@Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b) Thank you! Yes it is always so sad when little ones get sick because they can’t even tell you what hurts. My 15 month old just finished antibiotics for an ear infection 3 weeks ago, then got a cold from a family member. Finished that cold a week ago and is now again with bilateral ear infections plus cutting his upper lateral incisors. I hope both of yours get a break also and feel better, I can’t even imagine how much more difficult it would be with two sick children. I do not usually engage in too much criticism or debate online. I do not like judging people since I do not know their motives or challenges, but some times people forget that what is a lovely hobby to us is a business to those people. They may even like roses, but their job is to sell roses to pay for their home, cars, medical insurance and food. They are just trying to make a living like everyone else.

@Diane Brakefield I was reading through some of the older comments, and I just have a question on your Colette rose. Do you recommend it as a climber? Is it pretty free blooming for you or is it rather stingy? I’m just looking for a really pretty climber with nice blooms and likes to flower. I had my heart set on Eden, but after reading some comments on it tending to be stingy in colder climates, I might lower it from the coveted #1 position on my most-wanted list hahaha (if any other cold climate folks have personal favorites they’d recommend, lemme know!)

Northland used to use this on their site. Four repeats (rrrr) would stand for always in bloom. One repeat (r) would than be some repeat or occasional re-bloom.

Kentucky - I have been trying to figure out how to make some raised beds- or raised pots for the front yard landscaping. I don't want the look of basic garden vegetable beds for around the front of the house though. I thought maybe I could dig 2 ft hole and put a 2 ft raised planter on top of it, that night work. I iam also thinking about making very big planters (they are ridiculously expensive to buy. I am not sure about the aestetic for my front landscaping, but after considering many materials and my craftsmanship capabilities I have a plan. I will just have to try it and see how it looks. It could sit above ground, part in ground or in ground. My design is 2"x2" wood frame cube (or taller) dark cedar stained (ECO friendly and plant safe). Side and bottom panels of 1" hardware cloth. Inner lining of natural burlap. It would sit on 8" concrete blocks (in ground) with the hole side up foradditional drainage. Inside bottom filled with river rocks then another lining of burlap to contain the soil and the plant and finally mulch on top, of course. It would have to be big enough to allow 3'x3' space for the roots to grow in the soil area. Again, the aestetic is the probelm (aside form all the hard work and digging). I think it wold look descent but odd. To build a retaining wall for the space under the front window of the house would not look right eiterh at the height I need it to be. I think the real solution is to pay for a backhoe to come in here and excavate the clay and then have new soil put in - way too expensive for me right now. I do have one narrow strip on the west side of the front yard that I am lining with concrete blocks to build up that soil area. I plan on very tall trellises lining that hill (all my land is hilly) and covering them with rose and jasmine vines as a privacy fence. The probelm is the area is part shade - never sunny and that is not goo for any of the plants I like. I bought the Charles Darrow Hybrid Musk for that location as it is reported by others to grow and bloom very well in shade. I also have some varieties of Jasmine that might do in that spot. I am also thinking of Camelias and Sky Pencil Holly. My Hollies are about 1ft tall now. It will be years before they grow big enough.