My last order from ARE was in June of this year: Marchesa Boccella and Leontine Gervais 2 @ $18.95 = $37.90 shipping $18.27 total $56.17 These were a gift and were shipped from Texas to Ohio. I'm in California, and will have to check, but I think the last 2 roses I got from ARE cost about the same to ship to me in California. Two gallon size is significantly bigger than Heirloom's one gallon. I just bought a one gallon size Schoener's Nutkana locally (botanic garden nursery). It was $9 (plus tax). Greenmantle Nursery in California sells roses in 2 gallon size, but shipped bareroot. These roses are $18 plus shipping (and tax for me as I'm in state). This year I received: R. sancta, R. Soulieana, and Cerise Bouquet. 3 @ $18 = $54 shipping $13 sales tax $4.05 total = $71.05. Again, significantly bigger than Heirloom's $36 for one gallon size. Forestfarm also sells roses. Their "tube" size is the equivalent of band sizes elsewhere. They also sell roses in one gallon pots (and larger). It's been a couple years or so since I ordered roses from FF, but peruising their site I see tube size roses seem to be running about $9.95 and one gallon's from $15 to $19. It costs $12.50 to ship one tube (western states with zip codes over 80000), bringing the total to $22.45, which is already less than Heirloom's price. Each additional tube costs an additional $.50 to ship. For eastern zipcodes shipping one tube is $12.95 and $.95 more for each additional tube. For gallons and larger see the link below to compare with Heirloom. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Forestfarm shipping cost chart

Rolling Green is one of my very favorites! The grounds are lovely, the stock is well organized, the staff has been there for years and is pleasant. If I'm looking for something particular in a shrub/tree I go there or to O'Donal's in Gorham, Me.; I live roughly halfway between the two. I haven't been to Garden of Eve's in some years now. But perhaps I will stop in... they had pretty nearly everything I can buy for the helpmeet's employee discount at a closer place. I rarely go to Exeter unless I'm hunting for fabric... but Churchill's sounds like a good excuse to preview what's "hot" in fabrics for the fall season... (next time go to Wentworth's in Dover, NH; this place is really making a name for itself with water gardening! and stop at Salmon Falls Nursery in So. Berwick, ME.. I will be honest, though... SF isn't what it used to be. But the statuary is about the best in the area and the shrubs are always lovely... even if the selection has been reduced in the past few years.)

Steph, do your stick consist of manzanita and cholla cactus skeletons? Those things burn nicely with a lot of flavor I think. And Shades, I must really let my DH see the two pictures of the trash stove. I am amazed that they are not better known all across the country. I suppose the kitchen trash they burn, besides the sticks, would be something like cardboard, paper packaging? Nothing like plastics though? And would they also be able to burn egg shells and onion skins and potato peelings? I'm trying to figure how I can justify bringing one into my derelict garage project for winter heat only. And consider a composting toilet if needs be, but not a priority. You ladies are just full of interesting information and exciting options. A chiminea? I had one of those. It was a small one. I put it on my carport at MoccasinLanding. Then I put a half of one of those packaged LOGS, maybe a quarter of one. I had sand in the bottom as it said to do. By the time it was fully burning, flames were leaping out the stack about three feet, and I was worried about catching the carport on fire. I got the water hose and misted it inside the cavity and the flames whirled in a tornadic vortex and really roared at me. Then I began to worry. I got a suitably sized terra cotta flower pot which had one hole in the bottom, and I used it as a hat over the chimney of the chiminea. This restricted the heat and finally got it under control. After it was out, I looked in the bottom of the chiminea and the sand had turned to glass. Not GOOD glass, but it was brittle glass. I forget what my DH said caused this great increase in heat and violence...something about venturi effect? Where if you increase the height of the chimney, it can increase the violence of the fire. I know it was hot, and you do have to keep an eye on those things if you use those synthetic logs.

There are economical ways to amend your soil for roses. This year I found a horse ranch that gave me composted manure for nearly free. My roses loved it, so I plan to get more. I bought a fifty pound bag of alfalfa pellets at a feed store for a very good price. It took three years for me to use them all up. I can thank the gardenweb and my local rose society for that tip. When I first started growing roses, I bought a small box of alfalfa a nursery for nearly the same price as the fifty pound bag. I store the alfalfa pellets in 5 gallon orange Home Depot containers with tight fitting lids and the pellets stay fresh. This spring, I bought another 50 pound bag and split it with a friend. Starbucks Coffee Company is happy to give you used coffee grounds for free if you ask. I hope one of the starter products you bought from Heirloom Roses was Alaska Fish Fertilizer that you add to your watering can. A little goes a long way. Here's a link for more ideas: Magic Elixirs for Roses. I have mint that I constantly have to pull, so that it doesn't overtake my roses. After reading this thread, I wonder if I could mulch it up somehow. So what roses did you get, Michelle?