Hi folks Thanks so much for all your encouragement and support! It's so nice to know that I'm not alone in this, and that there are friends out there who understand that roses are important to us when we've lavished love and attention on them - Bluegirl put that well. Part of the fun of growing roses for me is that they need me in a way that daylilies never would, but this year they've needed too much attention for too little return. And I am indeed a lazy rose gardener, at least as much as I can be with 700+ roses. I don't spray anything except very occasional Liquid Fence or insecticidal soap, and they've all built some resistance from "tough love" for years that will hopefully help them weather all this. RpR, that's one reason I am totally toast if I winter protect before the ground freezes - without the Serenade and more fussing than I'm willing to do, far more roses will die from winter canker in my climate than winter kill. For Nebraska, it's not the absolute low temperature but the constantly variable ups and downs of temperatures all winter that keep no reliable snow cover on the ground, and just enough warm spells to confuse the roses all winter (we've been alternating single digit weeks with 40's and 50's since Christmas). Thanks Hoovb for the sympathies that this is one of the toughest climates for roses! Statistically, Nebraska has wider temperature variations all year - hotter heat and colder cold - than any US state except South Dakota. A perennial breeder in Nebraska named Harlan Hamernik (who created Husker Red penstemon) says "if it'll grow in Nebraska, it'll grow anywhere". Not exactly true for roses, but we do make weather a challenge and a legitimate topic of conversation. Personally, I secretly think folks in zone 3-4 and below have it harder for roses, since I can get away with growing lots of hybrid teas if I winter protect a few inches at least, but the options are so much more limited further north. I totally agree with ehamel and intris and bluegirl that this was the year to hunker down and just concentrate on keeping everything alive. I always mulch well for long-term survival in a naturally dry climate anyway, and always plant new roses with the water crystals to help short-term survival. Yep, mori1 - I was watering even into December too, and my neighbors have long since stopped trying to figure me out in the garden. It's just that watering isn't fun, and a large part of why I don't spray is that it isn't fun either (though I like to believe health principles factor in as well as laziness). Harmonyp hit it right on the nose, in what I was getting across with all the wingeing. Gardening is one of my few "me" things, and the only one besides exercise I "have" to do enough to carve out time for it. I work more than full time and have kids and my husband and other responsibilities, so I rely on the garden for that extra boost of sanity and strength to balance me out with faith and family. This garden year was just plain depressing non-stop, and I didn't even want to sort pictures of better years to post since it so wasn't reality for now. It's reassuring though discouraging to hear the same from others like seil and bustopher and mori1 that have had the same kind of year in the midwest. Even though things sort of grew and stayed alive, nothing thrived - 25 tomato plants and maybe 25 tomatoes total for the summer, fewer potatoes out than I planted, well established blueberry bushes dying. Seil, I agree that roses are tougher than we fear they'll be and that if I can keep even the crowns alive they'll come back in the spring. We know that well in our zone 5-6 winters, and we're used to pruning the puppies down to little nubs in the spring. It's just that the poor things were so stressed already by the limited water, with the freeze added to it. Even with the mulch and crystals and weekly deep watering enough to keep them mostly green, their root systems were stressed. Still - it is what it is, and we'll see what happens in the spring. After all these years, I know that a rose dying is an opportunity to plant a different rose, and I certainly haven't stopped buying roses for spring. Lucille, Kitty, Melissa - I know you have your share of challenges in your year-round warm zone in different ways, so I appreciate your sympathies. And Jeri, don't you dare stop complaining about your drought or I'm going to feel like a real whiner. Tough conditions are tough, even if it could always be worse elsewhere. Thanks again Cynthia

