When I lived in suburbia, I felt incredible pressure to have a "good lawn" and zero "conventional weeds" anywhere, especially since I always had a lot less lawn, and many more flowers, than most houses. In neighborhoods where a good lawn is a priority, the paltry amount it costs for a service might be worthwhile in terms of the property not being labeled as "needs new sod" at the point one might want to sell later, especially if it is a very large lawn. When we lived in a golf course community, of course you're supposed to have a good lawn. I mean it's in the HOA. I'm sure there are a lot of plants I don't want about which others would rhapsodize, with much more traditionally pretty flowers. Just trying to encourage people to think for themselves and make their own decisions if they've found themselves at some point wondering why they're paying or spending time to get rid of plants they do like, or why it's "necessary" to only have grass in the mowed areas. There may be an objectively valid reason, there may not. I became so curious about the whole thing a few years back, I bought a couple books to satisfy my curiosity about why we even have lawns, where the idea came from, and how to be a property owner/tender without devoting so much of my life tending something about which I'm ambivalent. As long as there's enough room to play with the kids and grill some burgers, the way I see it, the rest of the area being mowed is wasting my time, my money in gas to run and maintain the mower, and doing virtually nothing beneficial to nature. At one house, I had the lawn down to 20 minutes of mowing. But if it makes someone happy to look over 5 acres of freshly mowed lawn, more power to ya! If the HOA says no weeds allowed, not much option there. Admit, it's a lot easier to be non-chem when the property is so much smaller, a lot easier indeed.

It can be invasive if you decide to let it go. I planted some seeds three years ago, thinking I would like it, and then it tried to take over my veggie garden! It made seeds like crazy, and even the vine would put off roots. I still have bits come up now and then. :-/

Right again!!! The photo on the link, was taken not far from where we live. Thanks again.

Remember that the definition of weeds is; plants growing, where we as gardeners do not want them to grow. That means that all plants per definition can be weeds! It only becomes a problem if people do not weed their hedges. Birds sit on them and drop the seeds, so seedlings are bound to occur. If not removed they are going to be hard to remove. Because of their suckering growth habit, these roses have been easy to propagate, by digging one of the suckers up and potting it. Greenhaven: In your zone Stanwells Perpetual is not going to be huge! Probably gets to be a small arching shrub about 3-4 feet tall. It gets a little blackspot. I have never seen it becoming invasive. mad_gallica: Marianne is right. It is a native rose and the double form comes true from seeds. We also see a lot of rosa glauca here. I like them too! Pamela: I totally agree. Spinosisisma roses are wonderful and easy to grow. They can be left on their own and still do great. There are many hybrids to choose from, but I do not know whether they will be spread by birds, like our Double White? Ann: I agree Stanwells Perpetual is not invasive in my experience too. I have never seen altaica, but the name reminds me of a very popular spinsissima hybrid over here: Aicha, named after The Prophet Mohammed's favorite wife, and the legend about how a white rose turned yellow, due to her infidelity/adultery. See link. Reading Peter D.A. Boyd's article about 'Scots Roses' made me realize that some of the hybrids are very well known and loved garden roses. Some of them are: -Harison's Yellow -Stanwells Perpetual -Maigold -Kordes frlings-rose series (My favorite of those is Frühlings-Duft) Most of these are very fragrant and easy to grow roses. Brought into the house, in a vase, their flowers scent the rooms with their strong rose fragrance. They flower very early and I so hunger for the scent of roses, after going through withdrawal pains for 6 months, so it is with great joy that I can say: The roses have begun to bloom! More and more rosebushes are blooming with a few scattered blooms and I will be taking pictures and write about the roses I see my blog: http://rosesingardens.blogspot.com/ Stanwells Perpetual: Perhaps the most well known pimpinellifolia rose. Probably a hybrid with Autumn Damask. Unlike many other it repeat blooms well. It forms a small arching shrub, with very thorny canes and double blush pink rose flowers, that fades to white. Often the inner petals form a button eye. They are very fragrant!: Maigold: A very large rose! Mostly grown as a low climber. Has semi-double loosely shaped orange to golden yellow flowers that fades to almost white. Throws out huge 10-12 feet very thorny canes and repeats a little in early fall: A woman in the neighborhood grows a pimpinellifolia rose I have never seen or heard of before. It was passed on to her mother from her grandmother. She does not know where here grandmother got the rose from. I thought it was the common known "House-wife's Rose" or "Double Blush". But I do believe it is different from these. I will send pictures to Mr Peter A. Boyd and see if he can Identify this rose. It is a real gem. It flowers with many hundreds of small roses - less than an inch across. They are strongly fragrant and the growth habit is neat and compact, and it is not as large as some of the other pimpinellifolia roses. Late summer and fall it has many small shiny, wine black hips.