Hey there! I have found so much great information on the forum. I've been helped, enabled, and encouraged by a wide range of people from various areas, but finding and hearing from others who grow in similar conditions is really the best thing about GW. I would be at a loss without folks like Jeri, Kippy, and plenty of others who also grow roses near the Southern California Coast. There are definitely folks here who will be able to offer very relevant recommendations to you going forward. I haven't been interested in roses nearly as long as you, but as a younger guy as well I can't tell you how helpful it is to have the forum when nearly none of my friends or contemporaries are gardeners let alone rose growers. Jay

Dizzy!!! So good to see you posting again! How's motherhood?! Isn't it amazing?! Cherish every moment, no matter how frustrating it may seem... time passes so quickly! It seems like just yesterday my own children were little... and today, I'm grandmother to three! I expected you to take some time off... babies take a huge amount of time and energy! But I'm glad to know that everything is ok. I was beginning to worry that you didn't get my package... I'm extremely happy it made it! It figures that customs opened it... I hope you received ALL the items I enclosed! Seth is adorable! What a looker! He'll be fighting off the girls before you know it! I don't see a huge Asian influence in that photo, but I know it's there. Regardless, he's a beautiful baby! You're so lucky to have him! Congratulations to you and Daddy! Eventually, you'll find time to get back into the bulb scene... and luckily, these bulbs can thrive on a little neglect! I hope the seeds I sent are still viable... if you like, I could send more this season. I've got some Lemon Star seeds ripening as we speak, and I'm hoping for some from Carina and Clown. I've also got a Pink Diamond and a Jungle Bells yet to bloom, and I hope for seeds from those, too. It's good to see you posting again, Dizzy... I hope you're able to make a little time to stop in now and then! Sending good thoughts your way! Let me know how those seeds do, and let me know if you'd like a few more!

Thanks for you reply Charles!! Nice to hear from you in SA itself. I was born and grew up in JHB in the 50's and 60's in Rosebank and then Craighall. You know what yearly family holidays along the Natal and Transkei coast and game reserve (and all that) do to you for the rest of your life! Here in the south of France it's nice, but.......! This is not a full Mediterannean climate as far as temperatures go, since it gets much hotter (in 2003 we had 41 degrees C for about 10 days) with a long summer period generally ranging from 20 to 35 degrees for 5 months of the year. Rainfall can be scarce during this period and we cazn saley say that watering (I have a well) is reguired during the 2 peak summer months of July & August. Winters are generally mild with only about 15 days frost in the year, BUT most years there is a "cold spell" when there is hard frost at -4, -5 and sometimes up to -10, usually accompanied at the beginning by a bit of snow. There is also a period of about 1 month in January or February when you have heavy winter rainfall with temps in the 5 to 10 degree C range. I think we are in a "Warm Temperate" zone. To give you an idea of what grows here: On the exotic side: there are artificially planted olive trees that do well with no protection. Citrus has to be taken inside in winter. Bouganvillia will survive in the right shelter. There are almonds, figs, pomegranites and loquats. Date palms grow in gardens but need winter protection when young. Soil in my garden is naturally abiout 30 cm deep and is clayey and slightly acid. There are good full sun areas, half shade and full shade. And thanks for that link too!! Hey it gets quite nippy in JHB too in the winter! thanks a ton, Steve in Toulouse

You know damn good and well that nobody sleeps this time of year :-) We've got the small greenhouse crammed full and ALL the tables in the big one are loaded, mainly w/ over 600 baskets that need to be hung up before we can start filling more flats--starting on some of the veggies now, mainly peppers. We got busy planting and now have to catch up on putting the hangers on the baskets but I don't lack many now. Got 2000 strawberry plants coming by the end of the month so there is another little planting job. We've decided to start a pick your own to go along w/ the blueberries. Had a slight disaster in the big g/h when four large tables that were hooked together crashed [loaded w/ plants, of course] so we lost a few hours rebuilding them. They are NOT hooked together now :-) We've gone 3 times [I think> to your neck of the woods for bales of dirt. Picked up 30 on a Friday and went back for 30 more on the following Monday. The guys at the FB couldn't believe we'd gone through that many so fast but it was even more than that counting what we had on hand. So, as you can see, at least "I" am awake. The other 2 houses will fill up quickly enough. Hope you can make it over sometime. Best, Tom