I can send a mix of purple, bi-color and white and pink tall phlox. Would love some of your coneflower mix-- butterflies love them! And your dog looks great! Thanks, Lois

I would recommend Gertrude Jekyll for colder zones. It is very hardy. I don't have too much trouble with blackspot in my no spray zone 5a garden although Lady Emma Hamilton sure gets some. Mary Rose is also good. Rugosa roses such as Pierette Pavement or Foxy Pavement are another alternative. Hardy Buck roses like Earth Song or Country Dancer are also hardy and disease resistant but, like rugosas, do not have old fashioned bloom form. Easy Elegance roses are also disease resistant.

Tammy, thanks for posting your experience with the 'Mary Rose' By now the roots should be well established. Do you deadhead yours? If so, how often? I just had to purchase mine, when I first saw it at the nursery late last spring. Since this was an english shrub rose, I did not make a bed for her. I now regret that the place I planted her stays wet too long, during very rainy seasons. Last spring we had an extremely wet spring, and her roots suffocated before she had the chance to even begin to become established. Now I intend to look for her again this year at my local rose nursery. This time I intend to plant her in a better spot. On the East side of my house, last week I took out some potted scarlet oaks, which I had grown for about 4 years from acorns. Now the long window on both sides of my fireplace from where I took the oaks, now seem to be perfect spots for me to grow two 'Mary Rose' shrubs. Yes the fragrance is delicate, but that is part of what I liked so much about this rose; especially since the subtle fragrance could still be detected without one having to stick their nose on the bloom before being able to enjoy the fragrance. Last year I had intended to purchase some Gootendorst Rugosa Pink roses for planting in front of my windows this spring, but my friend purchased three of them and that left only one for me. I liked those Rugosa roses for the leggy look they easily take on. Since I purchased my Rugosa in the early Summer, I kept mine in a pot and took care of it for a couple months until our fall cool-down temps arrived. Durring that time, I noticed that the Rugosa Gootndorst Pink came down with multiple fungi and diseases. I applied some Bayer rose systemic treatment to it and that helped some, yet it still seemed to display some of the diseases. I was impressed that this rose was a strong enough grower to survive well. It seemed almost amazing at how well this rose survived even when it lost many leaves due to disease. Watching this rose survive so much disease attack, it became clear to see what gave it the leggy look, which first appealed so much to me. The leggy canes seemed to bend into intersting shapes of structure. Still after seeing how disease prone the Rugosa rose was, I almost thought about throwing it out. Instead, I ended up planting my Rugosa rose at the edge of my patio, and it seems to be doing well this spring, with no signs of any diseases. Maybe that is the rsult of the Bayer systemic I had given it last year. The Nursery where I purchased my Rugosa last year does not have any more of this cultivar, and I am not certain I even want any more since the cultivar does not have very good resistances qualities. Now I am wondering if the Mary Rose shrubs will be a good choice to plant infront of those east facing long windows. I have read that Mary Rose grows into a nice shrub form, which can grow up to 4-5 feet tall and wide. Also since Mary Rose has a nice amount of resistance to BS and is very disease resistant, I am beginning to think that she will be a much better rose to plant in front of my long windows, instead of trying to find more Rugose Gootendorst Pinks for there.

If you want a shorter phlox there is a new series of "Cocktail" phlox from the Netherlands. I planted 'Cosmopolitan' last year. It is supposed to only reach 15". It is a deep pink with a darker eye. There are other pinks in the cocktail series. I also planted 'Pina Colada', a white. They are up and growing and looking good so I have great hopes for them.