Ron, this is just Staggering Information, to me! I had thought that (other than the Autumn Damask), that class would not work here. And what about the gallicas? OK, I am off in search of these beauties! If I have learned anything in the past couple of years, it is that I am very impatient for my roses to mature, and the best way to satisfy my dream of a big beautiful garden is to spend every spare dime on whatever rose strikes my fancy as soon as possible!!! I am NOT a clothes-horse, or a purse or shoe or cosmetic addict like so many of the women I work with.... for me, it's definitely all about the roses and the garden, so...... I can't wait til my Vintage order comes in! And I have to see if ARE carries any of these roses! Autumn Showers, Melva, where do you ladies get your mosses, damasks, and gallicas in Texas???

Gardenlady, there's no such thing as a Texas native lemon. They are native to Asia and the Middle East. Meyer Lemons are everywhere right now, and I suggest you call around and ask for a dwarf Meyer lemon, they will stay smaller than the regular grafted ones and are better for containers. Buchanan's had some but I don't know if they still do. You don't have to worry about the hot sun here, everyone grows them in the ground, including me, and have never had any problems, not with heat, drought, or those two Januaries when we had the abnormal freezes. Same with just about any citrus except limes, they are more sensitive to freezes than other citrus. Mine is about 10 years old, and I usually get around 250-300 lemons and give almost all of them away. A dwarf would not produce that many, but who needs that many?

To be sure, you should check with your local cooperative extension office or a good garden center in your area. First and last frost dates can vary over just a few miles. And remember that these are just average dates and can be misleading, especially in the spring!

Summers - you should have no trouble overwintering Variegata di Bologna in zone 6. Mine is cane hardy in zone 5, which is one of the plusses, along with the cupped shape of the blooms. The downside is how very quickly the blooms fade - get your camera out quickly or you'll miss the blooms. Being a rapid fader is a real bummer for a once-bloomer, although one year I got a couple of repeat blooms in the fall by viciously pruning it back to about a foot tall after bloom. Have fun with it, but put it at the back of the bed so you can ignore it when it's done blooming. Cynthia