If my memory serves me correctly, a man by the name of Carl Pallek had a first rate rose nursery in Saskatchewan in Canada, selling mainly Kordes roses. I was a Canadian customer and they were first rate in comparison to other nurseries selling roses.When he got to retirement age, none of his children were interested in carrying on the business. He closed it down and moved to Ontario. When Rene Palatine came to Canada from Switzerland, having owned an organic nursery there, Mr Pallek helped him set up his business in Ontario. The Palatine nursery is still an organic one in Canada. Palatine holds a high standard for their roses and will be carrying many of the older ones. When I downsized from my large rose garden, I sent over 80 pieces of budwood from my first rate older roses that I got from Vintage and other OGR nurseries in the States. So hopefully you will be seeing some of your favourites on the list in the future.

I assume you'll be keeping pretty close to St Pete during your visit. If you intend to venture further afield, I'd recommend a visit to the remarkable rose gardens at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. In addition to the vast array of roses that Malcolm Manners has collected and oversees there, the college is famous for the buildings Frank Lloyd Wright designed for its campus (the world's largest collection of FLW-designed buildings situated in one location). Lakeland is roughly the same distance from St Pete as Sarasota (but in another direction). Donny, are you still selling roses at the Farmers Market in Raleigh? If so, when would be a likely time to find you there come spring/early summer?

Sorry John I clicked on your profile and saw your location. You lucky devil I typed in one of your zip codes. There are at least 30 nurseries in your area that carry EE rose including Lowes and Menards. Ours never have them and I'm not that far from Chicago. Thats usually where I end up driving. Most likely you will also be able to find Campfire. It's not an EE but a newer intro from Canada. Highly recommend this rose if you like it that is.

Kentucky - I have been trying to figure out how to make some raised beds- or raised pots for the front yard landscaping. I don't want the look of basic garden vegetable beds for around the front of the house though. I thought maybe I could dig 2 ft hole and put a 2 ft raised planter on top of it, that night work. I iam also thinking about making very big planters (they are ridiculously expensive to buy. I am not sure about the aestetic for my front landscaping, but after considering many materials and my craftsmanship capabilities I have a plan. I will just have to try it and see how it looks. It could sit above ground, part in ground or in ground. My design is 2"x2" wood frame cube (or taller) dark cedar stained (ECO friendly and plant safe). Side and bottom panels of 1" hardware cloth. Inner lining of natural burlap. It would sit on 8" concrete blocks (in ground) with the hole side up foradditional drainage. Inside bottom filled with river rocks then another lining of burlap to contain the soil and the plant and finally mulch on top, of course. It would have to be big enough to allow 3'x3' space for the roots to grow in the soil area. Again, the aestetic is the probelm (aside form all the hard work and digging). I think it wold look descent but odd. To build a retaining wall for the space under the front window of the house would not look right eiterh at the height I need it to be. I think the real solution is to pay for a backhoe to come in here and excavate the clay and then have new soil put in - way too expensive for me right now. I do have one narrow strip on the west side of the front yard that I am lining with concrete blocks to build up that soil area. I plan on very tall trellises lining that hill (all my land is hilly) and covering them with rose and jasmine vines as a privacy fence. The probelm is the area is part shade - never sunny and that is not goo for any of the plants I like. I bought the Charles Darrow Hybrid Musk for that location as it is reported by others to grow and bloom very well in shade. I also have some varieties of Jasmine that might do in that spot. I am also thinking of Camelias and Sky Pencil Holly. My Hollies are about 1ft tall now. It will be years before they grow big enough.