When I enlarged this picture, the solitary bloom, with all its nuances of pale colors, looked like a painting to me. felicity, I hope yours blooms as abundantly as Jackie's.

Gorgeous....no words...I have a few random Carefree Beauties and Spice is knocking out a few. SDLM has one ready to open... My others are covered with buds! Just watching and waiting!!

Wow, you're already getting rose blooms in zone 7 - gorgeous bloom of MAC. I am used to hearing about roses in California and Florida this time of year, but you're only two zones away from me. We don't have even a hint of rose foliage and are only starting to get buds swelling in the warmer spots of the yard. It's just now beginning to be bare root planting season, and we're at least 2 months from our first rose bloom. Usually the zones are only 2-3 weeks apart, but in the case of roses it's rather more.

Cynthia

Latitude, Cynthia. I'm in zone 7, and we have barely begun spring. But in the northern tier of states, our growing season just starts way later than down in Georgia. You are south of us, but way north of Georgia, too. Cold hardiness zones don't really have anything to length of growing season.

Felicity, that is a beautiful bloom, and yes, it does look like a painting, a credit to your photography skills, as well as the lovely bloom. Diane

Congratulations! How exciting!

And what a gorgeous bloom.

Steven

Ah of course, latitude. I hadn't thought of that Diane - thanks for teaching me something. That totally makes sense and is one more challenge for us gardening in the northern tier of states. I wonder if your zone 7 Idaho has different winter survival from zone 7 Anchorage, with totally different lengths of growing seasons. If there were a zone 5 further south of me (I don't think there is in the US) it would be interesting if the longer growing season gave the roses a healthier start into a shorter winter.

Frankly though, I seem to find that the biggest factor predicting good winter survival for my rose canes is snow cover during the coldest parts of the winter. We had a scant 2" on the ground at the deepest, but it stayed there during most of January and February and so far I'm getting better than average survival of roses I've checked so far.

Sorry to get off track Felicity. You'll have to post a picture when MAC puts on her best show. Does she repeat for you in zone 7? I've heard that she'll do that in warmer zones but for me she's strictly a once bloomer.

Cynthia

Cynthia, I have excellent winter survival of roses and other plants. The key for roses is to bury the graft a couple of inches. If my good gardening friend would only learn this, but she resents my nagging her about it! We don't get much snow here, and it often melts fast, so that isn't a help. I don't know about other zone 7 survival rates. I have lost one rose over all the years (25) I've grown them. That was Frederic Mistral who was alive and put up a couple of canes last summer, but it wasn't enough for me, so I removed him. Abe D. will go in his place. Diane

Cynthia, MAC does rebloom for me! She often has the odd flower in December. Her scent is so great! I like to put blooms on my dashboard to perfume my car and make potpourri...