Wow, impressive list. I had to look up quite a few of them, and ended up adding about 10 or so to my wish list. Your gardens should look amazing in their future spring bloom. Looking forward to the photos I hope you'll post for us.

i can only advise you as to own root..they are ashdown, chamblees, vintage gardens, high country roses...in no particular order. i have ordered **alot** from all of these vendors, and have only good to say about them. you didn't specify if you were looking for old roses or newer cultivars, or if it doesn't matter..so if you want to go own root, this is a good place to start..maybe someone else will jump in with best places to buy grafts.i do think that you may have passed the time to plant grafts being in zone 7, and maybe even own roots..you might want to ask for advice from someone in your zone if you get a reply from a zone 7 member..i can't advise you on that. good luck...donna

I'd suspect that there are many reasons for it. For me, the primary one is money. My Bluestone plants are just as healthy as anything I can find locally, and cost half as much (small perennials go for about $4.99 each around here, and HD/Lowes don't carry anything I want). Although they aren't known for carrying unique stock, they have a huge variety, at least comparable to the biggest nursery around me. Their service is superb, and their money back guarantee solid. I also mail order roses, most of which are less expensive and healthier than plants I can find locally, and now that I am starting to introduce OGRs, that's probably the only way to get what I want. Suja

Kentucky - I have been trying to figure out how to make some raised beds- or raised pots for the front yard landscaping. I don't want the look of basic garden vegetable beds for around the front of the house though. I thought maybe I could dig 2 ft hole and put a 2 ft raised planter on top of it, that night work. I iam also thinking about making very big planters (they are ridiculously expensive to buy. I am not sure about the aestetic for my front landscaping, but after considering many materials and my craftsmanship capabilities I have a plan. I will just have to try it and see how it looks. It could sit above ground, part in ground or in ground. My design is 2"x2" wood frame cube (or taller) dark cedar stained (ECO friendly and plant safe). Side and bottom panels of 1" hardware cloth. Inner lining of natural burlap. It would sit on 8" concrete blocks (in ground) with the hole side up foradditional drainage. Inside bottom filled with river rocks then another lining of burlap to contain the soil and the plant and finally mulch on top, of course. It would have to be big enough to allow 3'x3' space for the roots to grow in the soil area. Again, the aestetic is the probelm (aside form all the hard work and digging). I think it wold look descent but odd. To build a retaining wall for the space under the front window of the house would not look right eiterh at the height I need it to be. I think the real solution is to pay for a backhoe to come in here and excavate the clay and then have new soil put in - way too expensive for me right now. I do have one narrow strip on the west side of the front yard that I am lining with concrete blocks to build up that soil area. I plan on very tall trellises lining that hill (all my land is hilly) and covering them with rose and jasmine vines as a privacy fence. The probelm is the area is part shade - never sunny and that is not goo for any of the plants I like. I bought the Charles Darrow Hybrid Musk for that location as it is reported by others to grow and bloom very well in shade. I also have some varieties of Jasmine that might do in that spot. I am also thinking of Camelias and Sky Pencil Holly. My Hollies are about 1ft tall now. It will be years before they grow big enough.