In no spray gardens east of San Francisco, california where the soil is heavy clay, and the conditions favor p.m. over blackspot during most of the green season. -until June or Autumn, when rain or watering the foliage will bring on blackspot. Rust is rare here. I ignore light coverings of p.m. and get rid of any rose that defoliates from disease, those roses included: Lundy Lane yellow' Ducher' the worst rose for p.m. it defoliated more than 90% of its leaves which of course stopped it from bloomming. Borderline, moderate p.m. during wet months but never defoliates 'Mutabilis' The best: China Fabvier' very healthy, floriferous and a bright color. Le Vesuve' such a gorgeous plant. Old Garden Tea roses, and Tea-Noisettes; white: Westside Road Cream Tea' as fragrant as Ducher but far more resistant to powdery mildew. Clean most of the year, here. Lamarque Mme. Alfred Carriere ( best in full sun, small plants are borderline for p.m. in cool wet months) Reve d' Or Crepescule Marachal Niel' ( borderline when a baby, but has good disease resistance now) Marie Van Houtte Mrs. Dudley Cross Duchess de Brabant (borderline for p.m. as a young plant, now that she is older, still gets some p.m. but never defoliates from it) Souveinir de Pierre Notting (not my favorite yellow Tea, as it forms an ugly brown rufff before the petals fall off a bloom) Etoille de Lyon ( a great beauty in my op.) Mrs. B.R. Cant ( one of the fastest growing Teas I've ever grown along with- Monsieur Tillier' Mme. Berkeley (very healthy here, and one of the 3 most beautiful Tea roses I think) Maman Cochet and the white sport Lady Hillingdon (some p.m. easy to ignore with that great vast wealth of apricot bloom.) Paul Nabonnanad Tea roses I'd avoid here, these defoliated from disease or were thickly covered with p.m. most of the year. Alliance Franco Russe ( covered with a thick coat of p.m. as a young plant, if you live where conditions are hotter this is a gorgeous Tea. ) Georgetown Tea (p,m. on all leaves, thickly. H.P.s Reine des Violettes Comtesse de Chabrillant' such a pretty H.P. Arrilagga ( I love this rose, a big buxom beauty, light pm easy to overlook) Glendora (some b.s. not enough to be a concern) It does shattter rapidly in hot weather but has plenty of side buds which makes this a non-issue on the plant, but not a long lasting vase flower) Grandmothers Hat (is this a perfect pink H.P.? or what? fragrance, disease resistance and a long bloom season with quick re-bloom for its' class. --- Polyantha Mlle. Cecille Brunner and all her sports. Borderor Leonie Lamesch Marie Pavie katherine Zeimet and her offspring 'Popcorn' perle d'Or Musk roses R. moschata Temple Musk both have clean foliage most of the year. I cannot detect any fragrance off Temple Musk, which I think is odd as I find R. moschata to be very fragrant. Hybrid Musk Callisto such a pretty yellow rose and very fragrant too! Cornelia my favorite pink H.M. very fragrant as well. Lavender Freindship Queen of the Musks' fat red stained rosebuds stand out against the open creamy white rose blossoms. a wowser of a rosebush, gets huge here, 7' tall x 6' wide, a good rose for a tall hedge. Pernetiana roses. Etoille de Feu Mari Dot that Penardananda rose I can never remember the full name of , cantaloupe hues and very fragrant. Gruss an Coberg Irene Chirucca Borderline : President Herbert Hoover better in a hot and dry climate, c. 10%-20% b.s here during the b.s. season. Very fragrant Bourbon S.D.L.M., but needs full sun here or won't open well. Pauls Early Blush' on rootstock this has genormous blooms even on a small plant. starts blooming when the Tea roses do. (Bourbons that flunked the no spray test: M.I.P and its pink sport M.me . Ernst Calvat. Alba white rose of York Maidens Bluch Gallica Belle Sultane Species R. californica laden with sexy pollen, huge flakes of it, fragrant and long blooming. R. palustris Hybrid Tea roses. Mme. Caroline Testout some p.m. in the spring. La France Mme. Jules Bouche ( I adore this white rose) Radiance' and all her clan. Mrs. Herbert Stevens The rest Souvenir something Denoyal. nearly clean the whole growing season, fragrant and lovely, I did not love a red rose until I saw this at Luannes and nabbed one. The climber called 'Sombruiel' Albertine Ramblers The Garland Pauls Himalayan Musk' a musk to climb a mountain. Veilchenbleu is more resistant to pm. than Rose Marie Viand' well that's a start, I have c. 200 no spray rose names from the area from my days as a volunteer at a local no spray public rose garden. Hope your sister finds a low-care rose to love, Lux

Be very careful what Kordes roses you buy Straw! I was on a Kordes website and they have a rating system on that site... Up to 4 star can be given for BS resistance... BUT some of there roses they only gave them 2-3 stars for BS resistance... I personally will only try the roses they rated 4 stars... http://newflora.com/kordes-roses/arborose-collection/ For instance Lavender Veranda® Rose is only rated with 2 stars so not good! Rose of Hope was rated a 3 so not sure if I will try it or not? Plum Perfect is rated a 4 but from doing research winter hardiness is in serious question and it seems to do best in hotter locations... We do not know name of my wifes flower... Sorry Straw...Someone walking by our house today asked also... Chamblees Kordes roses: Beverly rated 3 stars for BS and 2 for Mildew Brilliant Veranda rated 2 Stars for BS and 2 for Mildew Carmella Fairy Tale rated 3 stars for BS and 3 for Mildew Coco rated 3 stars for BS and 3 for Mildew Cream Veranda rated 4 stars for BS and 4 Stars for Mildew ***************** Dark Desire 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Fiji 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew ************************ Fire Opal™ Kolorscape 