This is just wonderful, Kim. It is right in there with the Australian Tea ladies book. The photos are glorious!

I cannot understand how these roses fell out of favor in hot areas. They are exquisite. I hope Jeri, and Ingrid and all the Tea lovers see this.

Thank you Kim.

You're welcome, Sheila. Yes, Jeri has seen it. "Fashion" is the answer to the question of how things fall from favor. "Progress" and "profit" demand new whatever it is replace the old whatever it is. We've actually had splendid plants of all types introduced over the past century-plus and many have disappeared because the "market" demands new and "different". If you're a producer, you have to have something new to sell and definitely patented so you can collect the necessary royalties and licensing fees to bolster profit. Too few find something good, which performs well for them and stick with it. Many prefer to have the "latest and better", to be "fashionable". If you would like to enjoy more of the marvelous photos, here is the Heritage Roses web site for Australia. Jan Eastman posts magnificent photos of them on Facebook. A number of these photos are hers. https://www.heritageroses.org.au/galleries/tea-roses/ I also meant to mention that Margaret Furness graciously shares not only her stunning photos but her research and knowledge on HMF so you can see much of her photography there, also.

I love this too, Kim, thank you. I'm glad to see there are many gardens these roses still can grow in.

Oh my god, thank you, Kim, I thought my heart would burst when I saw this. It brought back so many memories of when I had my tea roses. I have a few teas in my present new purchases which are all very tiny, but I can't tell you how seeing these glorious roses lifted my spirits, and have made me look forward to spring and summer.

Well, it's 2:00 a.m. and I was just outside with a flashlight to see how well the roses had fared, and at least one has been eaten to the ground by the squirrels and some are relatively unscathed, with new leaves forming. I wonder if castor oil would be a good deterrent in addition to the wire enclosures and pepper tree branches.

Thank you for posting this, Kim! I think Santa needs to bring me this book - I will tell him.

Jackie

Is Anita Clevenger out there?

Kim, I revisited these magnificent roses on the morning of New Year's Day and they made me feel the same happiness as when I first saw them. Some of them I had in my vanished garden and some I will definitely welcome into my hopeful new garden. When we can have beauty like this around us then there is surely still hope for this world. Thank you!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ingrid. Happy New Year!

Ingrid, I did a little research for you (sorry about off topic). First, I have a effective deer repellent which is based on the usual rotten egg solids, but also has oil of peppermint in it, as well as white pepper oil. You spray it on--very easy. So, I wondered what was effective against squirrels and other rodents. Most bags, pouches, etc featured oil of peppermint and were used mostly inside. The highest reviewed squirrel repellent contain mostly garlic oil and is for use outside against squirrels, primarily, but also other rodents. You can check it out on Amazon, and it goes by the strange name of Whemoalus. It's not a spray. I found years ago when we had pygmy cross bunnies, that these little rabbits disliked garlic powder, so I sprinkled it onto some plants the bunnies seemed to like best, and I thought it worked. It certainly was easy to use. And cheap. Sadly, the little rabbits are gone due to various predators. They were never much of a problem. My big problems are deer and gophers. You don't want them! At least give a try to garlic powder and maybe the strange named one. Good luck. Diane

Trish, are you giving up on roses entirely? I know you've had some reverses but I'm not so clear on what transpired. At any rate I'm so very glad that you personally are on a hopeful road regarding your health for the new year.

Ingrid, I still have some roses left, but in the main they're not thriving. Kim diagnosed powdery mildew. The ones that are left are starting to look not just sad but out of place. Mme Lombard soldiers on, but I'm not crazy about the colour most of the year. It's rather a harsh pink once it heats up. In Spring she was lovely though. Marie van Houtte is still huge despite me cutting away more than a third, but there's a mass of dead stuff underneath. G Nabonnand is very leggy and dying back constantly but still has beautiful blooms sometimes. I bought Bliss Parfuma 2 or 3 years ago. I had it in a pot and it didn't do well but planted it out a few months ago and it is giving me more pleasure than any other - fat, blush pink, fragrant blooms. I added Mutabilis (lost the previous one), Lady Hillingdon and Rose de Rescht (substituted for Mme Caroline Testout which I really wanted) this year. They look ok so far, but Mrs BR Cant in the same area is dying back severely. I really must pull her out. She had a few sumptuous and fragrant blooms in Spring (without the tan colour), so I've been reluctant.

We're really enjoying our new native areas though, so it's not all doom and gloom!

As for my health, thanks for your concern. I'm sure I'll be sorted soon! The procedure was very easy. I may need another one but am fine with that.