My very first rose was dummy-proof--a red floribunda called Eutin. Very showy large clusters of bloom. All these years later (and in a different state), I still have 3 Eutins in my garden. It is also hardy in your zone. I recommend it strongly. As for moving the old roses (assuming they haven't reverted to their rootstock), that's kinda a big deal. First you have to dig and amend a big hole--let's say, 2x2. Then you have to dig in a circle around the old rose--and dig a second time getting as deep as possible--and then pry the rose out of the hole. You are trying to save as much of the roots as possible, but you will invariably lose some of the roots. Then you have to haul the rose and as much of the rootball as you can (sometimes most of the rootball falls apart--nothing you can do about that) over to the new hole. Insert rose so that the graft is several inches below the soil line, mix in amended soil, water DEEPLY, pile on more soil. Water frequently for the next few weeks while the poor rose tries to recover from shock. Trimming the canes back by half may help it concentrate on growing a new root system. I'd want to make sure those roses were worth saving before I went to all that work. Otherwise, I'd just go buy new roses and plant them. It all depends. What you might do is give the old roses fertlizer and good watering this year and see if they produce better results than in the past. Then if you really like them, move them to a better location next spring. Good luck. Kate

Happy Holidays, Michael! 1. How long do they usually take till they usually have their first blooms? Six weeks to never. Some can flower within a month and a little more. Some never flower. Not all are able to flower. 2. I'm not so much concerned about color as that can be a left as a nice surprise but I would like highly fragrant roses, so should I only be growing rose seeds from fragrant varieties or is that also left to chance? Pretty much left to chance. Two highly scented roses can easily produce one without scent, and vice versa. There are many things which affect scent. An old article of mine on Help Me Find - Roses helps to shed some light on scent. There are likely more recent discoveries, but the basics are still there. 3. Could I winter sow seeds? It's my first year trying that with other seeds so I figure why not rose seeds? lol Winter is when you should sow rose seeds. Their germination slows to a virtual halt once temps rise much past about 70F. Some will continue germinating, but MOST will stop. If you live where winter is really severe, you may have to plant them indoors in a basement or greenhouse. I live in "The Land of Endless Summer" (Southern California) so my planting time is right now. Most of what will germinate this year must come up before the summer temps hit. A few continued germinating in the high heat this summer, but they are the exceptions rather than the rules. Good luck! Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrance: Much Ado About Nothing?

sdpa - Sara - The answers that you receive from different members may vary based upon theior personal experience... Copy and paste the url/addresses that are not automatically hyperlinked into your browser to see the pages... Here is what I have to share in answer to your questions... "1. If I put chicken wire / mesh around my downspout can I train the MG to grow up the downspout? The MG's will climb it but if it is the slippery aluminum the chicken wire will definitely help "2. Can the seeds be winter sown? Or, am I better off starting them indoors in the spring?" Most people sow in the Springtime after the ground has warmed up a bit but starting them indoors early will usually give you larger plants than if you wait until the weather is warm enough to direct sow outdoors... If you wanted to spring for a heated mini-greenhouse and overhead light setup that would be ideal Small electric greenhouse http://www.burpee.com/product/seed+starting/small+electric+greenhouse+-+1+greenhouse.do Park table top flourescent overhead light 24" with stand http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=6879&PrevMainPage=textsearchresults&scChannel=Text%20Search&SearchText=light&OfferCode=TH1 Park 48-inch Folding 48" flourescent Light Set http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=6809&PrevMainPage=textsearchresults&scChannel=Text%20Search&SearchText=light&OfferCode=TH1 "3. Where is a good place to get MG seeds? I love the color of Scarlet O'Hara and also Mt. Fuji Mix." The Real OLd Fashioned Scarlett O'Hara with solid throat and/or tube is very(!) difficult to find and despite what any merchants advertisements claim...you will most likely get a bloom that looks most like Wine & Roses with a white throat... Wine & Roses http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/126682/ The Mt.Fuji is one of the youjiro types which are an an interspecific hybrid of Ipomoea nil and Ipomoea purpurea... I'd recommend the Maisugata http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/106236/ Chiaki http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/137871/ Yaguruma http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57867/ and Sayaka http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/114631/ youjiro because although the flowers tend to be a bit smaller than the Mt.Fuji series these youjiro have more I.purpurea in them and tend to grow longer,faster and produce more blooms... Ebay has alot of merchants offering various Morning Glories although the accuracy of the descriptions will vary with the knowledge and dependability of the merchants... I can recommend the following merchants as both knowledgeable and reliable.. jmglvr http://myworld.ebay.com.sg/jmglvr/ gwgerris2 http://cgi.ebay.com/Xiongs-Fabulous-CHINESE-MORNING-GLORY-seeds_W0QQitemZ170152100048QQihZ007QQcategoryZ75624QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem "4. I like the idea of growing them in a pot (like Filix does). What size pot/bucket do I need?" I've grown full sized MG's in containers as small as 4"x 4" but larger containers of about 1/2 to 1 gallon will produce better results...IMHO... "5. What else shoud I know that I have not asked?" Join the MG forum at Daves and find out as there is always more to learn about this Family of plants... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/floramanana/all/ "6. Can I put a potted MG at the base of my hedge and have the MG grow throughtout the shrub? We have a lilac hedge between our house and our neighbor - it's pretty when the lilas bloom and then a nice green throughout the summer in to fall - wouldn't a MG look great on it!!!!??!!" If there is enough getting through the lilac to provide for the MG's...you can try some MG's in containers at the base of the plant and in hanging conytainers at various location on the lilac...make sure you have a water resevoir on the bottom of the containers as they may dry out quicly and need to be watered frequently... Some links where I shared on the nutrient aspect of Morning Glories... http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg080802299604.html http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg0522311832703.html http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg0820082610882.html http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg071108225028.html http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg04092751814.html http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg0523321916949.html http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg0317360012541.html?9 Hope that helps... TTY,... Ron Here is a link that might be useful: Morning Glories and fertilizer...myths and reality...

Thanks guys, I will indeed check out the links you offered. One of the farm service companies here is advertising a Bausch & Lomb 20x for something like 18.00 and from some of the few prices I have seen so far this might be a nice deal. Cathy, I just had a mental vision of myself with those over-the-head lenses on...maybe that's a cheaper cure for my astigmatism?? At least then I could pluck my own eyebrows a bit more efficiently!