Radika wrote:
Michelle wrote:

... I thought roses lasted a lot longer than that. I actually wasn't
aware that they had a life span at all. Does anyone know if this is
actually true?

Michelle, this writer has something useful to say about growing roses in
Arizona:
http://www.allwoodwork.com/article/g...the_desert.htm
including the statement "In Arizona, where delicate hybrid roses often
have a short life span or require constant care, my roses are almost
seven years old and virtually carefree."

I suspect their "short life span" has more to do with the rigors of the
climate than to their natural longevity.

There is always the example of that fabulous, fabulous specimen of Lady
Banks Rose that is in Tombstone, AZ, that is stated to have been planted
in 1885, and thrives full well and famously to date. Its 119th blooming
will be celebrated this April, and it will be well worth the visit:

Sure, it's big but only 120 years? In his book "The Rose", Peter
Harkness tells the following story:

"Links between the rose and religious practice persist, as the story of
Charlemagne's successor, Louis the Pious, demonstrates. While out
hunting he had lost a jewelled cross containing a precious relic. After
much searching it was found caught on the branches of a rose bush, and
in thanksgiving Louis founded a church on the very spot. There today
stands Hildesheim Cathedral, with a rose growing along its walls.
Archaeologists date the foundations of the building to 818 AD, but it is
hard to believe that the rose, a form of R. canina, has been climbing up
the stonework ever since. Yet local records mention it as a well
established feature in 1573, and no oher rose can claim a documented
history to compare with that. It is often referred to as 'The
Hildesheim Rose' or 'The Thousand Year-Old Rose Tree'." (Page 18)

Wisteria (Chinese or
Japanese, I am not sure which, I always get them mixed up)

James Wyman gives the following for distinguishing between these two:

W. sinensis (Chinese Wisteria) - flowers before leaves appear and twines
by climbing left to right.

W. floribunda (Japanese Wisteria) - flowers appear with the leaves and
twines by climbing right to left.

--
Henry