Kristi, we grow roses down here in coastal Ventura Co. up against a South-facing retaining wall. Air flow isn't a problem, but reflected heat from the wall HAS been a problem, burning canes badly in many cases. Finally, we put latticework panels up against the wall, and that breaks the impact somewhat. Your area is (in my experience) warmer than ours, so that can be a problem. As the plants mature, if they acquire that "bare-at-the-bottom" look, you might plant dwarf lavender (or something of the sort) at the feet of the roses, to protect those bare canes. BEWARE of 'La Reine.' (Upright, but short) She's beautiful, but can have some real mildew problems. We've had better luck with "Barbara's Pasture Rose,' (Upright, rounded bush) which I can best describe as "La Reine On Steroids." She is far healthier, in my experience. She comes to my mind because I THINK there will be some plants for sale at the Sacramento City Cemetery on 4/21. 'Reine des Violettes' (arching growth, or climber) should have no disease problems, and it's a real beauty. If conditions are alkaline (and house foundations can contribute to this) she may have problems with chlorosis. Honestly, I prefer "Forest Ranch Pom-Pom, which for some reason does NOT have chlorosis problems. But if you go with 'La Reine,' prepare to ammend conditions to suit her fancy. Ulrich Brunner Fils -- We have not grown. Beware powdery mildew problems with roses in this color class, particularly as a child of Paul Neyron. Grandmother's Hat (quite upright) should be bullet proof for you. Once she begins to mature, she should be disease-free, and a fast repeater. Fragrance and vase life will both please you. Jeri

As stage set design, the Undersea Garden is a highly creative effort that deserved to win. As a practical garden that could actually grow in the SF Bay Area, it would have to be edited to take out the plants that don't like our winters, and the client would need to be made aware that plants were chosen for effect, rather than ultimate size and adaptability. Susi added a link to an actual outdoor garden down in Encinitas that is a living garden, and reflects the real world concerns of pulling off these same effects in a garden built to last for more than 5 days. Thanks, Susi for posting this, I haven't had the chance to see this yet, but already know Bill Teague's own garden and the reputation of Solano Succulents. I also wonder that anyone would think that those chairs are actually usable! Another piece of stage design that isn't actually practical or even usable... From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the show this year managed to cover most of the bases, and had something for everybody to enjoy. As one of the garden designers myself, I wish I had had more of an opportunity to actually talk design with the public, as often happens with gardens on display for garden tours. The nature of the event doesn't really encourage discussion, but does provide an opportunity for people to get together in celebration of plants, gardens and design. I don't know if the average visitor realizes that none of the display garden designs would actually be practical in the real world, but instead are designed for a temporary display and to create the illusion of a mature garden. And like Cinderella at midnight, they will all start to be dismantled at the close of the show this evening, with only the recorded image left as testimony of their brief existence, until new gardens unfold next spring.

1: Salvias gregii; the only California native in your set 2: Forget me not; self sows as a pretty weed, not native 3: Borage; another weedy self sowing herb with pretty flowers 4: Chasmanthe aethiopica: a South African bulb which has naturalized here, survives on rainfall alone and goes deciduous in summer, it is attractive to Hummers 5: Plum tree, another plant that has naturalized here and can survive on winter rainfall alone, birds and people like the fruit. Your garden photos are all plants that can grow with absolutely no care on your part, but are seasonal winter growers into spring for the weeds. They are quite a few natives that are attractive to hummingbirds, but even more flowering plants from South America with showy flowers that are even more attractive to hummingbirds such as Abutilons, Iochromas, Fuchsias such h as F. boliviana and F. paniculata, Cantua buxifolia, Cupheas, etc. California natives to look for would include some of the Ribes species, Zauschnerias, some Penstemons to name a few. Pick up a copy of the Sunset Western Garden book for more information on gardening in the SF Bay Area and your zone 17 climate. Annie's Annuals Nursery also has a great web site with info on natives and hummingbird attracting plants on her web site, and the nursery in Richmond, California is well worth a visit.

If it fruits this year, I'll be happy to give you some seeds. It's been more than 15 years since I saw this particular variety flower, but two years ago when my Incense first started flowering, I recognized the blossom instantly and assumed the two types were the same. Obviously, I know better now, but that leads me to believe that this incarnata has blossoms of the darker purple variety. One thing to keep in mind is that although incarnata as a species is winter hardy up through zone 6, those way south in zone 8B such as mine have evolved to adapt to regional characteristics. We don't have nearly as many days below freezing as you do in Pennsylvania, so offspring of this particular plant may not survive your winter as readily as, say, maypops collected from the Carolinas or Virginia. You may have to baby it more and mulch heavily to give it extra protection. But then again, it might retain all of its cold resistance. Impossible to tell until you have one in the ground for a full season. :-)