Jim, I realy debated getting Elveshorn and Elmshorn. Could you please tell me anything about these two. I have in the back of my mind that they are prone to mildew? Maybe I am wrong. Also how hardy is Elmshorn? Do you winter protect it. I think I looked into the rose when you (I think it was you) posted that you were so frustrated with roses but that this rose was doing ok compared to others. These two roses have been on my list on and off . For all your past posts,pics and information on roses. THANKS!!! Amy

Right now it is in a two gallon pot. I would not plant it in anything bigger than a 3 gallon for the moment. Don't spend a lot of money. Go to a local nursery and ask them if they would sell you a used 3 gallon pot (one of the black plastic pots) as you are just going to use it for a short time. Should not cost more than a few dollars. I think Miracle-Gro is OK potting soil. There are other choices which have more compost or are organic. If it is the Miracle-Gro with the fertilizer already in the soil don't add any other fertilizer for the moment. You will know the roots are recovering as it puts out new top growth. You should see significant growth in the next 3-4 weeks. If you do not have a good way to overwinter a pot then it would be wise to put the rose in the ground by the first of August so it can put down more roots and acclimate to your conditions before winter sets in. Good luck!

Well, I checked our Lowes and HD tonight. Both had tons of 2gal potted roses, but pretty much the same varieties at both places. TROPICANA, CHICAGO PEACE, MON CHERI, OLYMPIAD, ICEBERG, CHRYSLER IMPERIAL, LOVE, MIRANDY, GRANADA, etc. HD did have SUNNY DELIGHT, which I already got last yr. They also had those weird boxed bareroots from Vigoro. Only thing unusual was FRAGRANT MEMORY aka JADIS. I almost bought one, but decided not to. Lowes did have some carpet roses, which I wasn't interested in. It was dark out when we got to both stores, otherwise I might've dug deeper to see if there was anything else that wasn't easily visible. The pallets were just too close together. There was a lavender rose at HD that had no tag. But being so dark, I didn't want to try it. Couldn't see what it really looked like cuz the outdoor lighting was horrible. Waste of time going by both places. Altho, I did pick up some cool new varieties of petunias and calibrachoas at Lowes. Oh well, maybe later toward Mother's day they might get new roses in.

I only have two on your list, Sunny; Kiss Me Kate and Plum Perfect. In my Arizona climate, KMK throws thick, stiff canes straight for the sky, 8 to 10 feet tall. There is no way to do much training or bending of any kind. They aren’t flexible even when the canes are young and fresh. They snap off with very little pressure, so a gentle fanning of the canes is all I can accomplish on mine. She is very vigorous, breaking new basal canes all during the growing season. Her spring flush is delectable, big fat cup cupcake booms with a fragrance that I love. Unfortunately, I don’t get very much rebloom, but this will be my 4th summer with her and I keep hoping for improvement in that area. I pruned her back pretty hard this spring and am hoping that kickstarts her blooming into overdrive. Plum Perfect is only starting her second year in my garden and the first summer in the ground as I kept her in a pot the first season. She has been maintenance free and beautiful and I have no complaints except for her lack of fragrance, but I don’t think PP ever has much fragrance and in my arid climate, not much can be expected.