The lighter and darker pinks go together very well. I hope you'll love your SdlM as much as I love mine.

Blackfoot Daisy is also an excellent choice. Its water needs, being minimal would almost match the Salvia and Achillea I suggested. They like it dryish, but not as dry as Blackfoot Daisy does. Blackfoot Daisy is hard to overwinter here in W. PA due to its dry growing condition needs. Salvia and Achillea tolerate my winters very well and thrive. Alyssum is always very dependable, self sows in abundance and its petunia/honey fragrance is a real bonus. It finishes up the edge of a border like no other. If it gets worn out after a long blooming session, just cut it back about 1/3 to 1/2, water adequately, lightly liquid feed at about 1/2 the recommended rate, and it should come back in lush bloom in no time. Another great choice would be The Salvia Augusta D. you mentioned. Used along side SDLM because of its height of about 30" it would look magnificent. Its water needs are less than SDLM, so just do not water it as much, or just water SDLM and not it. It could get plenty of water to keep it blooming by this method because of its proxim ity to SDLM. SDLM will reach varying mature heights depending on where in the USA it is growing. In my zone 5/6 garden it is not expected to reach over 3' at maturity. Reports of it reaching 6+ feet in CA and TX are normal. Of course it can be annually pruned to keep it shorter if the 6+ ft. height is too tall. Reports of it not responding well to pruning need to be kept in mind, tough. Mine is too young to know how well it will respond to pruning here in W. PA. I believe the better the growing conditions and milder the winter the better SDLM will bounce back from pruning.

Ingrid: You have such a kind and generous heart. In my short time on this forum I've learned from you, and I've been moved by your poignant garden and its (and your) ability to persevere against never-relenting adversity. I posted only with the hope of "likes" that I was told would lead to some help for the foundation during my absence, and instead, you gave more. I hope you know in your own heart what an angel you are. jannike

Tangles, she must be beautiful somewhere to be so popular. When I saw Ingrid’s two SDLM’s with my own eyes, I understood her popularity immediately. My own little plant/blooms was such a poor imitation of Ingrid’s, that I didn’t even recognize her two as ‘Souvenir de la Malmaisons’. They didn’t even appear to be related, let alone be the same rose as mine! I think if you saw Ingrid’s SDLMs, “in real life”, I’d be surprised if you could still call them plain and boring. Yet, everyone has different opinions, tastes, and preferences. I myself, just cannot like a really orange rose, no matter how lovely. It might be that SDLM is just not your cup of tea. Quite honestly, I wasn’t impressed by SDLMs fragrance, either. The sheer beauty of those blooms made up for the lack of fragrance, IMO. The pink was such a unique pink, and I am a true lover of all pink flowers. It wasn’t white at all when I saw it, but a pink that reminded me of the inside of a shell. It was pastel, yet saturated, not shiny, but not flat. I’m not very good with word descriptions, so I’m having a hard time finding the right words to describe her color. I really was enchanted. Are there any bourbons you do like? I really love my ‘Louise Odier’ and ‘Leveson Gower’. I remember your post about Madame Isaac Pereire, and her tiny blooms. Did you grow to love her? Recently I was gifted a number of rare and not as rare bourbon roses, by a very generous rosarian. I hope they do well here. I know what you mean about the narrow gray foliage, Tangles. I see it much more on some of my bourbons than others, though. I suppose it depends on what other genes are “swimming around in their pool”. I find ‘Louise Odier’ to be towards the greener end of the spectrum, while my ‘Comice de Tarn-et-Garonne’ has the grayest colored foliage of any rose I have. Lisa