Thank you, boncrow. I’ve been very happy with Love Song. It does so well in the heat, and the blooms last a good long time, both on the bush and in the vase. I so rarely purchase more than one of any rose. I know it looks best in the garden, but I have little space and want to try so many different roses. I attempt to make up for it by repeating groups of annuals and perennials. Hopefully I’m slowly tying things together and fighting my very random gardening habits. Anyway, I digress. I have enjoyed my Love Song so much that I purchased a second one. I bought a small tree rose of Love Song. I figured that won’t take much space, and I can still get more of those wonderful lavender blooms. I do know that Ingrid had an ownroot LS that just wouldn’t grow. Mine are grafted, and I think this one struggles, or is at least very slow to grown on its own roots.

Sebastian feels like warm velour! Lisa

I agree! I love your Live Song! It's gorgeous, but Sebastian! He's amazing!

First of all, Sebby is just gorgeous and doesn't look half bad in his stylish "do". He looks so cool and contented. Love the pics. As for Love Song, it's a favorite of mine, as well, and I have two LS. I think it's a definite California rose which loves the heat. Love Song's issues are with cold sensitivity, and it's one of the few roses I winter protect. Yours is so luscious. Diane

Dexter is so cute

Not totally sure about the tail, but the rest is adorable. He looks like a little munchkin it that first picture. I love the fact that he prances around and obviously feels good in his skin.

Your Love Song is the object of my unadulterated envy. Maybe this is a rose that should be grafted. Somewhere along the line I must have it, especially since Plum Perfect (own root) also just sits there until I could scream. He's getting some fish solution today!

Lisa, That photo of Sebastian squinting is hilarious. I love the lion cut, especially the pompom on the end of the tail.

I'm amazed that you can grow delphiniums in your heat. I do love them, but have sworn off anything the slightest bit fussy, as I've killed so many plants. I either seem to kill perennials pretty quickly, or else they take over, and I end up digging them up a few years after planting!

I’ve had some of those “take over the world” perennials, too:) This delphinium is one of those New Zealand delphiniums, bred by the Dowdeswell family. They are very heat tolerant and reliably perennial. They’re the best delphs I’ve ever grown. They do need plenty water, but they are gorgeous!

I sure do love Love Song. I’ve seen yours Diane, absolutely gorgeous! Ownroot or grafted? I think you told me before, but I’ve forgotten. I do remember that most people had best success with it grafted, but there was someone who had a real beauty that was ownroot I wish Poseidon’s blooms held up so well in the hot sun. Violet’s Pride holds up fine, and I’m hoping that Quicksilver will not fry in the sun. I will soon have some idea, as my Quicksilver is getting ready to open its very first bud. I just love those purple roses. Ingrid, I hear lots of good things about Plum Perfect. I’ve had it in and out of my shopping cart more than once. How long have you had yours? As far as I know, it’s supposed to do well on its own roots. Maybe when the weather cools down, your PP will leap into growth. I hope so.

Speaking of weather, today was SO much better! That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s forecasted to be even hotter and drier this coming weekend, than it was last weekend. I had 13% humidity, and Ingrid 3%. It’s hard to imagine it getting even worse. High winds are coming too. I sure hope we don’t have wildfires. There’s plenty in Northern CA to keep the firefighters busy. It’s just terrible there.

Sabby says thank you very much. He really does seem cool and delightfully free, without his heavy coat. I’m afraid I’m with Ingrid about his tail. I know lions do have that kind of tail, but I keep thinking of some sort of rodent. Maybe it’s the kangaroo rat, that has that sort of tail? Anyway, I have an absolutely ridiculous phobia of rodents, so I’m not real crazy about that tail. He’s had it done plenty of times before though, and it’s amazing how quickly it grows back. Dexter still hisses and growls at Sebastian’s new look. They are normally very good friends. Millie of course, loves him no matter what he looks or smells like. Lisa

I'm so glad to see and hear that Sebastian is happier and more comfortable now, with his fur cut., whatever it looks like. (And, I see, no dye job!) I wonder if you could perhaps just trim the 'thing' at the end of his tail yourself, until it all regrows? Aesthetically speaking, I think I might have gone for leaving the whole tail furry, to match/ balance the still furry face and legs, or just trim the whole body evenly, but there again I'm not much of fan of fancy haircuts on animals, in general... so probably not the best judge. :-)

I think Sebastian could have been just as coolly comfortable, and more dignified, keeping his fluffy tail. Shorn he looks wonderfully plush. With his haircut he doesn't have quite the look of grumpy authority of the last photo. I know that look: when my cat Olivia wants to go out, she has the pose, the expression--and the ermine!--of the elderly Queen Victoria donning the imperial regalia for an official portrait.

Lisa, I just realized I've only had Plum Perfect for a year, but it's from ARE with its big pots, and it looked better then than it looks now. It doesn't put out new growth at all, which is what's so strange. I zinged it with fertilizer last night so we'll see what happens, if anything.

That’s what it is! He looks undignified. Well as I said, it will grow back in no time and I didn’t do it for fun. I did it because he needed it. He never has been really happy about being brushed, I think it was started too late in his life. His thick undercoat was becoming tangled and he was running and hiding when I’d open the brush drawer. He was also ingesting too much hair. But, that’s all been solved until next year. He’s happy, so I’m happy.

Ingrid, maybe your PP will grow during winter time. It may have just been putting down roots first. Speaking of purple, I cut every single Poseidon bloom this morning. It’s about to get very hot and dry, so it’s cutting time. Lisa

Beautiful. I LOVE Poseidon! It looks fantastic with Midnight Blue, Ebb Tide and the purple Gallicas in my garden. Zero disease. Carol

It's gorgeous and to me looks very similar to Love Song.

It is both similar and different to Love Song. It doesn’t stand up to the hot sun as well as Love Song does. It’s also a climber. It repeats quicker than my Love Song. Poseidon’s blooms are a little smaller, but more petal packed. Love Song opens a little looser than Poseidon. The color is quite similar but Poseidon has a tiny bit more gray to my eye. Lisa