A Friend, those are the days! You two are going to have the most wonderous, wonderful year in the garden together! Everything will just be so new and exciting to your son! My friends got their kids hooked on gardening at about that age. They are both 5-6 years old now and just love it!

Christine - So sorry for your rollercoaster ride. I planted Forsyth Frostbound in the ground late last fall, after growing it in a pot for several years (I've forgotten how many). When I first got FF, it seemed to bloom for a long time, so it must have had quite a few buds back then. I started with a double fan and have only three fans now after at least five years. A lot of daylilies don't multiply well in pots, and FF was one of them. Daylilies grown in pots tend to become root bound and lack nutrients - especially when someone like me doesn't fertilize them. FF was a weakened plant when I put her in the ground late in the fall, and then we had one of the longest, coldest, wettest winter I've ever known here. So her scapes were really short and had only 7-8 buds. I won't really see a true performance of this plant until next spring. Some of my plants are not grown under the best conditions. I tend to mistreat newcomers by setting seeds of them and keeping them in pots far too long. I have no idea what conditions FF is grown in Mantis's garden. If you really love the flower, contact a commercial grower and ask about the performance. Marietta Gardens, where I bought the plant, claims it is an excellent daylily. Excellent how, I don't know. I do know that she is very pollen and pod fertile, and I've sold a lot of seeds over the years with her as a parent. So, in that respect, FF is excellent. Debra

Hello from cold and frozen upstate New York (not the city). I think you need a hybrid gigantea. Can you order from India? The world renowned breeders, Mr. and Mrs. Viraraghaven are working with R. gigantea and other tropical species to develop roses for hot climates. Gigantea hybrids are some of the most beautiful roses in the world, to judge by their pictures. Can you order from Australia? There is a very active and devoted group of Australian rosarians who post on helpmefind/roses. The Australian breeder Alistair Clark introduced some gigantea climbers. 'Nancy Heyward' is said to be especially nice. Can you travel to Australia and bring back roses?

dDance me to the end is more like a pizza and shopping in a box store, the dance comes in when DH has to almost lift me out of a chair and help me stand. And the music goes on after some 57 years of marriage. I hope the dance lasts.