La France blooms a lot for me but has never gotten over about 5'5X3 without pruning. I watched an own root struggle for a couple of years just to reach 3 feet so I went with the grafted version like they have at the NY Botanical Gardens. I've noticed this with a number of the own root older HT's that they had a hard time establishing themselves. Good luck with it for all it's faults it's one of my favorite rosers for fragrance & sheer beauty. I also had it's sport Duchess of Albany as an own root. I donated it to Brooklyn Botanical Gardens last year. I mean really whats not to love!

Hi...there you are, Ken! nice to hear from you... LOL....actually, this is the same one I had on that 'blacktop' so I scared it into growing more pips, I guess!!!! It got the driveway threat alright! Yes, it is taped, no worries, Guru No, it wasn't outside...been changing water daily Did some research re FW sports but haven't reached conclusion re name...will wait until pips appear, or better still, until it comes up next year. You referring to anything relating to Tom Schmid as in same named hosta? Thanks for the thought and don't forget to let me know if you remember names. Well, it's 89F out there...here as of 8:30 ...was puttering around, ground watering hibiscus and a few potted hosta....can't stand humidity... You know, I've come to the conclusion that I won't have too many hosta in pots....worrying about them drying out, moving them around so they don't expire in the sun, etc,....it takes a certain kind of discipline....like potty training toddlers.....you have to train yourself to remember!!! I respect and admire all the 'potheads' and your diligence and commitment to your potted hosta. I'm not using the excuse (but its a good one) that I don't have space, which I don't....it's the intense heat/humidity that curtails my gardening for certain time segments throughout summer, much to my dismay and all tHat hand watering would kill my back. Speaking of sore back....reminds me when my family grew vegetables for a living for over 20 years. My Dad used to drive down to the Ontario Food Terminal around 4:30 a.m. With a full refrigerated truck or two of prime veggies. He also supplied various fresh food markets in Toronto. I remember being out there on the fields, rain or shine, hot or cold, freezing or frying in the sun, weeding, thinning, cutting, packing, pulling, bunching..crops such as radishes, kohlrabi, head lettuce, romaine, celery, cucumbers used for Willy's Pickles, carrots, onions, onions for seed (that was nasty and hot as plants were taller than we were and temps around 100) and other veggies I'm sure I've forgotten....I was used to being exposed to the elements. Now that I'm older I just can't tolerate it half as well. I've learned to accept it and that's saying a lot, considering my personality! I'm one of those pessimistically optimistic independent kinds and stubborn to boot....where there is a will, there's a way. Even though I am a new senior citizen, I am a youngish one and still have lots of zip, can run and play with my grand kids, am on no medication and am able to still lift, lug, dig etc. I consider myself among the fortunate .... maybe good genes have a play too. So bad back or not, I shouldn't complain. All this because of the weather...apologies but thanks for listening to me go on...lol There are a couple of cooler days coming...low 20's...good time to hunker down and git things done!! Have a great day, Everyone!!! And a great week-end! Keep cool, take it slow and remember to hydrate...Long Island Iced Tea would go good right now! Or Jack D. n coke, or Scotch, nice cold beer with condensation running down the side of the bottle....visualization required here....you get the drift...hehehehehee. Jo

Mocc, My FW is on it's third or fourth year. It's had uglies every year. It may be because they have no shade for the first couple of months they're up. All the trees that shade it are pecan trees and you know how late they are. I think it must have been "Cleo'd", as it came back with juvenile leaves this year. Unfortunately, I think I may have the same problem with OBL. I bought it early this year, while it was still just fat pips. I has the same kind of brown marks FW has. I'm hoping it's because we had such an up and down spring. I've wanted an OBL since I saw the first one on ebay. It was probably my first year of hosta addiction. I'm going to be more careful with them next spring to see if keeping them shaded and protected in the early spring will help. I suppose I'm going to have to learn about sieboldiana heritage. I checked my new Elegans and it has a few burned edges. In the photos below, you will see what kind of damage that I get on FW. It's been there every year. It's raining, so the flash went off and the photos aren't great. However you can see what it looks like. It's on most every leaf. bk FW FW OBL OBL

From what I recall (vaguelyÂas I was planting several new beds at the same time) the first Frances Williams was nice in the pot, but not THAT impressive when I bought and planted it. Then the next summer, I sat up and took notice. And more "wow" since. I donÂt need it to grow faster, this was fast enough for me. Compared to other varieties I have, and IÂm not a huge collector; it was a bigger transformation. Other varieties are more or less the same as when they were potted, maybe the leaves a little bigger and of course, the whole plant bigger. (For me, comparing with what I have, that means Gold Standard, June, Guacamole, Sagae, Regal Splendor, Krossa Regal, Love Pat, Fire and Ice, Abby, and Golden Tiara.) When I shopped yesterday, nothing stood out as being distinctive enough. Though under the shade of a mature Mugho pine, it is a very visible garden right next to the front sidewalk. I want things that will "glow" in the shade. It gets morning sun and filtered afternoon shade. I only bought the Frances Williams because I was on the lookout for one. I really like wide leaves and contrasting edges: but probably only want some puckered. I looked at Wide Brim but put that back. IÂm hoping to find a nice blue too. I'm hoping for maybe 3 medium to big ones (but not tall) in total, and the rest smaller. I wonder what other varieties have such a distinctive change, that I might be overlooking because they are not so "special" when young?