Hello Devora, It should work, if you carefully plan, including varieties chosen, and figure on larger pots eventually, depending on the size of the plant you are putting into them now. If it's a sizeable plant now and a fast grower too, it might be better to start out with a larger pot right away. You probably ought to plan on potting up in size a couple of times again as the plant reaches full maturity. If your plants are really just getting started ownroots now, your pots might be large enough for a year or so. Eventually you'll likely need a bigger pot, though, even if the varieties are the smallest-growing kinds. For now, if your plant is really small and doesn't yet absolutely require a larger pot, the smaller pot will make it easier to insert that pot into a much bigger one, and put mulch below and around the pot you're actually growing the rose in. And on the top surface too. According to Liz Druitt in "The Organic Rose Garden", roses can have their roots damaged in hot climates by actually contacting the inside surface of a very hot pot that is baking in the sun. Some materials and darker pots might be the worst for root burning, but I'd guess even the best would not be as good as having an insulation around the pot you've planted the rose in. If you don't have a large enough pot quite yet for functioning as the outer protective coat, perhaps just wrap some bubble wrap on the outside for now? Anyway, both pots need to have water holes in the bottom, and then you'd probably want to sit that into a large pot saucer to protect the surface they're sitting on. If your plant is really small and doesn't yet absolutely require a larger pot, the smaller pot would make your control for proper amounts of water easier; too-large a pot can make it easy for the soil to get too wet (because there are no roots to take up the water on the outside edges). A guess as to some of the varieties you might be thinking about: besides some others, most teas, noisettes, and chinas would probably work; they tend to work in hot dry places like Arizona here. Modern floribundas differ so much in heritage that you'd probably need to get specific information about local success with particular varieties there. According to Liz Druitt, you can likely grow any rose in a pot, if you are willing to put the required effort into it. But some varieties are so large that the pot needs to be huge, and you'd still need to go overboard in trying to keep it sufficiently watered. You're going to need a lot of water when it's hot, more than you might need if the rose were planted in the ground. I've no experience at all with growing roses under your conditions, but theoretically it would seem better to me to water deeply when you water, or at least to use that strategy some of the time in your overall watering scheme. You can have a salts buildup inside the pot that a slow drip might not be sufficient to help get rid of. This could result in a soil that is too alkaline, with needed nutrients insufficiently available to the rose. Also, if it's terribly, terribly hot, the amount of water coming out of the drip might not be sufficient even if you're not worried about a salts buildup. A drip in concert with a deep watering a couple of times each week might be a pretty good strategy, but if you see the soil getting dry, you might need to switch to a deep watering every day, or even twice a day. Roses seem to prefer an Eastern exposure if they can't have a Southern exposure. But some roses can get along better without morning sun than others do. As a guess, it might not hurt to select varieties with some shade tolerance, as well as heat tolerance. The Woodland Rose Garden site has a large list of shade tolerant possibilities: http://www.woodlandrosegarden.com/rose/shade1.htm Also Rogue Valley Roses has a good-sized list of shade tolerant rose possibilities, including some that you might not find elsewhere. I've included a link to the Rogue Valley advanced search page where you can pull down for a list of shade tolerant varieties or very shade tolerant varieties. You'd need to check up on heat tolerance separately from shade tolerance. A guess as to types to avoid: Damasks and Gallicas. Maybe Portlands. You don't see those varieties planted very often in the South here, so perhaps they need cooler weather? Just a guess: that most of the varieties being grown and offered for sale at the Antique Rose Emporium and Countryside Roses would work for you. It can get pretty warm in southern Texas and Mississippi here, though it's not as dry as Israel. Well, that's all I can think of. Best of luck! Mary Here is a link that might be useful: Advanced variety search at Rogue Valley Roses

