I also had Summer Song on order from Hortico so I wonder what the final story will be on that one. If you want to import roses from Europe, you will probably need an import permit and a quarantine area. The deal is that Canada can import from at least some European suppliers without the import restrictions. That is probably why it is easier to get some European roses more easily from Canada. Whatever the truth is, I am sure that I will have to wait to see what happens with my order. I have Benjamin Britten. It makes a big octopus shrub. It does bloom reasonably well. The flowers for me are small, only about 3 inches in diameter at their largest. The color when it first opens is almost a vermillion red color, but it fades to a deep almost watermelon pink. It does have some fragrance, but it is quite disease-prone in my yard, along with all the others. If you want this one, give it room. It can get anywhere from 6 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. I will say that for the most part, it does not have much problem being hardy. It also seems to bloom better if you prune it hard in the spring. I whack mine off to between 2 and 3 feet in the spring just to keep it in line.

Hi everyone! My name is Lyuba and I moved to Tulsa, Ok from Ukraine in November 2007. I used to work as a translator until I met and married my husband. I had my condo filled with every color of African violets, but I couldn't bring any of them over. My mom and dad, grandma and grandpa gardened. It is in my blood to continue the tradition. I planted my first 3 bare root Lowes climbing roses this April. By now I've joined the Tulsa Rose Society, have 5 climbers, 5 English roses, and the rest are HTs and floribundas, so far 21 total, but it is not final. I have big plans and wish lists and my husband warns me about addiction every time I bring home a new rose bush : ) I've never been on any forums in my life, so I learn as I go. Sometimes make my share of mistakes like posting my pictures in another person's blog, not knowing and with best intentions. I did this on the Rose Gallery Forum while trying to learn how to post follow-ups. I want to thank every one of the Rose Masters for their gorgeous pictures, they are of such inspiration to all of us. I find myself checking the Rose Gallery for new pictures every morning. Thank you so much! I will post a few of mine. This particular rose is very special to me. My grandmother in Ukraine used to have a similar rose in front of the kitchen window, we collected the petals to make jam. When I saw the Spirit of Freedom in the local nursery I had tears in my eyes, it reminded me of grandma and childhood, and everything good and sweet. Pat Austin was purchased to commemorate my orange cat named Carson, he is a street kitty from Donetsk, Ukraine, that grew into the Feline King. We joke that Carson could teach Garfield a few tricks : ) His life here is great, except for one mocking bird that my dear husband named Deathwish. The bird follows him to every window, screeches offences and flaps its wings. Carson has to sleep with the blinds down : ) Life is never boring around here. I'm looking forward to learning more about growing roses and thanks again for sharing your great pictures. Lyuba

Gardentis = Michelle (Lunenburg Nova Scotia) Moved to zone 5b from 3 and loving it. Just ordered 40+ more hostas for the spring planting. I'm out of control hosta crazy and loving it. Husband doesn't understand it and definitely NOT loving it. Oh well... Here is a link that might be useful: Exchange List

Confection! Pretty name.