Duchesse, I've seen Purpurea described as less than 3' and also 6'. Mine is in the ground about 10 months and gives no signs of being large unless it's just waiting to explode. It's a small 2x2 now. Whether this will be true when it's older I don't know, but it stayed leafless for 2 months this summer. It was the prettiest bunch of green sticks you ever want to see. Looked something like Form #2 (but smaller) in Vintage's Hybrid Tea chart. It has leafed out again but hasn't put on any size. Carol, re "bands that started dying back at the tips as soon as I took them out of the box. I'd cut them back below the dead portions but it didn't stop the die back and eventually they just died back to the soil.", mine didn't start that soon - only after repotting, and I'd had some roses for months. But the rest of what you say is exactly what has happened. It seems to me I did everything I usually had done except that I used some peat - oooohh, wait a minute. I used an oil absorbant recommended on the "Container Gardening Forum" is this mix and in another that I made for a Marie Daley that I was moving to a big pot from the ground. That rose died, too, and quickly (that mix had much more absorbant in it.) I wonder if that was the culprit. The bag even said uses include gardening. Well, I guess I need to dis-pot the surviving roses. Glad you asked, Carol. Maybe this is my answer. Ingrid, there may be thousands of roses, but probably 80-90% are already eliminated right off the top due to our locations. And now that I've fallen in love with Teas (thanks to the Australian ladies) I find that there aren't enough of them - that can be bought anyway. Of course, if I had planted Pink Pet and The Fairy instead of Marie Pavie and Clotilde Soupert, I could have used Blush Noisette. So our own choices quickly reduce the numbers from which we can choose. And, of course, there's the fact that we're just plain picky people. :)) Sandy, if I could only have one rose, I would also probably choose Mrs B R - unless the only spot I had was the small yard in front of my house. It would be a gorgeous bush out of place, I'm afraid. So I think I'm going to move LeVesuve to this center spot and put Anna Olivier in its old spot - hoping that neither one get as big as they can get or will at least tolerate a little nipping down the road. It still amazes me that Malcolm Manners prunes his Mrs B R Cants at the college down to short sticks every year. I call that whacking!!! I wish he had posted photos of those bushes after their spring growth. After everything I've read here it was a shock to see his after-pruning photos of one-year old plants. Thanks everyone for all of your input. Your suggestions were all good ones, and I appreciate them. Sherry

I like both of these ideas. The faux snow might be beyond my skimpy budget. That's why I was going towards freezing water and flowers -- they're free. I like the glass blocks idea, and I've seen on this forum the beautiful ones that can be made. I could afford the $4 each, but would they look dramatic without a light inside? One winner at each table gets to take the centerpiece home, but I might still would consider glow-sticks, which would be cheaper than battery lights and cooler than a candle, but not last beyond the day of the party. Anything else come to mind when I say COOL? Polar bears. Penguins. Icicles. Maybe it's because the Christmas season's just behind us, but I'm staying away from snowmen and other winter holiday themes. It'll be June and I live in the south. Each lady will get mints in a clear cellophane bag tied with a ribbon that indicates menu choice to the wait staff. I'm still open to other ideas for table decor or centerpieces.

I think it's wonderful you're asking us on this forum to help you make the decorations for your brother's and SIL's anniversary party. There's great talent here and hopefully you'll be able to use some of it. Here's my idea - using "your" idea of the photos: (pls know that I'm no expert at giving instructions for things as patterns, but bear with me, I think you'll get the gist of what I'm talking about, LOL -- YUP, I took the time and made a pic for you using my Word Program - that curly stuff on top of the flower pot is Spanish Moss, ha, ha - it was fun to do it)! Using a 6" or larger flower pot, either plain terra cotta or already enamel painted (check Walmart Garden Center area, they come in very pretty colors)... Cut to shape and glue floral foam inside the pot - the foam should come to within a couple inches of the top of the pot. Mod Podge Glue is great for projects - not as thin and watery as Elmer's glue. Note that if you just cut a square piece of the floral form and push it inside the pot so the edges get against the pot, it should hold pretty well, glue in place at the corners if need be. Buy pre-cut Alphabet sticker letters (in the scrapbooking/sticker section at craft stores such as Michael's or Joann's craft stores) and peel them off and spell their names out on the pots. Underneath their names, put the date using the alphabet/number stickers. You should be able to find some wedding/anniversery picture stickers also to go under the date. Glue "Spanish Moss" (looks like grass and comes in either a beige/tan color or dark green color) onto the floral foam to cover it up. Either use coat hangers and cut the wire with wire snips, or, purchase thick gauge wire (at Michael's in the bead/jewelry craft section) to different size lengths - bend the end to look like a little "shepard's hook." The premade wire comes in different colors, also bronze, silver, gold, etc. The premade wire is also very easy to bend (Can't make a bend - place it over a can and use that as a guide, pressing it down.) at the curved end of the wire - bend it up a little bit to make a hook - put aside for now. Your pics - you can take them to a place like Staples Office Supplies and get them copied so as not to destroy the originals. I'd say to make them about wallet size or just a tish bit larger. Get different colored cardstock and cut out a rectangular shape larger than your pics - cut the edges using "decortive edge scissors" - or - hot glue "cording" (at Joann's Fabric Store or Walmart) or something similar (tiny lace, etc.) around the edge of the cardstock - punch a hole near the top of the card stock (to insert a ribbon to hang) and then positiion and glue your pic onto the cardstock (below the hole). You could decorative cut the edges of the pics also if they're too big or you just like the look of the cut. You can also glue the pic onto the cardstock and then outline it using rick-rack or other edging. Note this also before punching the hole - when you put ribbon or whatever you use through the hole, the pic is going to swirl around. If you don't want that to happen, instead of punching a hole in the cardstock, using a crafter's knife, cut two slits into the cardstock - about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide - about 1/2 inch apart to slip the ribbon through the back of each slit and then tie it into a bow in front - leave a little bit of a ribbon looped in the back so you can slip it onto the bent up hooked end part of the wire. I would use thin "curling ribbon" for the bows - it'll be easier to tie and you can curl the ties. Put some hot glue or Mod Podge onto the end of the shepards hooks you made and stick them in the pot, into the floral foam - the glue will hold them in place. Tie the ribbon onto the hooked part of the wire or just slip the looped part of the ribbon over the hook to hang the pics. You can also find some very nice precut small fabric/faux flowers at Michael's - look for the Martha Stewart craft section and glue them onto the Spanish Moss. Does all this make sense - I hope so. Have fun with whatever you make. Hope you'll share pics of your centerpieces. I'd love to see them. Sal

Gotta say that I LOVE those 'Titleist' cookies as favors! :) The golfball-filled flower vases are cute as centerpieces. I also think the fresh grass centerpieces are a great idea! If you go with that, I'd recommend using wheat grass and sowing the seed 1-2 weeks prior to needing it for display (and depending on how tall you want it). It's reliable and beautiful... I grow it indoors in winter for my cats. A thought I had for individual homemade favors would be neck coolers... they're easy to sew! just do an on-line search and you'll find lots of examples.