We looked at that rose yesterday and think the tree is probably "only" 50-60 feet high,and the rose is going up 40 feet or a bit more. There's still room at the top for the rose to climb, and we believe that it will reach the top, and cascade down once it has no more place to grow. Ann, I think you are right about the microclimate. The cemetery was originally a sand hill, created from the Sacramento river. Its high ground, in a city second only to New Orleans in risk of flooding, is why the cemetery was established there in 1850. Up at the top of the hill, where the banksiae is planted, is the sandiest soil of all. The curator has always suspected that the water table is pretty high. When we have removed roses, we are sometimes astonished at how big and deep the roses grow. I told some of the sheriff's crew to remove an Alberic Barbier, and went to lunch. When I checked on them, they were standing chest-high in the hole, still digging! It is a cemetery, for heaven's sake - we don't want to dig TOO deep! - so I had them stop, even though there were still substantial roots to be seen. Many of our roses grow bigger in the cemetery than elsewhere. We don't prune hard, we rarely feed, and we do usually provide regular, weekly water. But it must be something about the microclimate/microsoil. A funny thing about that banksiae - it's only been there a dozen years, and I'm told that a volunteer cut it off a few years after it was planted. All of that growth is from the last eight or nine years. Anita

Yes, yesterday was truly incredible. It blew my mind. I mean I knew I would be taken with all the roses and the very cool environment but the amazing beauty simply knocked my socks off. Everywhere you turned literally were beautiful old graves draped in breaktaking roses, iris, california poppy and many, many other types of thriving flora. I took a zillion photos and will share those as soon as I get them up into my Photobucket account. I thought the sale was handled very well. Although everyone was hot for the roses they wanted it was very polite and courteous gentle nudging and leaning in that was never mean or rude. People were focused but not nasty about getting the roses they wanted. I doubt anyone left without at least one rose. I am so totally out of room I bought a good sized International Herald Tribune that I may keep or give to a friend. I wanted Coulterville Red but they went fast. But there is always next year. My only regret was that I did not meet anyone from GW. I recognized Jeri and Clay but every time I tried to go speak to Jeri there were two people ahead of me waiting for her attention:) It was just an intense kind of day that way. I think we need a GW section for future sales:) I have one suggestion for the very impressive folks who pull this event together and keep the Cemetery shining. Can we talk about all the wonderful Iris growing around the grounds? Can those be included in the sale next year? The lady who was there thinning the iris yesterday kindly gave myself and a couple of other ladies each one as they were going to be composted evidently anyway. That nearly started a stamped. One person even accused me of yanking it out of the ground so I could have one! I think the Open Garden Sale could easily become a roses/iris event. Thank you for all the hard work in making the cemetery so outstanding in every way and the Open Garden Sale such fun. For anyone who wishes to go be sure and give yourselves LOTS of time. I only had the morning to be there yesterday and that was a mistake. You need the whole day. Kate

We were on the way home, so we missed the whole show. Our neighbors saw everything. The tornado funnel cut across Lakeview Golf Course, which is just across the bay from us. It shattered trees on the course and at a house directly across the bay from us. It then entered the bay, becoming a waterspout, and spewed lake water all over the houses. North Arm is only about 1,200 feet wide at our house, so the funnel was about an eighth of a mile from us, 600-700 feet. Incredibly lucky for us, the funnel veered a little north and did a lot of tree damage three houses to the north of us. We just had one medium-sized willow branch blown down at our place. There was no rain falling at the time of the funnel, and the sirens started wailing just after it passed our house. We were without power for about six hours and without cable/internet for 18 hours. Another lucky pass...

Been there at the Garden Center and every time I have been there, there's NEVER ENOUGH CASHIERS!!!! THe folks at Lowe's don'thave as much information like the folks in Home Depot if you hvae questions about a plant. The Home Depot in Syosset doesn't have much of a section of anything but the one in Hempstead Trnpk by the race track has a great selection!! HICKS by Jericho Turnpkie is an awesome place. The folks there are very filled w/ info.