Melva I need to get my white bourbons in the ground soon. Your picture of the Comtesse is perfect. Lance

>I want something that is hardy and somewhat resistant to disease- Maybe Crepuscule and new dawn?? Hi vlodom, I was just going through some similar decisions recently and rhonda in upstate SC convinced me to go with Crepuscle. She posted a picture of it growing at one year old that is incredibly enticing. Plus, it will do that well in less than ideal sunlight. And it has few thorns. Just a really nice rose, I think. I've been interested in New Dawn too. Someone has been working on me towards one of New Dawn's seedlings: Penny Lane. That one has really good shade tolerance, she said, and she loved its fragrance. I assume it will grow as well in the Piedmont as New Dawn will, though she was writing from Kansas. Some other rambling or climbing roses you might take an interest in: Madame Alfred Carriere, Dublin Bay, Red Fountain, Quadra, Laguna, Reve d'Or, Jaune Desprez, William Allen Richardson, Sympathie, Goldfinch, Creme de la Creme, Climbing Pinkie (especially the cultivar at the Antique Rose Emporium). If you'd really like a lot of bushiness as well as the ability to put out some long canes, then take a look at Ghislaine de Feligonde. It ought to mix well with Crepuscle too. Avoid Iceberg, including climbing Iceberg, if you want to try to avoid having to spray for blackspot on the east coast. I wanted Iceberg so much that I decided to give it a try anyway... but sure enough, all I'd read about it being more of a problem on this side of the country turned out to be correct. The best resource on the internet for investigating roses is HelpMeFind.com: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/plants.php Good luck with your new house and yard! Best wishes, Mary Here is a link that might be useful: Crepuscle photo appears in this thread within Antique Roses Forum

Wow, I'd urge you to remove the cover immediately. Rubber plant cuttings take off really nicely so long as you don't over-water them. I must have made over 30 cuttings from a few different plants (one in pot, two in ground) in the last couple of years, and all I do it take a cutting, remove the last leaf to make an open wound, let it dry overnight, and stick the thing in soil. I have never had one die on me or not take root. Don't remove the leaves--and rooting hormone is not necessary. I never even cut the leaves. That said, I plant, I water and then I basically don't water for about 20-30 days until it's bone dry. A couple of months of doing that and you're set to go. No need to even check for roots; you'll see new growth coming up assuming the season is right.

I just took coleus cuttings for a new pot on the deck. Two months (I hope) until the first frost and I'm not even close to throwing in the towel! For the marigolds I would clip off all the blooms and give them a good dose of liquid fertilizer to jump start them once planted.