@goren... What a coincidence. I was just doing some researching last night (geez the possibilities are endless) and thought that sticking with the same prune class for a trellis mate would probably be smart. I also remember coming across Ernest Markham and thinking that he was quite handsome. I like your thoughts on the red being an enhancement to Ville de Lyon. I wouldn't have thought of it myself. I was leaning towards a different shade of pink, but am now thinking red is such a better idea. Thank you so much! How about my other trellis? It's the same size. For that one I was leaning towards a yellow/purple color combo, though I haven't found any specific clems that blow my mind yet. I would like to stick with the late bloomers, just because I am in Texas and let's face it, there isn't a whole lot of dramatic beauty going on during our summers. Most of my garden is in full force much earlier in the year and I like knowing that I have some late blooming choices...aside from tumblweeds. Lol. I also just read somewhere last night that many, many late bloomers can hold up in my zones summer heat (100's) and be wilt resistant. I think it was the viticellas? Have any suggestions?

By "tubs" I mean oversized flower pots, usually plastic, at least 16" wide at the top and about 2.5' tall. Most are not decorative, but as I get most of my containers at yard sales, I do have a few that are. I also have clems & roses in the larger tubs that have 2 rope handles that are a bit taller and maybe 24" wide. Never really measured anything. Large black plastic pots that trees and large shrubs are sold in also work well. My largest tubs are bathtubs, not the fancy old ones with claw feet, but a more modern type that rest flush on the ground, with the end opposite the drain raised slightly. There is not good enough drainage for clems, so I use these mostly for bog and woodland plants. The porcelain types are a bit better than the fiberglass, altho the later are a lot easier to bring home and maneuver into the desired place in the gardens. In earlier stages of learning to grow clems, I lost more than my share due to root rot, whether in the ground or in tubs. Now the first thing I do before planting is to take an axe to the upturned pot and whack it enough to produce a crack in the bottom, if not a hole. If the planter has an attached matching saucer I try to get that off first. When the reciprocating saw worked, I cut off the damaged top of a plastic garbage can so it stood about 3.5' tall, but clems didn't care much for it, But it is great for small hostas that have red or black leaf stems that you can't see very well when they are at ground level. A few have been here for several years without complaint. I don't have anywhere indoors to take them for the Winter, so the most protection the tubs get is having fallen tree leaves raked up close to the bases. One year I topped off all the tubs with bark mulch, but usually it gets too cold to want to work outside by the time I get my other Fall chores done. I think a 4 gallon pot would be the minimum I would want to leave a clem above ground in, but if you have someplace that you can dig a hole and bury the pot to almost the rim, the chances would be better for it. Or you could try tying bubble wrap around the pot, maybe with some leaves stuck in before tying. I'm thinking of doing that with the roses that weren't doing well where they were planted that I recently potted, and maybe stuff some tree leaves into garbage bags to place around them, as high as I can get, because I'm into climbing roses and want to minimize cane loss. So much to do, so little time.

You know what? I'd like to ask that water question of some of the Sacramento Cemetery folks. And maybe the ladies in Pine Grove. But, again, because our climate is so radically different, we might not have a good answer for you. But the Roundup question . . . YES. I would avoid like the plague any cemetery that makes use of Roundup. Here's what I've seen . . . As more people move up into new development in old Sierra Foothills communities, some formerly-neglected cemeteries ARE being "cleaned up" with lots of Roundup. Trying to plant new roses in that situation would likely break your heart. So -- don't even TRY to do it, unless you are doing it in PARTNERSHIP with the owners/managers of the cemetery. That's the situation in THIS cemetery: THIS cemetery is maintained by a group of volunteers. They work closely and in harmony with the volunteers who are restoring roses to the place. Here is one rose that has been donated back to the cemetery by the rosarian who collected it years ago. Other plants, long-since collected, and preserved elsewhere, will also be donated back.

I could only really skim this but a couple things just to mind: 1) you really, really must prevent rabbits from eating new growth of things and 2) "monthly" fertilization strikes me as too often for anything but vegetables and I guess annuals or a handful of 'temperennials' like Brugsmansia that are porky pigs of the plant world. If I planted a Clem, and I've planted a few, I wouldn't even fert. the first year - although I might give it a LITTLE bit in the hole, but only if I didn't see fert. beads in the potting mix used by the nursery. The I would only lightly fertilize the 2nd year, once. And that should be spread around maybe 2' diameter of the planting area...you want to encourage the root system to expand. Not just dump it at the based of the vine. YMMV if you have sandy or rocky New England soil, but I have a clay loam that retains nutrients quite well. You can see how I use a variety of materials to protect new plants from the lop eared rats: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6111092/a-little-out-and-about-sam-style-and-a-visit-to-my-garden once something has been established for a couple years I know it will be able to recover from a mauling, but I don't assume that about new things.