Hi Diane, thanks for your comment. I don't think our climate is that similar as my is so hot for so long. However I think we may have similar noses as we seem to enjoy similar roses for scent. Yes I have alkaline sandy soil. Our bore water has a pH of 9!! I have to keep adding acid and trace elements to the soil to keep the garden green. I do have an Angel Face and it does smell good too but not as consistently as the above mentioned roses. I've just ordered a Young Lycidas today as well! Heard some good comments about its scent. I will keep you posted. Many of my roses are not scented in the first year. PAOK is one of them. It flowers a lot and I hope it will become fragrant next year. I smelled one at a rose show earlier this year and it did have a very strong perfume and a note which I enjoy. Beverly also took a year to produce perfume. Do you cut the Augusta Luise? I cut them when they are half open and keep them indoors. As they open in the vase overnight they become very strongly scented and the scent will last for about 3 days. I got this rose because of its perfume alone. I smelled a vase of these at a rose show and they smelled like strong pot pourri. Everyone was in awe of its fragrance. I knew I had to grow one.

I have been reading about lacebugs and it is a big concern here. Apparently the "hairier" leafed varieties (Impeditum??) are less susceptible. I was talking to a woman last week and she said that she has managed to keep them at bay by keeping a close watch on the leaves and washing the undersides of the leaves if she sees evidence of their presence. A rhododendron garden in Portland is using some type of sprinkler system to spray upward from underneath the leaves.

Hey all, I am taking this all in and organizing my list of trees to look into. Thank you! "But remember...for a harmonious landscape composition, some repetition is a good thing. Otherwise, what you end up with is less a landscape and more a plant collection. " Thanks, wisconsitom, that is precisely what I needed to hear. I'm not going for an ordered or symmetrical look per se, but I DO want a direction, intention and theme. I like so many type of landscapes, though! And I can't wait until I got it all figured out to start planting, otherwise it will never happen. Also I need to pace my yard expenditures. I know nothing about garden or landscape design, but I am a plant person and have been gardening since I was a child, have worked on farms and as a gardener and done botanical internships, ect... Enough to know I don't know much ;) My husband is pretty good with edibles, like grapes. My level of involvement is moderate now with a 1 year old in tow, but I would like it to be high. I like to spend at least 30-60 mins a day, all year, tending to plants, and much more when needed. gardengal48 yes, I have gone through the assessment process with the city, and their selection of fruit trees is limited. They've come and marked where our trees can be. At the end of September a group called Friends of Trees will reveal their available trees (which homeowners help plant). But If I want something different I must go get it myself and apply for the permit. A neighbor down the street works for the urban forestry center, she said she'd fill me in and help me pick out so W trees. So nice! About crepe myrtles, I see them all over Portland, blooming right now, often next to a house so their flowers peak in the windows, or even second story windows. They do seem to thrive in sun or protected courtyards.

Lenny is a very sweet guy. It was not an argument but of a debate. Does not matter what kind of mulch. He don't recommend inspite of my points on why it is important. Anyways, the selection was small. I decided to get pine mulch within 2 weeks. Vap you gave me more selection. Lenny still don't recommend Bec is mildew and roaches ....lol. If I see anyone cutting trees or something. Going to ask for shredded Oak or chips...lol. Lisa, no he is not the guy. The person who brings the roses is from Nelson's. They are rose people. I think... I wrote you an email about them . They do retails only. Open to public on SATs for cash and carry only for few hours. They come HD and prune, replenish roses and gone real quick. I am always at work. Never got a chance to meet them. Lenny overseas garden center for HD that's it. He also told me roses life is very short only a few years. So, telling you all this what do you think ? Yup, Morlorena is right. They don't know anything about roses. Jin