Graham is better own-root in So Cal. Grafted on Dr. Huey he gets really large and doesn't bloom that much. Own-root he's a nice-rounded shrub with regular repeat. You are in zone 24, close to the ocean? Eden will likely never open for you. Also a rust magnet. Beautiful beautiful flower when it is good, but many drawbacks. Colette is very nice, might open better for you, and less Rust. I'd go with Darcy or Jude. Mary Rose is a mildewer par excellence, and there are many other pink Austins with faster repeat for So Cal.

Carla.Picture # 5 is Hot Cocoa,with a tiny Cherry Parfait in it,and a couple little Europenna in the left back. Leslie:I am glad to know that this Hot Cocoa looks like the mini Pennies from Heaven.I looked at that mini several times,thinking,that I wish I knew exactly what the blooms would look like.Now I know I want that mini.Thanks. Patricia,,Florence and Hoovb;Thanks you for the nice comments on the pictures. Jean

Wow! Our DSL was down last night so I couldn't get online. Florence - thanks! I love that DR DEBAT too. He's gotta be one of my best purchases from Vintage Gardens so far! Niecey - thanks for asking. I been busy busy busy! Drip system installations, moving my kid to SoCal, dealing with my elderly parents, working.... I hardly have time to to do anything! Diane - thanks for the tip on the drip stuff. I kinda knew that, but like I remember to take hot water out there!! LOL Anyway, it's been warm enough out there that the hoses are easier to put on lately. Plus I wear those tight grippy neoprene-coated knit gloves and that helps alot. So LADY X is more lavender for you, huh? I kinda like the pics I've seen where she's more pinkish. Guess I'll pass on that one. Cormac - THE CHESHIRE REGIMENT is one I got from Pickering many many yrs ago. It's a Fryer rose. It's always a great performer, altho this yr it seems to have bloomed a bit less. The blooms are beautiful, but they do blow a bit fast. The color is a sort of apricot, pink and cream blend. I'll have to check scent, as I don't remember if it has any. Cziga - florist roses are roses grown for the florist industry. They are usually hybrid teas, with little to no scent, and are bred to last a long time in the vase. Many of them are becoming more and more popular with us crazy rose growers. And we used to have a great source for the plants, but they closed up for some reason. Some of the florist roses do not look the same in your garden as they do from the florist. Many of them are grown in greenhouses, and some change color when grown out of doors. If you ask your florist, they often do know the names of the roses. Our Safeway market carries them in dozens, with name labels on them. I have tried to root some florist roses, but haven't had much luck. I know many people on the forum have been successful tho. Harry - Thanks!! Carla - I work at an Ace Hardware store, so I'm building my own system. We carry several different brands of parts. We just have them in bins, in bulk, and ya pick whatever ya want to make up the system. I'd love to have the timers wired-in, but that'll be something for later down the road. Right now I'm using battery-operated timers. And boy, let me tell ya... ya gotta be careful with this stuff. I had a ton of stuff off one hose bibb, with 4 different lines running. I could only run two at a time because the pressure was way too low, so I thought I'd take the pressure reducer off and run them all at once. NOT!!! As soon as I shut the timer off, the pressure blew the timer right off the bibb! What a dope! Our water normally runs at 150 psi, but with the reducer it's at 45 psi. So, just remember that. You can't take the pressure reducer off!! Jean - I'm tellin' ya, I have had so much luck with the spray I've been using. I don't understand why it's not working for you. The damn deer come into my yard, but as long as I spray every 10-14 days, they don't touch my roses! Or anything else I spray it on.

Luckygal, where in the world are you? Somewhere near a beach obviously--but which one. Sorry no good luck on the TS shopping, do keep trying! Jeanne, I have two baker's racks outside, one is a corner unit--but neither look nearly as cute as yours with your collections and vignettes. I need to work on mine I think. That is so neat that you do the Farmer's market too. Candy, I'm another one who does tablescapes for my "imaginary" friends. DH will only eat at the table when we have company--rest of the time he prefers to eat in front of the tv. Karen, I didn't do a table, but I did glue a little cheese tray and glass dome on a pedestal and decorate it--can I get any points for that? ;o) Kathleen, the rooster napkins like in your photo that you shared with me are some of my favs. We don't do sit down breakfast often, but I like to just sit the table and display them on the plates because they look so cute.