Kittymoonbeam & seil-- thank you x 20 Burlington has her and she'll be shipping on Monday. And seil, you're right-- the Burlington woman was a genuine delight. Will be sure to post a photo if/when she blooms before I pass her along to my mother in law.

Thanks Kimmsr, but nope - that's not it. The ones I have are metallic/shiny, like Japanese beetles, and they are also about the same length as they are wide - these are more "sandy" colored and long. I'll have to dig out my camera and see if I can get a good pic of this thing. (Who knew there were so many kinds of beetles?)

Yup, what Seil said, since watering will be your main issue. Here in NJ, I lose anything I don't plant into the ground before winter, so I'd choose to plant it. If your bed is going to be too dry, then potting it may be a better choice. I planted a Disneyland this spring too, can't wait til it flowers!

You are very smart to know that this plant is not a house plant! No rose will perform its best inside. I can't really tell from the photo how big the plant is or how big the pot it's in is either. If it's a small 4 or 6 inch pot I would get it up into at least a 1 gallon and maybe even a 3 gallon size pot. Make sure the pot has good drainage holes and DO NOT put a tray under it. You want water to drain freely from the pot and a tray will just hold water in the roots and they'll rot. Just a good quality potting soil will be fine. You don't need to add the perlite. Fertilize it at about half strength as hoovb said. The class is determined by the size of the blooms and the leaves not the plant size. Some minis can be climbers and get 12 feet tall. Others never get more than a foot tall. It just depends on the variety. As a rule of thumb here are the sizes and classes. Micro-miniature - bloom is less than one inch across and leaves may be only about a 1/4 inch long. These are very tiny and general the plants stay tiny too. Miniature - blooms are between one & two inches across and leave approximately and 1/2 inch. Plant can get 2 to 3 feet tall but there are climbers that will get very tall. Miniflora - blooms are 2 inches with leaves about an inch to an inch and a half. Plants can be 33 to 4 feet tall. Floribunda - blooms are 2 to 3 inches and leaves are about 2 inches. Plants are generally around 4 feet and can also be 4 feet wide. Floribundas usually bloom in clusters of 3 to 5 blooms called sprays. Grandiflora - blooms are 4 to 5 inches in size and leaves can go to 3 inches and up. Roses have a more hybrid tea form but are slightly smaller and can bloom in clusters of 3 to 5 blooms. Plants can go to 6 feet on average. Hybrid Teas - Blooms can be from 4 to 6 inches or larger. Leaves are at least 3 inches long. Plants can get to 6 feet or more depending on variety and climate. As a rule they bloom only one flower per stem BUT some varieties will have sprays as well. This is all very general and as I've said much of it depends on the variety and the climate you're growing it in. And there are MANY other classes as well. These are just the most common modern classes that are available. If I've made any mistakes here anyone, please feel free to make corrections!