Mulching and "ground cover" are rather conflicting propositions. Ground covers may keep the soil moister during hot weather...IF they aren't so massively rooted they rob all the nutrients and water from the soil. I use the petty spurge weed here as a "ground cover" because it self seeds all over; grows extremely vigorously; pulls easily when and where it isn't wanted; is toxic and gets tall enough to shade new, tender growth from too hot sun and hides it from the blamed "bunnies" who LOVE to eat the basals. The seeds exist in the soil naturally; they blow in on the wind and hitch hike on animals (and people) wandering through. It grows readily in any kind of mulch I put down and knocks itself off in late summer, when it's usually time to renew the mulch, by rusting. Then, I either bury it under new shredded stuff or pull it up and toss it on the weed piles in the paths to break down and keep me from stepping in mud after I water. It isn't "pretty" some of the time but it survives and does the trick. And, it costs me NOTHING. If you have a nice, dense, thick ground cover and you want to mulch, not only to conserve moisture but to add more organics to the soil as they digest, break down, you either have to pull up the ground cover or bury it. Something annual, like the alyssum, you can simply shake the removed plants over the areas you wish to inoculate with the seeds and it takes care of itself for you. Thyme would either be buried or you would have to replant it. Don't mess with the more invasive herbs such as oregano. That stuff is like a smelly Bermuda Grass. It escaped from one of my raised terraces where I had planted it for cooking and is as much a pest as the Matilija Poppy which escaped from a container I didn't get planted soon enough. Now, that monster is running all over and is due for some herbicide very shortly.. You also have to keep in mind that if you plant anything around or in your rose beds you may want to eat, any and everything you use on your roses will also be in or on what you intend to eat. I had a customer once who grew strawberries as the ground cover under her roses. She complained how oddly they tasted, never thinking the Bayer Systemic and other things she sprayed the roses with were in and on the berries. Some people just don't have a clue about these things. Another, years ago, complained how the Chrysler Imperial rose we sold here in the US wasn't the same she had grown in Israel where she previously lived. There, the petals added the rose water taste and scent to her cooking she enjoyed. Here, they were bitter tasting. I asked her if she was using systemics on the rose. Yup. Whatever you use for the roses will be in the rest of the plants, too. Kim This post was edited by roseseek on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 16:40

It's a long time between now and bareroot season next spring, so you have a lot of time to do your research. There are odd little pocket gardens around that have a rose or two that you can get a sense of how they perform. Local nurseries tend to have an extremely limited rose selection. Most of their offerings are not good for the climate, and it can get very tricky. If you do happen to stumble on something good, if can disappear in the time it takes to do the research to confirm it is good and get back to the nursery. For example, Adams entire rugosa selection can disappear in a matter of days, leaving only the hybrid teas that nobody wants. People here will try to talk you into ordering potted own-root plants, but for a variety of reasons there are issues with those. For one thing, the nurseries that carry them tend to be in warmer climates and don't offer the hardier roses. For another, some of them can be just plain difficult in a cold climate own-root and the nurseries don't necessarily know which ones those are. So to make this very easy, wait until next winter, then order something like three Jacques Cartiers from Pickering.

Ladybugs can be so different! I've only seen the two spot ladybug here. I'm sure we have more. I've never seen such a pale one. Here's something about why we shouldn't order ladybugs from companies: http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/why-you-shouldnt-buy-ladybugs-natural-pest-control-your-garden.html Carol

sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida 9a) SAID: "Although Mrs B R Cant might not be technically a OGR (1901), she is still pretty old lol. I really love her fragrance. I think she is one of my all time favorites . . . " BUT SHE IS AN OGR! ARS's official definition of "Old Garden Roses" is that ANY rose OF A CLASS OF ROSES that existed prior to 1867 is considered to be an "Old Garden Rose." SO, if I were to introduce a Tea Rose, say next month ... it would be an "Old Garden Rose." And people HAVE created modern-born "Old Roses". At the same time, Hybrid Musks and Polyanthas (as examples) are NOT "Old Garden Roses" because they did not exist as a class prior to 1867. Why 1867? Because that was the date of the introduction of the first Hybrid Tea Rose -- The first "Modern Rose".