Great question. I long for more Old Garden Tea roses, and their immediate hybrids. I've often wished I could cross the disease resistant pale yellow Tea roses 'Souvenir de Pierre Notting' or 'Etoille de Lyon' with a Pernetiana such as 'President Herbert Hoover' or 'Etoille de Feu' or 'Duquesa de Penardana.'I never can remember how to spell that name... theres a tilda there somewhere too. all of these roses are disease resistant plants in a local no-spray garden. I'd like to see a flame hued, fragrant ever-blooming Tea-Hybrid that is disease resistant with the rapid re-peat of the Tea class. Locally 'Lady Hillingdon' gets powdery mildew in each of the 4 seasons, but continues to bloom through all, but it is barely fertile. It has been such a popular rose for a hundred and two years, I think another Tea-Hybrid of similar but deeper hues would be a success. A white Tea-Hybrid rose that holds up well as a cut flower would be sublime. I'd like to see a cross between the Tea-Hybrid cl.'Mrs. Herbert Stevens' with the fragrant 'Westside Road Cream Tea' both of which are disease resistant, in my no-spray garden. Or W.R.C.T. X 'Snowbird' or 'White Christmas', which has a sweet fragrance. Alba Semi-Plena for disease resistance, and beautiful foliage, I imagine a white Tea-A.S.P cross through several generations to produce a remontant hybrid. 'Niphetos'X white 'Rose of York'=heaven. I sure do love Tea roses, and Albas. Luxrosa p.s. plan9, look to Groundcover roses from 1990 and onward, many were bred from R. wichurana, and hortico.com sells several of them. I suggest you look for "disease resistant' roses under Groundcovers and then look up their parentage on helpmefind.com I have Ralph Moores 'Simplex' a small remontant wich. hybrid that has apricot buds that open to show white wild- appearing rose blossoms.

I have two growing into trees right now, with two more planned. Paul's Himalayan Musk Rambler is planted at the base of a mulberry tree, and he's having trouble staying in the tree. His canes are lax and thorny, and they tend to go up the tree then hang down as soon as they have the opportunity. I don't think I would try this again with this rose. My other tree climbing rose is American Pillar, which is happily scaling a Virginia Cedar tree. As of now, in its fourth year, it is at least 25' into the tree and continuing to climb. The hot pink flowers spill from the tree's canopy in May and it is certainly a sight to see! My next tree climbers will be Veilchenblau and Tausendschoen, together, to climb a ratty wild cherry tree in my front mixed rose border. I've never seen Tausendschoen in a tree, but Robert grows his Veilchenblau into a holly tree (along with Fortuniana) and the effect is stunning! My best advice on how to get started is to plant the rose on the upwind side of the tree if you can. My American Pillar had to be planted on the south side of its cedar tree, and sometimes the canes that are just beginning to climb get blown out of the canopy. Most of the Wichuranas that I can think of are happier crawling along the ground instead of climbing trees. I'll bet Albertine is stiff enough to be a good tree climber. Connie

Hope to see you there. We start the serious pre swap trading about a month before. So check in then. I am already rooting things. And planting things. some of us are crazier than others. Question to the powers that be. Have we a date for the fall one yet?

Tonya, Karen and I were the last there, waiting for Meredith before we headed over to Ragna's. We walked around to make sure all trash was picked up and I spotted the willow peeking over the top of the trash can. I told Karen the awful secret you shared with me and knew we had to rescue it. Luckily it was a plant that Karen wanted.... you should have heard the lust in her voice..... so she took it home to give it life! :-) Thank you everyone who brought me goodies ! patty