Shiva wrote:
On Sun, 11 May 2003 23:37:55 -0400, Henry
wrote:

My Pat Austin is a Muncy's ownroot, and I do recommend
Ken and Suzie Muncy for ownroot roses. They will not ship to
California, but they will ship to you. There is a website:

http://www.muncyrose.com/

I'll have to check them out. Thanks.

Have you seen Distant Drums? Speaking of unusual? I have four. It is
the first rose I have four of. I am truly smitten with this rose.
Fragrant, too.

Damn. Pardon me but there's nothing else to say. My list grows faster
than I can keep up with and I'm running out of space here. I'm now
starting to plan details for the 40' by 50' space that's being prepared
in Pennsylvania. It will have to be roses that can take care of
themselves a bit, which makes it harder to plan. Naturally I'll want
repeat bloom (with possible exceptions) and definately fragrance (to me,
a rose without fragrance is half a rose at best). One nice thing is
that my father is up there spraying his fruit trees off and on all
spring and summer so spraying for blackspot won't be much of an issue.

Lots of space but so many to chose from. I really like bourbon and
portland roses and would like to use a few. Anyone care to comment on
the hardiness of Rose de Rescht, Rose du Roi, Louise Odier, Reine
Victoria, Mme. Pierre Oger, Souvenir de la Malmaison, or Mme. Isaac
Pereire? I'd like to combine some of them with some Noisettes and
various Austins. Are there any China roses that I could grow that far
north (zone 6)? Of course, all this is still very much in the dreaming
stage so the whole idea could change drastically in the next four
months. I'm getting the space ready to plant next spring (although some
things may go in this fall).

I currently have four roses on the inside (Linda Campbell,
Johann Strauss, Auguste Renoir, and Barbara Bush)

Of these I have only seen Barbara Bush, which is such a good,
floriferous rose in a friend's garden that I am tempted to buy it,
even though it has no scent to my nose. How do you like it?

I like it a lot but so does black spot. It's hard to keep healthy. The
blooms are large, beautiful and fragrant (if less so than some). They
don't age particularly well for me, getting spotty. Of course, if I
sprayed more it would help. Serious thorns on this rose, also.

--
Henry