This would look great. Plus it would give you more privacy in your yard and garden. The only problem that I see is that you are going to leave a strip on the road side. The roses you mentioned get to be 6' wide and there's no room for a strip of grass unless you plan on mowing UNDER the roses, which would be a pain. My suggestion would be to make it 6' wide, underplant with lantana, which can take the heat and look beautiful all season long. Most of the earthkind roses are great, but I would avoid Martha Gonzales. That's just a plain ugly rose (to me). Ducher is great, Mutabilis is great, Jean Bach Sisley is great but I don't know if it has made the EarthKind list - it SHOULD. I don't spray and it's one of my best roses. Cramosi Superior, which I don't know if it is on the Earthkind list, but it is the best rose I grow if you are looking for showiness from a distance and overall health. This rose is covered in blooms from the ground all the way up, and is full and twiggy from the ground all the way up. I wish all roses had as beautiful of a form as Cramosi Superior. Most of the Chinas are similar to that. My sister is not a rose gardener, and doesn't have time to take care of anything, and I planted those 3 roses along her road, with 5 Duchers on one side, 5 Mutabilis in the middle, and 5 Cramosi Superiors on the other side. It looks gorgeous, and she barely even waters it.

A place I've wanted to visit is in Jackson, Ms, the reconstructed home and gardens of Eudora Welty. The book, "One Writer's Garden, Eudora Welty's Home Place" shows pictures of how the reconstruction has been done. The book indicates a number of old roses have been replanted in that garden, which were original to the home when Eudora and her mother lived there. I'd love to see Elizabeth Lawrence's home and garden in Charlotte, NC, Wing Garden, mostly because I am a big fan of hers. In South Carolina there is a topiary garden, Pearl Fryar Garden in Bishopville, that I've wanted to visit as well. It seems amazing from what I've seen. I agree with Ann above about visiting the Vicksburg, MS civil war memorial. The cemetery, the grounds and the exhibits are really interesting to see. The wonderful hydrangea gardens in Birmingham, Al, Aldridge Gardens, are worth seeing and should be blooming if you're going soon. I am sorry I never made it to Bellingrath to see the rose gardens there. The botanical gardens in Huntsville and Nashville are worth seeing. The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's homeplace and gardens, is worth a trip if you're in Nashville. I first saw a chestnut rose in that garden there. The Natchez Trace is beautiful, I think. There is also a beautiful garden, or at least was 30 years ago, south of Shreveport, Hodges Gardens. I saw a lot of beautiful camellias at that garden; I don't know what it's like now, but worth checking into if you're going to be in Shreveport. I've always wanted to see the beginning point of the Mississippi River up in Wisconsin. I hope you have a wonderful trip; it's one I'd like to take as well sometime. Take care, travelling solo!

I finally uncovered all my roses this morning and it seems like most of them have a fair amount of green canes. Iceberg was the only one to have a bit of mold on a couple of canes. Should these canes be cut off now, or will they be ok now that the air and sunlight can get to them? Gillian, I re-read your post on which teas you had that were hardy, and you mentioned that Tropicana was one of them. Walmart has them in bags now, and it's mighty tempting. How did you like it, and do you have a pic maybe? Carol, have you been able to check your roses out yet? Hopefully it's all good news. Laurie

I had 3 roses left in South Carolina, after being neglected, hit with lawn mowers/weed eaters, and never even watered in at least 2 years. Sea foam, Caldwell Pink, and a tiny Belinda's Dream that I found searching around the yard. I caught it as it was growing back from being cut, and moved it here. When I moved it, I was hoping it was Easy Does it. I already have two BD, but it got saved anyway, and looks so happy. The funny thing is, roses are doing better for me here in a colder zone, and the only difference besides zone, is hubby isn't here all the time. I keep rubbing it in on him when he says how nice they look - "yeah ... that's the result of not being mowed down in cold blood" lol Well I did neglect them more in SC though, I got tired of fighting the fire ants. Not going to tell him that, because I don't want him near them. ;-)