I garden in BC too, but in a much colder area than you. I have both 'Rhapsody in Blue' and 'Wild Blue Yonder'. I like both ok, but I'm not crazy about RIB's overly large sprays that must be disbudded to have a clean look to the flower spray. WBY is a very nice rose which is both a strong grower and hardy. It is one of the few that have not been pruned to within inches of the ground this year. A favourite though is 'Ebb Tide,' ET produces large sprays of fragrant blooms. I have never been bothered with BS on any of these roses, but I do spray from time to time, especially early in the season when the rains are persistent. Not so much later in summer. I hope this helps! Rhapsody in Blue Wild Blue Yonder - not a great photo but the best I could find right now. Ebb Tide

Well, you've certainly given me some food for thought! I was hoping you would respond, Niels, as it was partly your gorgeous pictures on HMF that got me interested in this rose. Thank you for the link, I love your blog! Athena, thank you for your comments! Was your plant an own-root band, or grafted? Beth, I appreciate all the info. I find roses very difficult to grow well in containers. Generally, after a couple of years they start to sulk! Ingrid, I found your photos of Wild Blue Yonder on HMF, it looks fantastic and I'm grateful for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind for the future. It's just that I have a credit note from a mail order nursery and am trying to choose a couple of roses from their limited selection. Hi Terryjean! Well, I'm also intrigued by the colour (I don't expect it to be blue, BTW) and it seems everyone agrees that it is her strong point. I am inclined to give this rose a try and see if I can make her happy! I thank you all for sharing your experience with RiB. All the best! MayBee

Megaul, your Christmas Tree hosta is gorgeous! ademink, he was one heck of an engineer and one heck of a man!! The last couple of years, he knew he had limited time left. My stepmom asked him if there was anything he would like to do that he hadn't done yet. His answer was "he had already done more than he ever dreamed was possible". It doesn't get any better than that!

Looks like Rhapsody in Blue will be a nice choice. I looked at Dragon Fire in the Hosta Library and I would also buy that one because of the red petioles (sp?), to round out your collection of blue and gold hosta, try Paul's Glory or First Frost, Sagae, something that is blue/gold together and you would have a striking mix of colors.