OK, apologies for dropping out of the conversation. I'd like to add my perspective. When I purchased my York rose I was fully expecting white flowers, just like I always saw in any picture I'd ever seen of the flower. Imagine my surprise when in my cool June temps. oceanside garden (it doesn't usually really get past 80 here until July) the flowers opened peachy pink and then stayed that way for several days (fading, but still pink until maybe four days later, at which point the look was white, but not a pure white, like Rosa rugosa alba, or Iceberg, or most other "whites")!! There's something vaguely, slightly apricot about my York's color even when fully developed. That's what I meant about calling it "milk white". Yes, the innermost petal or two is small and twists. The flower size is about 3"-4" when fully open, and as I said, the flower petals are notched at the apex and the petals are floppy, more so as they age. The canes are thorny, but only somewhat, especially as the cane ages. The image of the cane is consistent with my (now apparently dead) rose's canes. The leaves are just fine for York rose. As I said, the leaf color of York rose (& also Rosa x alba maxima - the Jacobite rose) is NOT the classic "blue-green" generally associated with Albas (such as Great Maiden's Blush). It's a leaden-green color instead. Graham Stuart Thomas mentioned that in his book on the old roses. If your rose is not York Rose, I'll be surprised. If it reblooms it's not York rose (and also not an Alba). Pay attention to the hips as they develop. You should have nice ones by Halloween or Thanksgiving.

Becky, water celery: easy you can get a basket fill with gravel or the pond stuff you plant in plant it straight in the stuff, it can float or sink a little. OR you can plant it on the edge of your pond where it is wet. ostrich fern: Shade FULL shade needs LOTS of room can grow to 6 foot tall. Plant it in good woods dirt or humus. water iris: Easy, Plant around the margin of the pond or IN it but no more then 1 inch of water above the crown. varigated celery: same instructions for Water Celeery above. dwarf umbrella palm: Plant in a pot with yard dirt, must be a heavy dirt or the pond stuff. Plant the roots just below the stem. Place in the water, no more the 8 inches, as it grows you can increase the depth but I wouldn't put it too deep. water lily: You need a pot or a bowl with no holes in it to plant in. Put heavy soil in the bottom of the pot/bowl, then mound up a mount in the center and lay the roots out all around the mound. Then back fill with more heavy soil around the roots, firm the soil around the roots. It needs to be packed well. It depends on which lily you got as to which depth it can be placed in the pond. You don't want any air pockets around the roots of the lilies or any of the other water plants for that matter if you are using soil. It also needs to be a heavy type soil and clean so it doesn't get trash in your water. The reason you need to pack it firm is so there will be less air pockets when you put it in the pond and it will not make a mess. There will be a few small air pockets you will miss but when you go to place the pot in the pond do it slowly at an angle so that the water doesn't make a cloudy mess with the soil and move it slow until you hit the bottom or a riser. When I had water celery and water clover before my pond died, I planted those in strainers I got from the 1.00 store, in rocks and then I rigged up and thing to make them 'float' on top of the pond. I read they don't like to be deep but are happy if allowed to float across the water and mine seemed to be happy. OK, I hope I helped you. You can also research the net. I had found lots of info on pond plants there when I first started (wow 9 years ago now) with water plants. I love water plants, they are the easist plants to grow I think! LOL. OK again I wish to thank EVERYONE, I got my stuff potted up for the most part. I am going to keep the stuff in pots until I can get them planted and figure out where I really want them. Norma, I wouldn't want you to have to replace those plants. Not your fault. I am hoping they bounce back but I don't think they will. Ok well I need to go check another thread.... Thanks again EVERYONE for the plants it was fun! :) Fran

I feed them Miracle Gro 24-8-16 half strength weekly or when needed. They get 16 hours of light daily from the time they come inside till they go outside. lots of light. The temperature inside the can is 10F higher than the room air and is humid. Light put on new shoot outside in early fall. Seedlings under a bucket light with a daylight 23 watt CFL. Temperature rise 20F. 85F inside. 3/4 of the growth happen during fall, winter, and spring. This gives me about a 6 year old plant in 2 years. Beyond this the grow is only a little better than normal. Steve

Isn't that strange, Mysticwaves! I don't see my post if I check my ipad, but it's here on my desktop computer still. I will C&P the reply again. So, apologies for those who are getting a double whammy. I love roses leading up to a front door. I don't really have advice, but can tell you what I did because I wanted the same thing: roses, annuals, perennials, etc. My thinking was: Since it's the front of the house, I kept a simple colour palatte of pink, white and purple. I also kept the seasons in mind because roses only look perfect for a fraction of the year. (I'm in zone 5/6) I planted one Cinderella Fairytale at the corner at each picket fence by the driveway. (Sorry, not DA. I love them, but In my zone, Kordes do a million times better.) Then, running beside the driveway are five Apple blossom carpet roses. They stay the right size and I thought the colour was a perfect match to the Cinderella Roses. To add a bit of layering, I have a row of alternating lady's mantle, catmint, and salvia. When they are all in bloom, it looks beautiful. In the early spring, before the roses awaken, There's a dwarf cherry tree filled with white blossoms while tulips run down the space between the roses and perennials. So, before the roses bloom, it's a spectacular spring show. When the roses finish their first flush, the hydrangeas get their turn to be center stage. I have old fashioned Annabelles in front of the porch mixed in with boxwood for winter interest. So, in August, the look changes once again to mostly white and green. It's actually quite restful to the eye in late summer, before the autumn flush brings a final burst of colour. Anyhow, this has worked out really well for me. It seems to morph beautifully season to season, each one taking center stage while the other flowers rest. Right now, September, the hydrangea's are done and the pink roses are flushing again, but a deeper pink due to the fall temps. Hope this helps. Whatever you do, I know it will look spectacular. <3