Wow, lots of discussion here overnight. I hadn't thought about hybrid multifloras . . . the green canes and thornlessness could go along with that . . . this little guy is showing no signs of flowering in clusters, though. It's got single main buds on the laterals, with two side buds. No variation from this pattern anywhere on the plant. BTW, what constitutes a 'fringed stipule'? I've been comparing this rose to everything in the garden, and I don't see that its stipules are any more fringy than some of the others I have. The comparison to Seven Sisters is an interesting one. To my experience, there are a lot of roses out there being passed off as Seven Sisters -- some with different habits and bloom styles and sizes. The only one I've ever seen in person is one we planted at a public garden downtown, and we doubted that it was the real thing. The flowers are much smaller than my rose, and it always flowers in clusters. I checked the photos of Seven Sisters on HMF, but I couldn't find one that showed enough of the leaves or buds or canes to make a good comparison. The Lansdowne rose started last year with a main cane (the one that I rooted the year before) and one basal. Over the course of the year, it sent up at least 6 other basal canes to make quite a little cluster of canes. No signs of suckering away from the base of the plant, though. As far as comparing this to my other roses, I find that this one sort of resembles my Madame Plantier. Both are thornless, with green canes, with main and sidebuds on the flowering laterals. MP was new to me last year, so I haven't had a chance to compare the flowers in person yet, though some of the photos of it on HMF are a dead-ringer for my rose, except that the flowers on MP are white. This probably doesn't help us narrow the choice of class for my rose, since the Madame has conflicting classifications -- is she a noisette, or an alba, or what? The photo of MP in the link below shows some of the characteristics of my rose. Some of the buds are fat with shorter sepals, and some are fringy and foliose (I love that word, thanks Melissa.) I wish the mama rose wasn't gone. Connie P.S. We can trade cuttings later in the year -- it's a little bit too early to do that here. Here is a link that might be useful: Marcia's Madame Plantier HMF photo

A prostrate rosemary might not need so much pruning to keep it short as a tall one would, although since it grows out as enthusiastically as the upright ones grow up, maybe it would, so it didn't cover more ground than wanted! Lavender might do, if it is planted relatively high and dry. Not variegated, but not really green either, more a silver green. A dwarf Raphiolepis, Indian Hawthorn, while not varigated, might do, flowers in either white or pink. It's not wholly evergreen, but keeps its leaves late, and leafs out early, so would a variegated caryopteris do? You get blue flowers in late summer, which butterflies LOVE! Also not wholly evergreen, Gold Mound Spirea, while needing some shaping to keep the size, is a lovely color, and has flowers in the summer. On the silvery side, lamb's ears are nice - either the regular ones which flower in summer along tall stems, or the larger-leaved, greener, non-flowering 'Helene von Stein'. The leaves are smaller in the winter, but they are still there. 'Helene' can flower, but I have had maybe 20 flower stems in 6 years, so it's not much. They spread, so you would have to keep them in the bounds you set.

I have a couple of friends who do the 'show me a piano and we'll do a sing along" thing... I might add "The Trolly song" "A guy is a Guy" "Are you sincere" "The Thing"...( Phil Harris...get out of here with that * bump de dump*) Good Morning Star Shine Yes sir That's my Baby Heart of my Hearts...I love that melody.. Cool Water Mule Train High Noon (speaking of Frankie Laine!) Matilda Peg O' my Heart Guantanamera See Ya later Alligator Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polkadot....etc And there are great "Country" sing along soneg...such as "I walk the line" and "Momma Don;t Your Sons grow up to be Cowboys"" And "Ruby don't tale your Love to Town" And of course "Daddy sang bass and Momma sang Tenor..." And a few that are not fit for polite company!! LOL!...Something about "clover"??? Linda C

could you attach some white fiberfill to a lightweight disc...this will become the head and face ...the kind you tole paint xmas ornaments on ..put a roller on the "hair" ..wrap the hair like you remember with a similar kind of scarf....paint on a very primitive face.. and attach a tag "Grandmas are just ANTIQUE little girls" write on the back of the ornament ..her name and DOB...and any other info so they will have it to remember her too. For her kids..." Moms' are what memories are made of"...just an idea, it's hard to describe what you see in your head to someone else. I think the discs are three inches in diameter and come in packs of 12. Wooden heads would work but be costly and styrofoam would be hard to write info and a face on.