Thank you, Cath. Understood. Hopefully if we leave more on it now, even with the potential of losing some due to the cold, it will emerge larger on the other side. I've been trying to generate appropriate material for demonstrations and this just isn't the right set of conditions for wrapping and budding with the dropping temps and reducing light quality is miffy at best. If the material is available when they are better, I'd rather now waste it, our time, energy and postage. Preparing them is so easy, you'll probably feel, "that's IT?" Happy Thanksgiving!

Marlorena, I agree. As I mentioned in my first post, getting a budded CdM and planting it with the bud union above the mulch line would avoid all this. The UK simply doesn't get as cold as it does where gardeners are advised to plant the bud union below the mulch line, which would set Chuck free. Elsewhere, Gallicas are popular in areas with Winters too cold for many other roses, and that's where running problems can occur if the bud union gets enough soil contact for the rose to go own-root. I suppose one could cover them for Winter, then uncover after the last hard freezes in Spring, as a compromise. I kept mentioning its potential spread as a warning to make sure to leave the bud union uncovered since Darren is kinda new to old roses. Paul, I remember you mentioning the expanse of your CdM before, and it brought that picture to my brain. It's why any own-root Gallicas at the cemetery will be in island beds around high-limbed trees, surrounded by turf and/or paved paths. I'm looking to try budding as well for roses notoriously difficult to root, but I'm afraid that it may get too cold here to leave the bud unions above the soil line through Winters, so I won't rely upon that to make any Gallicas "safe" enough for mixed beds. 'Charles de Mills' may just have to be planted in a trench dug between wild shrubbery/trees and grass in the background. There are quite a few spots like that there. :-) ~Christopher

Oh my goodness, ‘Whetstone Garden’ is incredibly beautiful! ‘Gallicandy’ has always been the P.B. rose that I’ve lamented not being able to grow here the most, followed closely by ‘Marianne’. Now that I’ve seen ‘Whetstone Garden’, I’ll have to add that one to my list of Paul Barden’s I’ll have enjoy from afar......... What a beauty! You have produced some amazing roses, Paul. You’ve certainly made my little world a more enjoyable place. I suspect I’m not the only one that feels this way. Not one single rose gives me more pleasure than ‘Mel’s Heritage’. I thank you for that. Lisa

I grow a few mini's and miniflora's that I really enjoy. Kiss Kordana. Your grocery store red mini. This is a good size bush in a 10 gal pot. I have two bush's of it. Benn growing it since 2011. It was a gift from a friend at church. Chessie's Favorite. A great red mini, always in bloom. From K&M Nursery. Tiffany Lynn. A great miniflora. It's been around a long time for a good reason. K&M Nursery. Strawberry Kiss's. A fairly new miniflora created by Dave Bang. You can get all of Daves roses from K&M Nursery. Bold Ruler. Another great growing miniflora from K&M. Whirlaway. One of my very favorite minifloras. This bush is right at 17 years old. It just keeps putting out new growth every year. K&M carries it.