Hello Dave,

Yes, it will help to see both the shape of the rose
and how the bloom "hangs" from the stem.

Dr. M. Manners -I am one of his biggest fans-
has a very intelligent and easy to read site
with a detailed explanation about the anatomy
of a rose plant. It makes for good and easy
reading and obviously he is an excellent teacher
as even those of us who think we know it all
when it comes to roses, keep on learning from
people like him.

In case you are not familiar with his site here
is a link, and I am sure you will find what you
want to know about basals by perusing through
his informative papers.

When the rose blooms again, just send the photo
and I will be happy to post it. And what Henry
said has validity. If the roses are reaching for light
or sun, it is not too unlikely that their "necks" will
stretch beyond their usual length thus producing
a longer but weaker one, and the normal weight
of the bloom will naturally result in nodding.

Let us know how things are with your roses,
and good luck with the aphids. Blast them!
literally ;)

Allegra

http://members.aol.com/mmmavocado/MMMspage.html