OMG, Christopher! Look at all those red HT roses!! Wonderful pics. Thank you. I love your red roses with purple clematis. (My two favorite colors.) I have yet to acquire Chateau de Clos Vougeot but REALLY want to get one from RVR after I make room in my driveway pot garden, and I would love to grow another Guinee and Don Juan someday. Obviously, I completely grok your dark red rose mania. I currently have Mr. Lincoln, Black Magic, Black Bacarra, Deep Secret, Velvet Fragrance, Nigrette, Barcelona, Black Gold, Dusky Maiden, and Red Pinocchio. A couple of these are total pains, but I pamper them anyway. Lucky little buggers! Carol

Amy -- The roses at Otto & Sons will be budded. That should be fine for our part of the world. (I'm over in Camarillo.) If it comes to that, I personally prefer own-root roses, and no longer have many budded ones. But if the rose I wanted was available only as a budded plant, I would not avoid it. FRAGRANCE: Fragrance is a funny thing. It's very individual -- one person's fragrant rose is another's "I can't smell that." For that matter, one person's deliriously wonderful fragrance is another's ICK! So I would recommend a visit to a nursery or two to "smell the roses," and see what your husband likes. (I, personally, cannot smell 'Don Juan.') Otto & Sons is a good place to do that, because they have a wide selection of roses -- and not all nurseries do, these days. Visit them on line, to see what they offer, these days. The whole Klittich family -- NICE folks. Here is a link that might be useful: Otto & Sons Nursery

Those are amazing!!! You have a gift with growing roses!!! Such glorious bushes!! Your MIP looks fantastic!! You've really showcased it! Wow - your PAOK is wonderful!! I have GOT to get that rose!! Your Memorial Day loves where/how you grow it. I've never seen it look so wonderful. Happy Child is on Prozac to look THAT happy!! Fantastic!! My Brother Cadfael blooks never open as nicely as that. Stunning!!! Evelyn is amazing!! It's hard to believe they can all look like THAT!!! Carol

Just browsed Nortland Rosarium website, they are in zone 5b .. and they never sell Felicia nor Perle d'Or .. both of them are NOT hardy for zone 5. That's why I prefer rooting them from cuttings, rather than buying them and losing them through zone 5a winter. http://northlandrosarium.com/table.php Northland Rosarium offered Peter Mayle in Sept. & Oct .. now they offer Rouge Royal as own-root instead. Pretty Lady rose and Miranda Lambert are also offered now. I also see Rhapsody in blue, Love Song, and Twilight Zone offered as own-root. So tempting !! I would buy them if they survive more than 5 years in zone 5a. I'll wait to see if my new approach of digging down to 2.5 feet for drainage & put tons of leaves on top & water in dry spring is successful before buying more roses.