Denise, I did order 3 roses from Chamblees in 2011, Duchesse de Brabant, Mrs. B. R. Cant, and Crepuscule, and then last year I ordered 3 more from them--Pat Austin, SDLM, and Mrs. Dudley Cross. This coming fall I am thinking about ordering Maggie, and I might need to find 2 others to complete the order :) I was happy with Chamblees plants, although a couple plants were on the smaller side. But they did replace a small rose that arrived split at the soil surface. I planted the broken one, which is slowly catching up, as well as the replacement, so I have two Crepuscule plants. Rosefolly, my bigger Crepuscule that I planted next to an arbor needs some help. It doesn't seem to have grown much in the last year and is showing signs of what I think is an iron deficiency, green veins in pale leaves. Our calcareous soils make it difficult for plants to get the iron they need. It didn't help that a huge blue sky vine was taking over the arbor as well. Also, the plant is in the hot afternoon sun and I'm not sure that is the best location. The second, smaller Crepuscule is planted where it gets more shade and I'll be interested to see how it looks this fall. I am thinking about trying green sand for the iron problem, after reading about it this spring on one of the GW forums. As we are snow birds, I didn't have time to do any serious amendments this spring before we left for the north. I did fertilize with a fertlizer for acid loving plants and mulched. I will read more about green sand and perhaps try it in the fall. For now, my Florida roses are on their own (sorry to leave them--some were getting ready for a nice flush when we had to leave). I am hoping our area has a nice, rainy summer! Some photos--not many full bush photos--too much other greenery nearby makes them hard to photograph. Mrs. Dudley Cross has been slow to take off and has had just a couple of flowers on her thus far and they were not that nice. I'm hoping she'll improve with age. Marcia Duchesse de Brabant Crepuscule in 2012 Crepuscule bud in April 2013--you can see the darker veins in the lighter green leaves I love Pat Austen's color! Too bad her blooms droop so SDLM was a tiny plant when I received it last spring, so I took it back to PA with me and nursed it in a pot all summer. She was planted in the ground in November 2012. A helpful critter on one of her buds Mrs. B. R. Cant is definitely the plant that took off and grew larger than any of the others that I planted from Chamblees. Before we left Florida, we put a small fence (not in this photo) in front of her so the canes wouldn't droop on the ground and be run over by the lawn mower.

My most productive and rewarding activity over the past month has been murder. Yep, quite literally killing. And I must admit it gives me great pleasure to see the tiny brown specks which only the day before were an inconspicuous green. No longer sucking the life out of my rose buds, but in my imagination that life is drained out of them back into the roses. They are purely and plainly parasites. Aphids are to plants what fleas and ticks are to animals. And what pleasure it is! There's the challenge of the hunt. Without proper equipment (very good reading glasses) they'd escape detection. And then spritzing them with insecticidal soap! Ah, the joys of gardening. Similarly, the slight crunching sound as I squish the rose beetles under foot on the walk is somehow very very satisfying. As is the gentle search of myriad petals to find them nuzzled there. Gotchya! I understand the primates who preen their kin. And it's good practice for the next war. The one against the arrival of new fire ant queens who learn that they are sadly mistaken. My garden is NOT prime real estate for the likes of them.

I too think it depends on the variety of rose and your growing conditions. My Lady Alexandra of Kent, I got from DA on its own root. When I received it I put it in a pot for a month or two until I could plant it in the ground. That rose took off and was over 7 feet tall the first year. In comparison, my own root Sister Elizabeth has stayed about a foot tall all year. Depends on the variety. All of my own root roses have done well and I have only lost one due to the excessive heat this last summer. Speakin of heat, I am in So. Cal. visiting my folks for the holidays and it was 88 degrees yesterday and it is supposed to be the same today. What is up with that? Meanwhile, we will be getting our first freezing Temps at home this week. Ugh! Time to cover the citrus. That being said, I do love my own root roses and am happy I won'the lose tem too rootstock again. I am typing from a tablet, so hopefully I don't have too many mistakes on this thing.

I love Carding Mill because I feel have several rose bushes in one.. It often opens dark orange and then turns pink but in the heat it'll skip the dark orange and open a ligh apricot and then go almost pinkish white. I planted one at my daughter's in TX and hers opens a clear light yellow and then turns pink. The flowers last for many days. The fragrance is good and it is pretty generous with blooms. My Alnwick is less forthcoming with blooms but when they bloom they are breathtaking: Carding Mill: The Alnwick Rose Even as it was losing petals I found it charming: I bought both grafted and they bloomed at once. Anne :)