Because your employer likes Austin roses, which are bred to have bloom shapes which resembles that of Old Roses. , you might try introducing your employer to some of the original Old Roses, many of which do particularly well in the South, and hundreds of which - bloom more often than Austin roses can because they do not have a period of dormancy, - are beautiful plants, even when not in bloom. - more information about these on the antique roses page at gardenweb each of these roses may be seen in photos at helpmefind.com /roses under search and plant. or on gardenweb under search -Old Garden "Tea" class ( a totally different class (or group) than Hybrid Tea. Because Tea roses do not go dormant in the winter, and they bloom on short flowering stems, they re-bloom faster than Hybrid Teas or Austin roses, and begin to bloom earlier in spring, and later through autumn. a few of the more popular Tea roses that I love: apricot 'Lady Hillingdon' a fragrant apricot rose that I've counted as being in bloom for more than 150 days, ( an average rose flush lasts between 28 and 33 days, during its first bloom cycle of the year with no less than 33% of its full bloom output during that time. (its' pollen is sterile which is why it blooms so much without ever needing to be dead-headed). Yellow 'Etoile de Lyon' my favorite lemony yellow old garden Tea, it has a scent which is called "delicious" by one author and to me smells of honeysuckle, and fresh cream with vanilla in it. Yellow/ with some pink. roguevalleyroses.com Marie Van Houtte (lovely scent, lots of prickles) Mrs. Dudley Cross similar hues but nearly no prickles. Golden Yellow Reve d'Or' can be grown as a 5 and 1/2 foot tall shrub or a climber so can Alister Stella Gray which is a creamy yolk hue, and which has smaller roses. White Tea roses Westside Road Cream Tea (roguevalleyroses.com) Ducher' is said to do well in the south, both are very fragrant, and covered with beautiful white roses most of the year. Mme. Alfred Carriere, a white Tea-Noisette climber which is very popular. Pink, or pink blend. Mrs. B.R. Cant Le Vesuve (China-Tea) very floriferous, has dainty pink blend roses that seem to alight gracefully on the plant like butterflies. a very attractive plant. Maman Cochet large pink and cream roses which show some lavender tints. Red blend Monsieur Tillier this and mrs .b.r. cant can grow to be more than 6' tall in two years. Noisette class Rosebushes from this class are particularly well foliaged, and most are fragrant, some greatly scented. -small flowered -scent is often sweet and spicy, like cloves and roses. Blush Noisette is very popular in the American South, it was bred there, in c. 1803, by a rice farmer named John Champneys. Nastarana a white Noisette. Rosa moschata is a wild white Musk rose that is very fragrant that was used to breed the first Noisette rose. It too is a wonderful garden plant. I'd ask locally which roses are most disease resistant in your area. The only reason, I believe, that everyone doesn't grow Old Garden Tea and Noisette rosebushes is that they cannot: roses of the 3 evergreen classes are not cold hardy, but we who are fortunate to live in California or the South can grow such wonderful roses. Plus, roses from the evergreen group do not need to be pruned to bloom at their best. One need only to remove diseased wood or wood that is out of bounds. I water my largest evergreen rosebushes only once a month, because many have deep roots that reach lower levels of water in the soil. Well thats my tuppunce. Good luck and God bless, I'm sorry if we were rough with you, Lux. P.S. all in all, I'd say my evergreen roses need about 1/3rd to 1/2 less care than my Austin roses. another perk, Old Garden Tea roses grown on their own roots can bloom for more than 50 years, Mr. Austin suggests his rosebushes be replaced after ten years.

I feel your frustration...and sadness. Always a well behaved kid, my DD is VERY well liked by kids as well as teachers and family members. She's friendly, outgoing, and kind. ... Elsewhere..... At home she is a chameleon. She'll be 'my daughter' for anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks. Then suddenly, she's sullen, easily angered, private and a stranger, for a few days. I worry about her constantly. Then I talk to people I work with and they assure me that they've all gone through the same things with their daughters. It's all 'normal'. They're creating the necessary distance they need to grow up. My DD started the pushing away phase this year. It was SO hard....on me! It's sad, but once you get past the hurt feelings (as unrealistic as they are) you'll be okay. Kids have to do this...and you just need to be there WHEN THEY NEED YOU...not when you need them. Just be there. The one area I still regulate with an iron fist is the computer. She has access to everything she needs/wants, but I don't allow visiting friends blogs (too obscene as anyone can post on them) and I don't allow AIM/Messenger/chatting. It's too easy for kids to get carried away when chatting online, and for things to be said that normally wouldn't be. Feelings get hurt, clashes occur, cliques form, etc....being a teen is hard enough...they don't need that extra source of stress. When I feel she's mature enough, then I'll allow these things. She has to prove to me that she's ready. Be patient... Understand it's not personal... Give them space... Although I don't care for some of the language in it, there is a good book called "Get out of my life!...but first can you take Cheryl and I to the mall?" This book is great....I had many "Aha!" moments while reading it. Good luck...

thanks guys :) fori that's good advise. I loved the color of the cedar but i need something different. I want my house to look good yet blend with the rest. Not wording this right lol. About 5 yrs ago I bought a new fridge and black was all the rage. I almost got black but got a flash of my mother's old avocado green fridge and chose white. White fridges never go out of style. White houses either but I can't see this place being white or a light color. I'm heading to the decorating forum. lol I need help. :) Laura

@shead - brilliant idea to paint all of the front! I love the look!! and it won't be much added work. @groveraxle-thank you! I appreciate the work you did to show me what it would look like with full colors. @chloebud-um, I think you are right...they all look great! this will be a tough decision. but I agree, it looks better with the end painted. thank you!