I believe there are varieties for norhern and southern climates. I live in Florida (US) and this spring planted "Triple Crown" blackberries which are thornless. The plants have done well in Florida heat but I assume were too young this year to bear fruit. I have had some leaf spots that I have treated with copper and had so/so results. I believe it has helped but not totally eliminated the spots. There are varieties of raspberrys that grow in Florida and we are the winter strawberry capital of the world but I also know there are northern varieties for all these too that handle the colder climates better than the heat.

Hello, thanks for the info. #1 is definately the Podranea. Never thought to take a sniff as it now seems we missed its fragrance! #2 is the Silk Floss tree, it was lovely. Unusual flowers for a tree I thought, more like an orchid or even a lily, stunning nonetheless! #3 is a bit of a poser, the name chorisia has also come up, the same as #2? Was I looking at the same type of tree do you think? #2 had no thorns, but #3 CERTAINLY did as I thought what a dangerous tree to plant along a main seafront pavement! The flowers on almost all of the #3's were not open and full, they looked past their prime, plus we were driving past in the coach so I couldnt get a good look at them but they did appear to have frilly edges come to think of it. Thanks anyway! Gill.

Thank you Ingrid. The big West Mims Fire/Okeefenokee Swamp and Wildlife Refuge fire has grown by leaps and bounds. We were getting ash from that one yesterday and its 42 miles away. Its pretty much all woods in this part of the state. Still pretty far from us but wow ashes floating that far.. Yesterday, a whole leaf that was white ash landed on my hand. A perfectly formed leaf but ash..ghostlike. I was gonna take a picture of it but it disintegrated when I moved my hand lol. Whenever the wind is just right we get smoke and ash. I feel really sorry for all the wildlife. It is an important habitat for migrating birds. Some people closer to the fire are being evacuated. They were just letting it burn naturally (like the Yellowstone Fires in 1988) but now its 3 times the size of Miami and getting out of control and encroaching on communities where people live so they are actively fighting it now. They say its too big to put out now and may burn till November! Crazy!

aah ok... lucky you!.. sounds great... in that case I would just plant it and let it do its own thing until the time comes when you feel it needs some control or training, if at all... I think in the first year or two, you might have to use a piece of bamboo cane or a pole of some sort, inserted into the ground near the rose, to tie the canes to, and aim them at your oak tree until the rose finds its own foothold... I've had to do that before with a big rambler up a willow tree.. in such cases, forget about pruning to be honest... it'll soon be out of reach...