Thanks for the response michaelg. So the rose petals that fall off the mature bud and onto the ground are called "self-cleaning?" Too funny! Especially since the climbing rose and the bougainvillea are the only flowers I have that I'm constantly sweeping up after. Yes, dying buds are ugly too but I find it easier to just deadhead those. Perhaps I'll think differently after acquiring a few more. I don't have any other flower-types that I can really compare them too. Wait. I do have a gardenia, but I barely can get that to flower at all. I guess the rose petals can be pretty. But now that I'm paying them more attention, I thought having any disregarded materials nearby would be unsanitary and breed pests? No? The other thing is our home sits pretty close to the neighbors. Although I do have the best and friendliest of neighbors, I'd like to keep them that way. I live pretty coastal - San Diego, CA. About a 10 mins from the beach. Thank you for your help!

There are some great rose nurseries in Adelaide. Wagner's and Ross to the south and St.Kilda to the north, also the Flower Garden at Nairne. You can ring any of them - they are always willing to help. TFG and Ross have a great website - esp www.rossroses.com.au there is a terrific gallery with a search engine that will help you. Sorry about your brother. I lost a sister and it leaves a strange hollow feeling to lose a sibling. Deb in Adelaide

I loved the first lavender Japanese rose you posted, and wouldn't mind adding it to my garden. The second lavender rose, Applause, you have posted, we debated about on the forum a few years ago, and agreed that Blue Bayou (Kordes) looked bluer, and was not genetically modified, plus not $200, or whatever the Japanese were charging at the time for Applause. Here's a photo of Blue Bayou, which I still grow, from that debate. Diane Blue BayouDiane

gardengal48, although in summer it gets just as hot here as in Damascus, winters in Syria are much colder. Here are the climates of the two places: Climate of Dubai Climate of Damascus As for the plants they sell over here, you will find everything here, most of which will never grow in this climate. At local nurseries, I have seen stone fruits, apples and even spruce trees being sold, but they will never survive in this climate. The thing with purchasing roses here is that it is a gamble. Some will survive summer and bloom, whereas others will die. Most plants, apart from date palms and some citrus trees, sold here are imported from other countries, so it is impossible to tell what will survive here and what won't. The fragrance of the flowers is exactly like rose water, which is made using either Damask or Centifolia roses. My guess would be that it is one of the two or a hybrid of one of them.