"Trish Brown" wrote in message
FarmI wrote:

Which reminds me, I have 2 x "Black Boy" climbing roses that I must plant
in the next few days.
News of other peoples' roses is exciting!

:-)) Don't get me started 'cos I could go in the Boring Olympics
representing Aus when it comes to roses.

We planted fourteen (!) this
year and look forward to a wholly rosy spring! Might have to wait a year
for that, but it's worth it, IMHO. Speaking of climbing roses, I bought a
Queen Elizabeth about three years ago and especially chose a bush plant,
since I had nowhere I really wanted to put a climber. As luck would have
it, the plant I bought was mis-labelled and turned out to be an
extremely vigorous climber. We've had bushels of flowers from this bush,
which started flowering in its first year and doesn't seem to have
stopped yet! Hooray! People driving by pull up to look at our lovely pink
rose rambling across the front verandah (miners cottage). As if that
weren't enough, my daughter asked for a Mr Lincoln and the same thing
happened. The plant turned out to be a mis-labelled climber. At the moment
we have no flowers, but the long canes are behaving in exactly the same
way as the first rose. We look forward to Great Things from Mr Lincoln!

I love Mr Lincoln, and Papa Meilland. The perfume of both is just drool
making.

Other than that (this pair is at the front of the house), our raised bed
contains fourteen favourites, including Double Delight, Woburn Abbey, Lady
X, Pascali etc etc. I've warned my husband that if the bed is a roaring
success, we'll be needing another one very soon. Varieties I'm looking
out for include St Patrick (yellow), Catherine McCauley (pale pink), John
F. Kennedy (white) and City of Newcastle (red).

I haven't seen it for years but one I've alwyas loved is "Eiffel Tower" -
plae pink, long stemmed and keeps that pointy rose bud look to it. should
see if I can find it, I guess - not that I need any more - I stoped counting
when I hit 112 roses in the garden.

Before I shuddup on the subject of roses, it occurred to me to ask whether
others have had much success with miniature varieties? I've been growing
roses since I was about twelve years old ('way back in the dark ages), but
I've never yet been able to keep a miniature alive past a single season.
They just seem to shrivel up and kark it, dying back and back until
there's nothing left.

Never had a problem with them unless I plant them in pots. In the ground
they do well; in a pot they sulk and then die. You probably arent' ignoring
them enough. that's what I do with mine and just take to them with the
hedge shears now and then.