Pruning is done, and looking at these huge photos makes me shudder. I scalped him! I think I did what Kim and Campanula suggested. I shortened the longest canes, and I shortened the laterals on all the canes to from 2 to 4 nodes in length (seemed pretty short to me, but now I'm chicken to re-read Campanula's directions to see if I remembered them right). I'm happy enough with it though I think some of the canes are too close (running parallel) and there seems to be a lot of congestion. 9If canes are rubbing or look they they will be imminently rubbing, I just cut them until they and their growth path are out of the way.) My only question is whether this is the way Blush Noisette wants to be. And if it wants to be a billowing pile of canes 10 feet wide, then how will it respond to this shearing. What will it do next? Am I going to have to shear it 2 or 3 more times in the season? Will it be happy staying twice (or 3 times) the size of the pruned bush? I guess I will see as the season goes on. Interestingly, BN is not the earliest to bud out among all my roses. In fact, he's pretty much last. It has some new growth showing but most of its nodes are just barely swollen. I hope I did right by Blush Noisette. In other words I hope he can still be who he is after this. If he starts throwing 8-foot long laterals, I'll be back with another thread. :)) Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

I'm putting together mixed pots for some roses this year -- my little collection of crimson and dark-red fragrant hybrid teas. I'm using only annuals as companions in these pots because I don't want anything "taking over". The roses will be the "thrillers" and I'll pick tame annuals for the "fillers and spillers." I found faux barrel planters (made of resin) at Home Depot for $20 each. They're 22 1/2 inches across at the top and about the same height, narrowing at the base to about 12 inches diameter. If you go to their website you can see what I mean. :-) ~Christopher

All of the Chinas mentioned here are wonderful! Chinas are probably my favorite class (along with the ramblers) and I have a lot of them. None of the other roses can compete with the number and quality of flowers that the China roses deliver. Folks visit the garden in summer, expecting for the roses to be sad and hot and miserable (most of the modern ones are at that time). Instead, they find a wonderful assortment of flowers and bush shapes among the Chinas (and Teas). Mutabilis is my number one, no hesitation favorite. My plant came from Florida, from the garden of a dear rose friend's mother, and I cherish it for the memories AND the beautiful flowers it produces all year long. I also love Jean Bach Sisley. Doug Seidel suggested to me that it may, in fact, be "Creekside Tea". JBS is very tea-like. Another one with a very similar habit is a rose I got from Rogue Valley years ago by mistake. The tag on the pot said "Reuter China", and it is nearly identical to Jean Bach Sisley in habit, and it has peachy-blush color flowers. I have two climbing Chinas that share an arch: Climbing Rouletii and Cl. Cramoisi Superior. Every year, I practically salivate waiting for Climbing Rouletii to bloom. It's one of the earliest in my garden, so I don't have to wait all that long. In bloom, this rose is a mass of clusters of dark pink flowers and it is a traffic stopper. Cl. CS has grown to terrific proportions, but the bloom time can't compete with Climbing Rouletii. Both roses are rampant growers, producing basal canes by the bushel-basket-load, with beautiful foliage. (I use Cl. Rouletii foliage if I need filler in arrangements.) I have an adorable red China that I bought years ago as "Unrootable Red China". Don't know which one it actually is, but I like it. No one has mentioned the miniature Chinas. Two that I have, and I love, are St. Thomas China and Mableton Rouletii. Both of these are four years old in my garden ... "St. Thomas China" is about 3 x 3 and "Mableton Rouletii" is 2 x 2. "Mableton Rouletii" is a variety discovered in Santa Rosa by the Vintage folks. I got 'Rouletii' from Heritage Rosarium at a garden club plant swap this fall. I will plant it next to the Mableton one to see how they differ. These miniature Chinas are quite BS resistant and they are a great choice for the gardener who wants China roses, but doesnt' have the space for some of the big ones. Connie

Ugh just had a long update/ coment eaten by the posting gremlins. Will try again with more info later. Later, with added commentary. Le Vesuve. This rose (by tape measure, not by eye) is 4ft 9 by 4ft by 3 ft vertically. So far, no signs of mildew! I'm very happy with it size wise for a first year rose - there are supposedly much hardier roses in my garden that have done less with more, so as to speak. General Schablikine This one has stayed a small hummock, but with one comical 3ft cane. According to "Tea Roses For Warm Gardens," this is it's habit when it's immature so I'm not too worried. It is paler than the others, almost chlorotic looking, and I wonder if it might want an iron/seaweed tonic dose. Mme Anoine Mari. I begin to understand the accolades this rose has; although a little lopsided, it's slowly, gracefully branching out to just under 3ft in all directions, all the while clothed in glossy dark foliage. Mutablis Best freebie EVER. It blooms and grows and blooms and grows, staying shapely and well foliated. Gruss I haven't a new picture of. It's spotlessly healthy and about 4ft tall, but only 18 inches wide. very much looking forward to it becoming established. Both the Ladies H, truck on serenely. They bloom and grow and bloom and grow, more or less continuously. The potted climbing version needs a bigger pot and a less lacksadaisical waterer, but carries on regardless. I do see the plaint about the dead blooms, but it's nothing like the mummified horror that is Alchymist so I can overlook it easily. Also the are both spotless, huzzah, a non sprayed yellow rose in England in September that is NOT imitating a Dalmatian. Leonie Viennot is HUGE - 6ft of growth on every cane. However, it's shown some tendency towards mildew, BUT it's potted and immature. I really need to make a call on a permanent home, but the potential mildew is making me hesitate. Not that it actually is mildewed, just the leaves are crumply like it's GOING to mildew, but never quite gets powdery. It's a dilemma. Latest garden addition (bit scruffy, I haven't finished planting!) Based on how happy I've been with my experimental roses, I'm going to push the boat still further, and try some more teas, chinas and maybe a tea noisette or two. Blush Noisette is bidding fair to be one of the best roses in my garden in a quiet sort of way. Really charming. I'm hoping it's not an outlier! The Perle D'Or I mentioned up thread will be ready this autumn, (although Arethusa is apparently not wanting to play) and I am contemplating Duchesse D'Aerstadt as replacement for the horrible Alchymist, which nothing I can do makes happy. Mme Jules Gravereaux/ Celine Forrestier for the arch, Alexander Hill Gray, Anna Olivier, Clemetina Carbonieri, for the yellow /orange beds and last but not least, Homere and / or Hume's Blush/Odorata to replace Eglantyne. Any thoughts? Guesses as to sizes? My baby Vesuve is already about as big as Beales thought it would top out at, so much for that estimate!