And so it begins! I too have the rose addiction. I swore to myself that there would be no more roses until the fall because it is too hot right now, I couldn't afford it, it would be more work, I would have to be exposed to more fungicides, etc..... Well, I have been good for a while, but Sunday I had to get a filter for my A/C and I went to Home Depo. I did NOT go into the garden center, BUT they had the most beautiful roses displayed outside the door of the main entrance. They were on fortuniana rootstock! I bought St. Patrick and Our Lady of Guadeloupe because I could not possibly be expected to choose between them. Now they are sitting on my front porch waiting to be planted. I fell off the wagon.

Aw, thanks for the welcome. I can't wait to post more pictures, once I get more blooms. I really enjoy seeing everyone's beautiful flowers. Since I am a newbie to daylilies, this year I stuck to buying older, inexpensive varieties - so I hope that I don't bore anyone with my obscure flowers. It is just such a pleasure to find people who "get it" and can appreciate my flower obsession. My garden is planted in a community garden, and the vast majority of people plant only vegetables/herbs. I know that some of them think I am crazy for planting only flowers, but I tell them that I help to attract tons of bees and butterflies to pollinate their crops!

wishing you good luck!!! :) exciting ! Chuy

I could be wrong about the zone - on a zip code lookup map it tells me 9-10. I am near the coast, and the weather here tends to be much more mild. Those "zones" are pretty broad classifications. Here's a fairly accurate description of where I live: "Salinas, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's. The warmest month of the year is September with an average maximum temperature of 74.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 39.40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Salinas is 15.12 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 3.00 Inches." We do get some 90 degree days, but only a handful. I had read the FAQ about blossom drop. . .I don't think too hot is going to be my biggest problem. My neighbor (who's in something like his 60th year of planting tomatoes in his backyard across the street - he's 92) said he usually doesn't even plant until around May 1 because it's not warm enough to really get 'em growing; in his words, "they just sit there and look at ya." Maybe I'm misunderstanding the term "frost date." Is it a technical term, or just the last time that you wake up to frozen stuff around you? Stupid question, I know, but I have a feeling I'm not communicating something correctly. Yes, the plants get direct sun for at least 6-8 hours a day (I need to be a little more scientific about it), but it's been a cold spring - it's been in the 50's all this last week with a high of 63 projected for the next week. On the few hot days we have had, the plants have practically grown before my eyes, but they don't grow much during these chilly times. So. . .I can put in a stake without messing up their little root systems? Thanks, Christopher