There is a housing development down the road from me that installed a very long section of what looks to be flower carpet white roses, if not they are a similar groundcover type of rose. For some reason half of the length is tended, the roses are pruned, fertilized, and mulched once a year, and the other half is left to it's own devices. The half that is tended blooms way more and looks way better than the other half, so I definitely would say these type of roses are 'less care' not 'no care.' I have a couple of scarlet flower carpet roses because I liked the bright color, they do well with less water and pruning than my other roses and the leaves are always healthy and green. As to the idea that one has to choose between a garden or children, I think that it's ridiculous. When I was little I spent hours in the garden with my Mom, she showed me everything that was safe to eat and I would wander around trying things out and generally having a good time. There was a movie few years ago that documented the first year of life of four different babies, one American, one Japanese, one Mongolian, and one Namibian. The conclusion of the photographer was that benign neglect is highly underrated in our society. Children need to be cared for, but spending some time on their own to discover who they are is also important. And a garden is a great place to begin that sort of independent exploration, especially with a Mom weeding close by to keep an eye on them. Caveat, I have no children and therefore no real right to speak on the matter. Lastly, I don't know if it's because I live in such a great place to garden or what, but I see no deficit of gardeners and gardens in my area. The nurseries are always crowded on weekends, and when I go to get plants for my own garden I usually see young parents with little ones in tow. Especially in the vegetable section, it seems like there are a lot of families around here that are getting more and more interested in exposing their children to where food comes from at a young age. Trends always change, right now people may have moved away from gardening but it's only a matter of time before the pendulum swings back in the other direction.

Definitely!

I have lost three English Roses to Rose Rosette Disease. There is no cure for it at this time. The advice given by HollySprings is right on. Just dig up the infected rose ASAP and dispose of it., it's very contagious. Make sure you get all the roots and be careful you remove the old soil and put new soil before planting a new rose in the same place. The disease is caused by a mite that thrives on multiflora roses and is spread by the wind...

This is great information, rhizo. I do not believe I have seen it in this area...yet. But I am glad to know, so I can be watchful. The church is built of a deep red/orange brick with dark purple undertones. So, although The Fairy is a great rose, I am looking for a rose with a warmer color. I believe the Amber Flower Carpets will be gorgeous with it. I am including a link. What do you think? I know what you mean about coordinating plants with the hardscaping, rhizo. I feel the same way. I am hoping to find a fountain that has a terracotta color....have no idea if such a thing exists, though. There's no hurry on the fountain, but I hope to get at least the entryway landscaping installed before Thanksgiving. We will likely be moving in during the holidays. My husband has pastored this church for 22 years. We moved out to our present site twelve years ago into a multi-purpose building that has a gym which has doubled as our sanctuary. This new building is the permanent sanctuary and more classrooms, a small chapel, and a room that will be suitable for rehearsal dinners and such. The first building was functional. This building is beautiful. Everyone is so excited! Here is a link that might be useful: Amber Flower Carpet Rose