Both photos below from today. First are the bands of Alberic and the bigger one is Bleu Magenta. I could plant two together in front where I took Graham out (no pic handy). The arbor is the second photo. Jeanne La Joie is on either side of it now and not doing well. The side with the drainpipe gets waterlogged when it rains, and I haven't been able to cope with the problem tried to fill it in with lots of topsoil and built a little higher by the arbor. The odd thing is that on the right in the photo, it is drier and has to compete with roots from an apple tree close by, but that side does the best. I can pot Jeanne up in 5 gal pots and set in front against the brick wall in the recess there, west side facing east and south, where the new ones are sitting and see if she will do more that way. My daughter loves Jeanne and might like to take her if I get her going in pots, not quite ready to offer her on Freecycle, got her in bands 3 years ago, came late that year worse than what I got today with Alberic. The arbor needs to be straightened and secured somehow, one more thing to cope with, but I don't like the way it is starting to lean. But I'm worried about the water problem. I no longer have the strength to dig a runoff and the gutters are expensive and too much to get into. What does anybody think? Otherwise I have a spot left out of the photo on the left up by the foundation of the house where the dryer vents, haven't known what to put there. I don't use the dryer that much just for me so don't see where that would necessarily be a huge problem, have the vent turned a little to the south and not going strait out but still . . . I really appreciate this advice because it spins around in my head, and roses are difficult here as it is, would like to avoid an obvious mistake again.

Lavender Lass, yes we do get heat in the summers and humidity. I am originally from Southern British Columbia, so am quite familiar with Eastern Washington, where I suspect you live. The heat there is dry. Mid summer temperatures here hover in the mid 80's to low 90's, but with the humidity, usually 70% plus, it often seems much hotter. I grew quite a few OGR's in B. C., mostly Teas and Noisettes. I've tried a few here as well, some once bloomers, Albas, Gallicas, but they have proven too tender for this climate with lows in January and February that reach -22 or -23 F. They don't die, but have enough winter kill that they don't flower. So, I stick with Austins, hardy Canadian hybrids and quite a few of Griffith Buck's roses that die back, but recover and flower well every summer. Leo, I've had great luck with straw for the past 5 or 6 years. I wait until the temperatures are below freezing before covering the roses. Usually late November or early December. No mice in my roses thus far. We had our first big winter storm the day after I posted this thread. We have about 12 inches of snow on the ground now and the roses are all tucked in for the winter. I'm very hopeful that I'll have roses with more cane to start the growing season next year. Cheers, Rick

My wife and I grow quite a few tropical plants in our garden. One of the main reasons that we decided to start doing this was that many of the folks on this forum were doing it with a lot of success. We continue to try to experiment with different things from year to year, and believe it or not we have had great luck growing some plants listed as zone 9. Here is a list of what we grow now, all in ground. 2 Trachycarpus "fortuneii" Trachycarpus "bulgaria" Sable Palmetto "texana" 2 Sago "revoluta" 2 varieties of Oleander Fatsia "japonica"(bloomed this year for the first time) Philodendron "selloum" Manihot (Tapioca tree) several varieties of Brugmansia(we have left these in the ground and they will come back, but their growth is very slow through the year. Better to cut them off and put in the ground again the next season) several varieties of Colocasia and Alocasia several varieties of Ginger(Hedychiums do best, but do have about 4 Curcuma) amararyllis "ackermanii"(grows great) gloriosa vine(listed as zone 9, but has been in the ground here for 4 years) Doug

I made a set of these for a friend 20 or so years ago. For the roll holder, I bought toilet paper roll holders, removed the end without the spring and substituted a dowel of the right diameter. This left a spring-fit rod. For the hinging, I put the door in position and drilled in from the outside where I inserted 1/8" brass rods that got super-glued to the door part. Once the glue had set, it's easy to trim and sand the brass rod flush with the outside of the unit. Likewise, I think I simply screwed on hacksaw blades to the underside of the doors.