Straw - oh my goodness...I checked the info on your home page...and that is exactly what is happening to my roses .... curling up leaves and PM everywhere. So I need to apply something alkaline. I hate to hijack this thread...can you email me as to whether adding baking soda would help?? Or something else? Thanks! As always you are a fount of knowledge. Jenn - that picture is gorgeous!! My opinion is that Grande Dame is fabulous and incredible!! Carol

Blessed Child This season's first bloom of Flora, or at least one of Gregg Lowery's candidates for that name One of this year's last (probably) blooms of Sappho Sir Thomas Lipton--last one for awhile, this rose does occasionally have scattered bloom later in the year. First bloom from a band of Molineux another Careless Love And now for a few that have been blooming for awhile and continue to go strong Quietness Zéphirine Drouhin Anne-Marie de Montravel Sequoia Greenfield

A local nursery guy said Weeks had to toss most of their 2017 crop because of RRD. I'll quote his newsletter: We purchase roses from STAR, the largest rose grower in the World, and from WEEKS, the second largest rose grower in the U.S. Many mail order distributors get their roses from the same 2 growers. The big (and unfortunate) news this year is that a significant portion of WEEKS' rose plants were infected by a fatal disease (rose rosette) and as a precaution, much of the crop was destroyed. The ripple effect from this will be that all distributors (including us) are scrambling to get roses from the other growers causing certain popular roses to be in very short supply. If you are a long-time rose grower, you will notice that many famous roses are not on our list this year. Many other varieties are only available in very limited quantities.

Vapor ... it was all a coincidence! I went to my local nursery on the one day a year they have a sale for easy spirit rose . It was pouring buckets , but I wanted that discount! I was sprinting to the check out building with my large rose , my toddler who didn't want to walk in mud in the other hand , and a gentleman opened the door for me. Turns out he is the president of the Nashville chapter . He grabbed the rose from me and was giving me the newbie rundown on roses . So we started talking and I told him I wasn't new to roses .. he invited me to the meeting the next day and was so welcoming! He then told me all new members get a rose and he had one just for me .. "lady in red! You can't get it anywhere, it's new " he said . I smiled and said I would be there ! So now I have two lady's , and I really enjoyed the meeting. There is definitely some opinions there about everything.. just like here. ;) I found out the VP lives just down the road so we are arranging to see each other's garden . I encourage you to try a meeting !! Even if I can't make every meeting, they have discounts on roses and things in the spring and I can't wait to see the open gardens people have . Sorry for the essay ! Lol