Hey Annie, Is the trip to CA still on? Gotta be, right? FWIW, I'm used to country driving/small city driving and I drove in Orange County with no trouble. (Preferred it to what I'm having to get used to in Baltimore!) Also, Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove are unbelievably gorgeous. You can escape to nature in half an hour/an hour while you're there. You'll be fine. You might even like it. 8^) Just wish I could meet you there. ~Amanda P.S. LOVE the wedding story and pictures! Michigan... Texas... apparently they're the same! Here is a link that might be useful: Irvine to Crystal Cove

@ebharvey and noseometer..sorry to hear that, our box stores were just like that too. This is the first year, I saw a kordes there. But Walmart here carries a huge variety, you've got to get to them early spring. I got a lot of them from there, regular star performers in my no spray garden: queen elizabeth, Tiffany, Sunsprite, abe lincoln, Don Juan, Rio Samba(l think, lost the label..) and more recent addition which has been flowering non stop(I just planted these about two months ago) Heirloom, Angel and St Joseph's coat. I have to say St. Joseph Coat is delightful, striking colors and always flowering(spiky thorns). I do like to revive plants needing TLC. I digress, my point is you never know what you may find in these stores..it's fun to find an unusual rose.:)

Pair of Kiss Me Kates arrived from Roses Unlimited only last week. Very good looking babies, already putting out new growth, unfazed by their 2-day trip in a dark box during high 90's heat. One has 2 laterals 3' long, the other has 4, each 2' long. http://www.kordes-rosen.com/new-roses-2016-2017/gardenrose-kiss-me-kate?from=category  Online efforts researching Bliss, reported on Judy's thread about new roses from J & P, copied below. These look very promising for this no spray garden, too. Sue http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4704549/jandp-email-with-new-roses-do-you-have-bliss-or-oh-happy-day?n=10 Bliss/Marchenzauber/KORmarzau introduced by Kordes in Germany in 2015. Kordes calls it a Floribunda, a Fairy Tale rose, yet it won Best Hybrid Tea in both La Tacita, Italy & Baden-Baden, Germany in 2016. Looks lovely in both coloring & flower power. Beauty, fragrance & health is a winning combination in my book, too. With 4 stars for blackspot resistance, the bugaboo here, will be looking for this one. Great name, Chris! Sue http://www.kordes-rosen.com/gardenrose-maerchenzauber?___SID=U HMF says mild fragrance, but Kordes bills the fragrance as intense. http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.73809.1&tab=1  World Federation of Rose Society Trials 2016, winner Golden Rose award & Gold Medal for Hybrid Teas. "The 2016 rose trial in Baden-Baden, Germany was a kind of Kordes-festival as ten out of twenty-one awards went to this German breeding company. It started with the Golden Rose of Baden-Baden for Rosa 'KORmarzau' Marchenzauber, a hybrid tea with cream and pink, cupped, full blooms which are apricot at the centre. This Kordes-variety also got the Gold Medal for Hybrid Teas." http://newplantsandflowers.com/rose-trials-result-in-a-large-variety-of-winning-varieties/ 

Modestgoddess tipped us off that RU has Bliss (thank you!) & I'm already in the habit of emailing Pat about any rose of interest, listed or not. Emailed last week to ask if she's still shipping & she said yes, since her weather's been a bit cooler than usual lately, so she'll be shipping Monday. Like you, Lilyfinch, looking for a few more before the shipping season shuts down due to heat. Also have my eye on a couple in Heirloom's current sale - their long shipping time (7-8 days door to door) doesn't irk me as much as their stripping the foliage does, still undecided. If you're in the mood, encourage you to email Pat pronto as her shipping window may close any day now. Sue