I saw a really nice looking Reine des Violettes just a few days ago in a Home Depot so I may go back to get it tomorrow IF I don't get snowed in by the 15 inches of snow that is predicted. My roses are leafing out, so snow has to be better than just freezing weather and cold wind. HD had a much better selection on the Magnifiscents last year. I'm really sad I didn't get more of the old garden roses. I bought Baronne de Rothschild and Comte de Chambord and they both are terrific...although thorny. I did buy Helen Hayes at HD, and she's a smooth lady! Passed up a climbing Iceberg, and I may go back for it too. I'm loving all these great suggestions. Wouldn't it be cool to have whole flower beds full of thornless roses? I'm going to dig out my barberries this year. They just don't provide enough beauty to put up with their mean little thorns. The pyracantha has bagworms in addition to its thorns, so out it goes, too. Very sorry about the birds who nest in that monster. The thorny quince and gooseberries can stay, as they earned their keep. I buy thornless raspberries and blackberries. Senko, my Crown Princess Margareta has a few thorns near the bottom of the bush, but none at all on the octopus canes. It's one of my best growers, and it's in a spot that gets shade in the afternoon and way too much water. My thorniest, nastiest rose is Falling in Love, and it died over the winter. I'm going to have to find a really long handled shovel to get that one out. In my mind, a rose named "Falling in Love" should not be covered with vicious thorns, but then i see irony in my "Ronald Reagan" breaking dormancy earlier than others. I know...I need to get a life outside of the garden... Cindi

My Ballerina and Veilchenblau have clusters of small hips like that and almost no thorns. Robinhood too, but it's a bit thorny. Ballerina's have been very pretty. Firm shiney round hips, nice color. The local wild rose makes nice sprays (good color) but they're airier (hips further apart). I don't know what would grow in MI, though.

What about sharing the place with another rose? I had a zephie which spring bloomed for me in my warm climate. It took a while for her to even do that. In the meantime, I planted another rose and a clematis to give some more color. It was a happy little zoo on that wall. We eventually gave the area to a trellised grape because my sister really wanted a a grape vine and they take space. Zephie went to the neighbor who admired her and I get to see her blooms every spring over the wall. This is the only rose she has because, like you, she cannot tolerate thorns. I would keep Zephie and get on the list for something else and then grow them together side by side and let them combine. I had a pretty australian honeysuckle and Joseph's Coat combination once. You have to frequently go in and make sure one plant does not overtake the other. My Zephie flowered best with plenty of horse manure and water soluble fertilizer but only in the spring with a few here and there after summer.

Laurie: I have an original knock-out and where I live it's a day-glo cerise pink. Little Business is more of a mauve. I don't really know of any daylilies that match knock-out. Maybe try a light pink daylily, that wouldn't clash too bad. My mom has a dark, dark- almost black maroon daylily (don't know the name, dying to get a fan of that!!!) that might look good with knock-out too. Knock-out can be a challenge with companions. I have a red snapdragon and a Voodoo Dahlia next to mine.