I'm not holding my breath, but yesterday this species rose arrived from Vintage Gardens for me to trial here. Super long shot, but a rosarian only lives once!

http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.5352.6&tab=1

More sad news for the roses world.....Vintage Gardens is also closing after many years in business. My final order from them arrived yesterday....long shots but I've long wanted to test the ramblers Rosa helenae, Rosa brunnonii 'La Mortola', Rosa gentiliana....but I am psyched MOST by actually getting 'Easlea's Golden Rambler' after falling in love with it in the early 90s in the book 'Classic Roses' by Peter Beales...when I visited his nursery in England in 1997 I was blown away by his specimen, then again when I visited Bill Grant a dozen years ago in Aptos, California as saw his monster he got from Peter. Since it is felt to have Wichuriana blood in it, and own root Wichurianas thrive for me here in Tampa, I can't help but feel hopeful!!

http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.1698&tab=1

I got this yesterday from Vintage Gardens! For years I've wanted to trial this species rambler in Tampa even though it utterly thrives in England and the Pacific northwest.....I love the cheery simplicity of the blooms and bloom clusters. IF it does well here I'll try crossing it with Teas and Chinas.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.5327.3&tab=1

Pegging a long cane on my 'Seagull' rambling rose, as I'd hoped, resulted in it sending out lots of bud clusters so I can do extra pollinations on this once bloomer. The scent of newly opened blooms is wonderfully sweet.

This own root specimen was planted in 1999, grown all organically ever since.

I did some promising rose pollinations today, including pollinating the big pink Tea Rose 'Bon Silene' (good hip setter) with pollen from my white rambler 'Seagull'. I also pollinated 'Seagull' with my light pink Tea Rose 'Duchesse de Brabant'.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.788&tab=1


http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.1661&tab=1


http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.5667&tab=1

Hard to believe I have these ultra rare roses in my life again! Not only does 'Louis XIV' boast that decadent, saturated purple maroon color, the scent is incredible. I've since the late 80s been baffled as to why it is classified as a China Rose when it is a seedling of the red Hybrid Perpetual 'General Jacqueminot' from 1853 that created exactly 100 years before I was born. Here are pics of my original pre-drought plants. I love the golden apricot tones of 'E. Veyrat Hermanos', a wonderful climbing Tea Noisette.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2047&tab=1

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.1692

In my Denver yard my 'Seagull' rambling rose went WAY up into my cedar tree and spilled out of openings in the boughs. My 14 year old plant here in Tampa happily consumes a rebar trellis and has endured drought and neglect remarkably, and has broken dormancy, with HUNDREDS of buds emerging all over it. The sweet perfume is entrancing. Due to its extreme toughness, and because OP seedlings are almost always repeat bloomers, it will be central to my effort to breed own root roses that thrive in the drought that is now perennial in Florida and across the southeast. The pic is of a cluster a couple feet above my head this morning. I am crossing it mainly with large flowered repeat blooming roses, Old and Modern.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.5667