I'm excited to see your success, Jenn! As I've previously written, it's probably going to take tweaking to work similarly in other climates and your imagination and creativity provide new thought and ideas I may not have thought of. The idea wasn't "mine" to begin with, but was shared by a gentleman in Australia on the Rose Hybridizers Association, further tweaked by Paul Barden and shared on his blog. Since nothing I'd previously been successful doing had worked in my new climate, I figured I had nothing to lose. I know you understand my excitement when it WORKED! It's been as exciting hearing from folks who have tried it and had it work for them, too. A further tweak, and one which could easily work well for anyone wishing to trade cuttings...I've begun treating cuttings I've sent, when the recipient has wished it, as if I was wrapping them to remain here, before sending them. I'll remove the foliage and soak them a few hours in water, then treat them with the Dip'n Grow and wrap them in the damp newspaper and mail them. I've let them know what date I treated them so once received, they can be held until the two week period is complete and then unwrapped. It's worked rather well in many instances so far. Something else to explore and experiment with if you're trading cuttings. This should have been a thought many years ago when a friend sent me cuttings of an Ipomea from New Orleans. Five days in the mail, wrapped in damp paper, those things had five inch roots and grew like a house-a-fire when planted. If those could form roots in those conditions, why couldn't other types of plants? If they're going to spend three to five days in the mail, held in the same conditions (temperature, of course, isn't as easily controlled, but the dark and damp sure are), why not include that in the wrapped time to keep them fresher? It's very similar to the way bud wood is stored from one season to the next for production. I'd wondered why there hadn't been complaints about them rooting instead of holding until budded, then it dawned on me. We are finding temperatures in the sixties range optimum for root formation. Commercial sources hold the bud wood at closer to freezing, so it stores like produce in a refrigerator, much like what has been reported from people who have tried holding the wraps in the vegetable crisper. Too cold, and it behaves like produce. Too warm, and they're stimulated into bud development and leaf growth at the expense of callus and root formation. The range between 60 and approximately 69 degrees has been shown optimum to encourage callus and roots to form while keeping the cuttings fresh without pushing leaf development for the two week period. Significantly shorter periods are premature because the callus is often not formed or reduced compared to the results after two weeks. Until the Christmas Eve batch, I'd experienced weakening of the cuttings by holding them longer. I thought that batch apparently wasn't as 'dormant' as previous batches were due to the weather we'd had prior to their being prepared and wrapped. I wasn't satisfied with their development after two weeks, so I held them an additional week to see what would happen. That extra week really made a difference, where it had been disadvantageous before. That batch callused and began forming roots to an amazing degree in those additional seven days. Evidently, temperatures were more conducive in the second two of the three, because they had caught up with the New Year's Eve batch. Or, the weather the second batch endured the week between Christmas Eve and New Years better prepared the wood for the treatment. The only two variables which changed between the two batches were what the second batch was exposed to out in the garden, and the temperature in the drawer the third week the first batch experienced. Since both batches were pretty equally developed, I have to conclude it was the temperature inside the drawer the final week both experienced sitting there as nothing else varied between them. I don't know if I would have removed all the bark from the woodier cuttings, Jenn. I'm sorry I didn't think that was what you meant before you did it. I would have only exposed more cambium below where the plant would be eventually planted, but who knows? This is another "tweak" which may prove beneficial. These have most of the circulatory system exposed to the conditions which foster differentiation, callus and root formation. Theoretically, they COULD form roots anywhere along their length. You might find you need to plant the whole cane under the soil and allow new growth to emerge as you would from a bulb or tuber. As long as the growth buds weren't destroyed or too badly damaged, anything is possible! Kim

Yes, I lost them (except for 2) when I moved back in 2004. My all-time favorite in the pic, Optimara Modesty, was a strong grower and bloomer. The large, light blue flowers are Optimara Manitoba. Irish Flirt is in the background with a couple of mini trailers, one's Boolaroo and the other's Toorooka.

Constance Spry's Garden Journal, written in the '30's. She was sort of the Martha Stewart of her day: She was a floral arranger who was considered radical because she used vegetables, fruits, & branches in her arrangements! She wrote this book upon the encouragement of her friends in a garden club in New York. She was instrumental in preserving old rose varieties during the Battle of Britain & David Austin later named his very first English Rose after her. Don't have the book handy, but one of the things she says is that, after a disaster with some of the "new" fertilizers, she will never ever under any circumstances allow chemicals in her gardens again! The Victory Garden. don't know the author. found the book at an antique store. It's full of good everyday information, such as: planting flowers in the vegetable garden to feed our hearts & souls tending a small space well rather than over-extending, thus wasting seed & garden space as well as time & energy, using proven varieties to assure production & quality. Cultivating Delight, by Diane Ackerman. Not an old book, but I do love it. It's the story of a year in her garden, reflective & contemplative rather than nuts & bolts. It's a delightful book; I'm on my 2nd trip through it.

Thank you for this thread. I recently donated my Country Living magazine Christmas editions, but I miss the articles on antique and vintage ornaments. Everyone's ornaments are beautiful--just looking at them brings back memories. I love the old ornaments, so this year I put up a small tree with only glass bead garland and figurals. We'll still have the traditional, kid-friendly tree downstairs.