Japanese Beetles - Humm (knock on wood). I didn't have the problems with JBs as others in Eastern and Central PA last year. Oh, I had beetles, but not to the point where they destroyed all my blooms on all my roses. I still had a lot of roses to cut and bring in the house. I have Milky Spore down for a couple of years. I had read somewhere that milky spore doesn't work. I guess to each their own and it makes me question those "experts". I still will get some beetles because I live out in the middle of fields and the farmers don't put milky spore on their fields. Then there's the drought. Droughts are hard on plants, but it also will harden the soil to the point where the female beetles find it hard to penetrate and lay their eggs. Because of my water situation here, I don't water except for the very new plants to get their root systems started. The others are on their own. Unless the drought gets extremely dry, my plants don't seem to suffer. I keep rain drums positioned around the house for watering pot plants and any other plants that do seem to suffer from droughts. I will also feed a select few the Bayer triple systemic and the rest will get the Bayer double systemic about once a month and that also seems to help with the black spot and insects. My white roses that seem to have a problem with thrips will get the triple systemic and that helps with thrips. I want to be able to enjoy my roses and other plants. That's why I have them. But I'm not going to break my back out there every day trying to keep every bug, every bit of disease from them. If that were the case than I'd live in a tiny third story appartment without even a balcony. I let Mother Nature handle most of the work and I will occasionally help out with spray, systemics but mostly food. I have found that keeping my roses well fed is a key to helping them with the disease and insect problems. A good organic food once a month will keep them much more healthy than any spray for fungus or insects. Besides, spray for insects will also kill insects I don't want to kill. I'm not big for poison of any kind. I have found that to let those few mice and other pests in the garden, they don't generally become a problem. Others will gladly come into the garden temporarily to help out with the pests. I must be doing something right. My garden is a traffic stopper.

here is my take on the epson salts. I think doing a folar spray is less dangerous than watering it into the soil. but I can see a use for the soil with basil. I dont think you necessarily want to eat basil with epson salt on it. although it is safe to eat. now salt is salt and too much salt in the soil is not good for a plant. the fertilizers like miracle grow or peters are salts. and using a full teaspoon per gallon of those salts can be too strong. so I would not advise a full teaspoon of epson salt per gallon to water my plants. I think if the tiny amount on leaves is enough then a tiny amount is all that is needed coming up the roots. To me I think of it as taking my miracle grow and mixing in some epson salts so that there is some magnesium included in the fertilizer. now I would not put an equal amount of epson salt in with an equal amount of fertilizer. the plant only looks for trace amounts of epson salt magnesium compared to all the fertilizers. therefore only a little is needed. I also dont want to make my soil salty. lastly what I am doing now is I have my quart spray bottle and it has epson salt and seaweed combined. the seaweed has about xx trace elements I think. well it has a lot anyway. I am not sure. but seaweed is a proven foliar spray and a proven use in the water. seaweed also should not make the soil real salty like epson salts will. so I am using only a little bit of both in the bottle. maybe an 1/8th of a teaspoon or less of each in the quart. so I guess I am using about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon not too far from the 1 teaspoon per gallon but I have sprayed about 4 times in the last week or so and so I will now have to cut back. also I think it is more ok to use a higher concentration of epson salts in the spray than in the water. the total amount given the plant is much much less. all this said, I must say that I see a lot of good greening up on my pepper plants since I started spraying. And I did give one shot of watering the plants. but there I put maybe 1/4 teaspoon in 5 gallons. I will quote from here: http://www.kelpproductsofflorida.com/ Norwegian Kelp contains over 12 vitamins, 60 major and trace chelated minerals and 20 amino acids.

Nora, Thanks so much for your response...I feel so fortunate to have so many people respond over the past 24 hours. Your idea of a styrofoam ball with yarn is fantastic. My mom knitted and crochet her entire life...learned while in school in 7th grade and actually did it for a living while raising me and my sisters. Now, I have bags full of yarn and I've tried to encourage her, but she won't (I realize now it's probably that she can't). But, if I get the styrofoam balls, maybe, just maybe I can get her interested in winding the yarn around them. I cannot tell you how much this forum has helped me already...For 4 1/2 months, I've been so frustrated with my mom constantly refusing everything I've tried to get her to do. At times, she seems completely fine, so clear headed that I lose sight of the fact that she's losing her mind and at times have actually argued with her!!! How ridiculous! I'm beginning to realize that it's not that she doesn't WANT to do anything, it's that she CAN"T, or is AFRAID that she can't. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for them...what are they thinking, what are they feeling? How frightening it must be for them. These are thoughts that I torture myself with. I so want to cure her and take care of her; all I can do is be there for her and let her know that I love her and will always be here for her. Every day, when I leave the house (I go to my main office for a few hours 3 days a week) she asks me "where are you going?" and every day, I say "I'm going to the office" and she says "be careful and make sure you come home" and I walk up to her, every day, give her a big hug and a kiss and I say "I will always come home, and I will always love you." I guess that is all I can do..let her know she is loved and truly cared for and that I won't let anything awful happen to her. Now that I've rambled on so....I do have a question, if anyone is even still reading this...How do you manage caring for your mom knowing that she doesn't have a clue who you are? It must just tear you apart.One more thing Nora...nine years is a long time...how was she through the majority of those years? Was she aggitated? Did she get along with her caregivers? Did she put up a fight about bathing?...I'm done for now....thanks again...you've been more help than you can ever imagine...my heart goes out to all of you for taking the time to respond to me and caring enough to do so....