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew ******************* First Crush 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Flamingo Kolorscape 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew *********************** Golden Fairy Tale 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Heart Song 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Iceberg ????????????? Innocencia 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Jolie Veranda 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Kardinal Kolorscape 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Kosmos 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Lavender Veranda 2 for BS and 2 for Mildew Lemon Fizz Kolorscape 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew ************************ Lion's Fairy Tale 4 stars for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Lone Star 3 for BS and 2 for Mildew Mandarin Ice 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew ********************* Pink Enchantment 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Plum Perfect 4 for Bs and 3 for Mildew ***** Polar Express 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew *********************** Poseidon 4 for Bs and 3 for Mildew ***** Purple Rain 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Raspberry 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew *********************** Rose of Hope 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Roxanne Veranda 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Roxy Vigorosa 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Ruby Ice 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Savannah 4 for BS and 4 for Mildew ******************** Seminole Wind 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Shreveport???????????? Solero Vigorosa 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew South Africa 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Summer Romance 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Sunbeam Veranda 2 for BS and 2 for Mildew Sunny Sky 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Tutu 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Wedding Bells 4 for BS and 3 for Mildew ***** Westerland???????? Winter Sun 3 for BS and 3 for Mildew Zaide 2 for BS and 3 for Mildew NOTE: Some of these Kordes roses are newer so take ratings with a grain of salt... Hard to find real life info on these roses.........Hardly any info on HMF about them yet...

For me Grandmother's Hat is a nice rose but not one of my most frequent bloomers. She only blooms in small flushes and no more than others of my HPs. HPs in general do well here as do Bourbons. Mme Pierre Oger is a monster (from Vintage who obtained a virus cleaned clone so maybe that accounts for some of the robustness???) Bourbon, healthy as can be and blooms repeatedly. Souvenir de la Malmaison is more demure in size but also a very healthy Bourbon with very good repeat. I can't remember whether she has many thorns. However, my HP Reine des Violettes is thornless and repeats about as much as Grandmother's Hat. Another HP I have is Comtesse O'Gorman, she is quite healthy and has few thorns. GH, RdV, and COG all seem to have very flexible canes, not twiggy/stiff like what I think of as HT habit. The HP that has bloomed the most for me is Baronne Prevost. She has also never shown any disease and has flexible canes. I have an HP from Eurodesert that came misidentified as Symphony but Cliff said it clearly wasn't. It's very pretty and healthy but quite strange. Grows in a very narrow, elegant, upright shape. I don't have a single rose that has that particular growth habit. Some canes are bristley while others are entirely smooth. I wonder how many of the found roses aren't any particular historic rose but rather seedlings of them. We know that in France back in the old days if you ordered a rose with a certain name you just might get a seedling. So what do we know about very old American nurseries? What were their practices? Did they always sell the actual variety or were seedlings sent? I really don't know but am curious about it. In addition, it seems modern day roses can easily get mixed up in commerce, so I have to wonder how many times that happened in the past, and we just don't know about it. Or if someone, way back got a seedling and that rose did really, really well, it might have been passed on to friends and spread because it was such a good plant. It won't match precisely a famous antique variety because it isn't. But should be treasured because of garden merit. With roses at Sangerhausen, I wish someone or a group would visit and discuss, in depth, the ID's of roses such as Cornet and Mrs. R. Sharman-Crawford with staff. How certain is Sangerhausen that these roses are correct in their garden? Do they have documentation that helps in the ID, and can this be viewed? Were these plants growing in parts of the garden that were bombed to heck during war, or in areas that came through unscathed? Then it would be nice if DNA of GH, Cornet, and MSC could be compared to see if they are related or are any of them identical.