I would think too many jewel toned roses would be too bright --unless you particularly like color and drama. If you already have the 2 S. Africas and 1 My Girl, I'd spread them out rather evenly around the bed but fill in with some pale yellows--though now that I think of it, adding a couple purples (again spread evenly around the bed with the other bright roses, all of them surrounded by pale yellows) sounds interesting--I think you have a good idea there. The reason I'd spread them around the bed rather than clustering all the dark and bright one close together is that they still can provide some drama, but the bright/dark colors will be diffused a bit--the edge taken off the "neon" effect, as it were--by not being concentrated in one section of the bed. But I'm sure there are other ways to do it also--which is why gardening is so much fun. Every gardener comes up with a garden that fits their needs and personality. And they are all beautiful. Kate

Cup_shaped roses is Niels in Denmark. He grows 400+ roses, zone 5b, acidic clay: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1719734/lifespan-of-a-grafted-rose cupshaped_roses(6) In my experience bareroot (grafted) modern roses .., have a few years where they look really great ...then they seem to decline - almost grow backwards - and I end up replacing them with new plants. It may however be a matter of rootstocks? Up until the 1980es - R. Canina species was most often used as rootstocks over here - (Rose Canina Pfanders in Germany - Rosa Canina Laxa in milder/warmer areas - like France and England - but most use R. Multiflora today.cupshaped_roses(6) **** In the above thread, Roseseek (Kim Rupert) reported Grafted-on-Dr.Huey can survive 30 years in dry California. Also Seil in sandy soil, zone 6a, reported grafted-on-Dr.Huey being 50 years old in her mother's garden. Nearby alkaline clay rose-park, zone 5a: they replace their Austins (grafted on Dr.Huey) every 2 to 4 years. Their longest grafted-rose is Double Delight, more than 5 years old. Dr.Huey rootstock, being drought-tolerant, can't handle soaking wet clay that turns into freezing ice in zone 5a winter. But grafted-on-Dr. Huey lives long in dry-climate like California, or in loamy/sandy soil like Seil's in Michigan. From Heirloom roses: "The place where the bud has been added, called the crown or bud-union, is a weak area on the plant. A hard, freezing winter can easily damage the crown, leaving only the rootstock to grow. " trospero(8) Paul Barden This is why I despise 'Dr. Huey' as a rootstock. You can be guaranteed that at some point in the life of the rose, 'Dr. Huey' will send up suckers that you will never, ever be able to stop. This is just what it does. The joke around here is that it is everybody's favorite rose because in May, there is no other rose you will see more blooming plants of than 'Dr. Huey' trospero(8) **** Agree with Paul Barden on Dr. Huey. In my Chicagoland, all the neighbors' roses which are grafted on Dr.Huey: either they die, or roostock take-over and become 10 feet tall rambling-eye-sores. For that reason, I post-pone getting some Austins until they are offered as own-root. bigtruckerdave(7 NC)April 7, 2013: Today I found enormous suckers growing about 3 feet from where I removed 2 Alba Maximas in the spring of 2012. And they were grafted on Dr Huey. jerijen(Zone 10) I haven't had Dr. Huey sucker in quite that manner -- but I have seen Dr. Huey suckers pop up about 6 ins. out from the bud union. What I HAVE had sucker that far away from the plant is Multiflora rootstock. Those ALL suckered rampantly here -- http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1621052/dr-huey-rootstock?n=7

Ooo! I like that one too. Portlandia is a similar pretty blend of pink and orange. However I think it has too many petals? This one also has what I'd describe as light or medium green foliage. Heirloom's website says Portlandia has 80+ petals and dark green leathery foliage. Heirloom sent me another email a bit ago for more info to help identify the rose. Hopefully they will have an answer for us soon? :-) We had an inch of rain here yesterday afternoon. The flower handled the storm very well. I'd say it just faded in color a bit around the edges. It still smells wonderful too. I'm not detecting a scent to Hot Cocoa after the rain, but I can smell this one before I walk up to it.

Jmackie, Good lawn fertilizer, Espoma. Compost top dressing....Bravo! Once your turf thickens up, and you mow it at the right height for the breeds of grass in it, weeds will disappear, being choked out. First determine what is growing next door in the root zone of your climbers. If flower beds, I believe you are OK. If a shrub border, I believe the chance of weed killer being applied is slim. If lawn, perhaps recommend a non-herbicide fertlizer, explaining the negativ environmental impact of herbicides. Explain your situation to them with the roses. They should be delighted to see you beautify your property, and cooperate. It raises THEIR property value as well as yours, at your expense, effort, and time. Your neighbors may not even fertilize their lawn, so it could be a non-issue. BTW Milorganite (6-4-0), is better than Espoma (8-0-0), and at considerably less cost. Arnold, my brother's brother in law, used Milorganite on his lawn, 3 times a year: early spring, early summer, and fall, at my recommendation. He blessed me up and down for the rich, green, thick lawn he soon grew, cheaply, and safe for his children and dogs. He also overseeded his original horrible lawn with a blend of modern, improved fescues and perennial rye, no Kentucky blue grass, at my insistence, too. Then mowed it in spring at 2.5" and then for the summer at 3", every year the same. With the improved overseeded grasses and Milorganite, the lawn was the envy of his neighbors who all had professional lawn services, but every July-August their lawns would go dormant, and brown up while Arnold's stayed rich and thick green with no watering other than rainfall. Moses