Sara Ann, I am no expert but I can speak from personal experience. For me the advantage to own root roses is they usually grow more leaves at the bottom of the plant so that the rose is less likely to have "bare legs' (canes). The plants tend to be fuller for me when mature. I like grafted roses when I need more vigor to establish a rose quickly. Many modern hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda roses are only available grafted because they lack the vigor to easily establish themselves own root. Some are available eventually own root if they are vigorous enough. Some examples are Icebergs, Julia Child, Livin' Easy, Gertrude Jekyll, Golden Celebration, Carefree Beauty, Bonica, etc. These more modern roses are available both own root and grafted. My goals, my past personal results and the shared experiences of those who are kind enough to share their thoughts and are more talented than I (like Kathy and Catsrose), help me to optimize my results. What I have heard many times on this and other forums is what does not work for many others in your climate zone most likely will not work for you. So I try to pick wisely and hopefully end up dealing with fewer problems. Sometimes advice is also not "absolute" as my results vary somewhat from the experiences of others. The answer to your question is "it depends" on your goal(s) for growing your roses. Personally, I have different motives depending on my goal for a particular area of my yard. I don't spray and I try to garden organically so I try to pick roses that are capable of thriving without protection. This limits my choices a lot but I am not exhibiting roses and I like not having to spray regularly. I have an area where I am growing all grafted modern hybrid teas along a fence. I was looking for high vigor, immediate bloom production and plants that would establish themselves quickly. I planted companion plants around them to cover any bare legs. In pots, I like own root roses when I can get them because in my experience they are fuller, better looking bushes when mature. I have to be more patient with them because they take some time to build out as previously mentioned by Kathy and Catsrose. All of my Old Garden or Antique roses, like Reve d'Or, Reine de Violettes, Maman Cochet, Mon. Tillier, etc. are own roots because they grow vigorously that way and they are widely available for purchase. I have areas of my yard that are all own root old garden roses and some that are all grafted more modern roses. Most of the old garden varieties are widely available own root but can be ordered grafted from specialty nurseries willing to graft plants for you, like Burlington in Ca. If I had the goal of huge plants and larger flowers, had a lot more space and did not mind staking them I would choose roses that are available grafted on Fortuniana root stock. I like seeing pictures of mature whole plants to see how they look and with further research about what grows well in my local climate shared by others on this site and Help Me Find I believe I am making better decisions when deciding what to plant where. I believe more gardeners today are 'requesting' own root roses and the growers are now responding by offering those varieties that can be grown either way. That's not to say own root is better than grafted but it's really up to you based on your gardening goals. I also personally believe it's cheaper in the long run for the grower to produce own root roses if the plants mature fast enough. The growers have to be careful that the casual gardener does not judge their roses negatively if a neighbor is growing the same rose grafted and their bush is performing better so the growers pick and choose those varieties where the difference is minimal. Good luck and happy gardening.... Lee This post was edited by leezen4u on Wed, Sep 25, 13 at 14:52

OK well here....LOL I like that when people say "here" ;-) In this case, here would be CT = Connecticut = here (for searching purposes,eh) The word according to UCONN - seems the local aggie (CAES) does NOT have a Master Gardener (MG) program. Kind of disappointing. (Quote) Thank you for your interest in the UCONN Cooperative Extension System Master Gardener Program. Students enrolled in this program receive training in botany, plant pathology, soils, entomology, pesticide safety, integrated pest management (IPM), woody ornamentals, herbaceous ornamentals, vegetables, tree and small fruits, turf grass, invasive plants, water quality, environmental factors affecting plant growth, and diagnostic techniques for the home gardener. Becoming a Certified Cooperative Extension Master Gardener requires a completion of:  145 hours  85 hours of formal classroom training & 60 hours of supervised in-service training.  At least 30 in-service hours (mentioned above) to be conducted in one of the nine teaching locations during weekday business hours, answering gardening inquiries; the remaining 30 hours through approved educational outreach activities.  16 classes are held from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, one full day per week from January through April.  A written, open book exam, given before beginning the in-service phase of the program.  All office and outreach hours completed by September 30, 2007.  Tree/Shrub/Vine identification collection due by August 31, 2007.  Attendance of at least one summer diagnostic session.  A final practicum exam at the conclusion of the in-service training. The charge for the program is $350.00, plus a $50.00 manual fee for each participant. Scholarships are available based on financial need. Enrollment is limited and competitive, so please be complete in filling out the application. We need the requested information to evaluate your talents and volunteer commitment. We may telephone or conduct personal interviews to elicit more information. (/Quote)

suzanne, beautiful granite! I used to know the name but haven't been in "bathroom mode" since 2007. Can't wait to see the finished product :) I can tell by the cabinetry that it's going to have a contemporary feel/look. Everything seems to be contemporary/modern (what's the difference?) or vintage. Thanks for sharing :) mongo, this is going to be very interesting. I always enjoy seeing your projects. My budget will be semi-shoestring so it'll only be semi-bada** bold :) babka, thanks for the picture! Again, modern...dark, but modern. It's VERY pretty! I wonder if they regret the SS sinks? itltrot, oh come on! You can just white out the toilet if you have to. I'd love to see your husband's shop bathroom. My husband has a shop/barn out back. It's two story. He's making the top into a loft. The shower (which I think is going to be downstairs under the stairs) is going to be sheet iron and rock.

Mimulus, what soil mix have you tried with the odora? Alocasias are adaptable but don't like 'wet feet' or very dry conditions. Here in central Fla I let the mix dry to an inch or two before watering, but daily rainy spells doesn't seem to bother them. I have mine in a mix of primarily unsifted pine bark mulch (from WalMart), with a little peat moss or styrofoam balls and a little perlite. I've successfully grown them in many other mixes using various proportions of Miracle-Gro, peat moss, pine bark mulch, perlite and/or vermiculite. They're really not too particular as long as the mix has air spaces and drains well. It would help if you turn on your Messaging. My email is bluesea14808@yahoo.com. If your interested in trades, I have quite a few alocasias and colocasias, including A. macrorhizos variegata. Also have a large collection of philodendrons, aglaonemas and other aroids, and sansevierias. Russ