My Most cherished plant? Thats a tough one! I love them all. I guess the one I would pull out of a fire first would be my Jubacia Chilensis (Honey palm). I sprouted it from a seed collected in 1999 from a botanical garden in Antibes France. It has flourished sans problem for over ten years now in my sun room. I have many other cherished plants though. I have two Jades Planted the year my son was born (1973) ,and a yellow crown of thorns given to me by a friend in 1979 (it has not been repotted since I got it. Too many thorns). I have many plants 20 years or older that I grew from seed or cutting that I would have a hard time parting with. They are like my children. Any one else out there have any really old potted plants?

On second thought I would recommend a different venue. If you want black spot resistant roses try either some of the Bucks noted for bs resistance or check out Palatine roses' website for the new disease resistant Kordes roses. If you are new to roses, I would recommend Palatine because they deliver huge bare roots that will do well in their first year. Then check out Chamblee's for Buck's - those will be one gallon potted plants and will need time to mature but how soon they mature also depends on the variety. I rooted a Folksinger cutting last winter and by the end of the growing season it was 4' tall. On the other hand, I got Quietness as a rooted seedling beforehand and it is still about 2'. I know that the mature height of Quietness is about 5'. Earth Song is said to be blackspot free, great bloomer and fragrant but I have no idea how fast it will mature - I just got it from Chamblee's. But again, to those who just start with roses I recommend to get great quality grafted plants to have satisfaction of growing roses relatively fast. You could also check out Pickering nurseries, they also list a large number of disease resistant roses. http://www.pickeringnurseries.com/ I would suggest a rose you didn't mention and that is Compassion - healthy, fragrant, good repeat and gorgeous. It is a climber but I grow it as a large shrub. Here is a link that might be useful: Palatine roses

X: Everytime you post something, I learn something new..Thank you and thank you all for this thread.. I did notice that when I supply no heat to a plant room and group many plants together, it is the highest humid room in my home all winter..It can read 50 on my hygrometer on any givin very dry cold day outside, while the rest of the home reads 30, and when I mist all my plants to get the dust off, the hygrometer can read as much as 80 for the entire day..Once the heat goes on, even misting can't raise the humidity in that room, in fact it drops..I think it makes a wet mini micro climate for the plants surrounded by that water or being sprayed until the leaves have dried off.. Maybe putting a 4inch potted violet on top of pebbles in a 12 ich saucer sitting on stones with water surrounding it might provide some local humidity for that individual plant.No? Mike

Hi Bart, So, you're saying that if your roses aren't that big, you seriously doubt anyone else's are. We are talking about roses here, aren't we? (lol) Okay, I live in Central Oklahoma. Normally this area has always been zone 6b, but over the past ten years it changed to zone 7, and last year dramatically changed to 7b or 8a. Climate Change is happening here. In addition to our zone changes, we have been in a severe drought for several years. No rain at all from late spring until early fall and then not even measurable amounts. There has also been little or no winter precipitation in the form of snows or rainfall, etc. We are very dry and that spells yet another very terrible summer for us with high temps again this year. Not looking forward to that. In summer, the temperatures have been record breaking above normal highs, both day time temps and night temps - triple digits temps ranging from 105-127 all summer long. Southerly breezes blow and it feels like stepping out in a furnace! Takes your breath and withers everything on the vine. I have to irrigate all day long all summer long just to keep things alive. I mulch deeply with chipped wood, leaves, grass clippings to help keep the soil around their roots cooler and help retain moisture. But despite all my watering and hard work, there have been many losses in my gardens. However, this sweet little rose has not shown to have suffered like some of the fancier teas and hybrids. She kept on growing. The biggest flush of blooms for my Old Blush Climber is in the springtime, when the air is cool and moist and we get the most rainfall. After that, the blooms produced are smaller and fewer. Then there is one last flush of blooming in the fall when temps are again cooler and there is a bit more moisture in the air. This flush, however, is not as bountiful as the first one in spring by any comparison. I understand though, that she blooms longer and more frequently in milder, moister climates. As for growth, I trained it up onto a Roman-style iron arch last spring, which stands approx. 12 feet at the center top and this rose has grown up and beyond that and is now trailing over the opposite side. It amazingly has continued to grow all through the fall and winter, increasing by one third the length of her canes. So, yes it does grow to 20+ feet, at least mine has. I will post new pics this spring when it is once again in full bloom. Wish I could post her "old-rose" fragrance for you all to enjoy. *She was not reported to have any scent whatsoever, so I am overly delighted by this wonderful rose and HIGHLY recommend it for any Cottage Garden. For me, I am willing to take what I can get and have my magnificent spring gardens with abundant flowers and sweet fragrances in order that I may have the cottage garden of my dreams, even just for a brief season in this formidable region of the country, than to not have one at all and miss out. It's all a matter of what you are willing and able to deal with to have what you want. Hope this answered any questions you may have had concerning growing Climbing Old Blush Roses. Chow! ~ Annie