Any of my old buddies still here?

James Galway

Woohoo! Vicky's back! We've missed you. How are you and all of your wildlife -- plants and animals, especially the gorgeous geese?

Heading out to do chores.
Will reply soon.

Missed you guys too.
❤

Vickyy!!! How nice to see your posts! How are you, your roses, and your Sebastopol geese? Post some photos!

Hi Vicky, welcome back!

Hello again!😊
I'm not exactly sure why I dropped off the garden forum radar but it's been a few years and was thinking about you guys.
Some changes.
I sold out my geese about 4 years ago. I'm 69 years old so time to scale back a bit. Kinda got burned out on the incubating, raising and shipping my geese. Now I have 6 sheep, Babydolls and Shetlands, some ducks for bug control and fresh eggs and 2 pet pigs
(don't ask 🤣),
3 dogs and 2 barn cats, all which keeps me very busy.
I haven't bought any new roses for a long time because it's just too heart breaking with the annual Rose Chafers and Japanese Beetles destroying them.
Many of my less hardy roses have died off and I have mainly antique varieties, Rugosas and several English roses. Some of my roses are 20 years old now and ramblers 8-10 ft. tall.
So anyway, its good to be back.

I am looking to purchase a couple English roses for fall planting.
Any recommendations for any newer must haves?
I'm so out of the English rose loop I don't know much about what's trending now.

Stunning lilies and hydrangeas, Vicky. I'm eager to see some sheep pictures. Do your babydolls look like teddy bears?

I haven't bought any new Austins for a few years, but I hear that Bathsheba's a good one.

So glad to see your beautiful images again, welcome back!

I am glad to see another cold(er) climate rose grower! Here in Michigan, I don't winter protect, and I don't spray. That said, my favorite newish Austin so far is "Strawberry Hill". Very disease resistant, very fragrant clear pink blooms, and a steady bloomer. It sends out 3' arms that rest on top of the catmint "Walker's Low" -- I don't try to prune it to behave differently. My favorite oldie is "Tradescant" -- it has been dropped from many vendors, but I think I've seen it offered somewhere recently, so it could be new to you Tradescant is fragrant, healthy, and a steady bloomer with beautiful deep red flowers. It has out-lived all of Austin's other red roses here (The Prince, William Shakespeare I & II, The Dark Lady, Othello...all dead).

And just in time, there is here in Michigan a new rose nursery, Hummingbird Roses. I haven't been there yet, but I'm thinking about a road trip...

Thank you all!
Zuzu, Bathsheba is on my list! Also The Wedgwood Rose and Spirit of Freedom based on looks.
Hi Sunny!
Where are you located?
I'm in west Michigan a little north of Grand Rapids.
Likewise its survival of the fittest around here.
I will add the roses you mentioned to my list.
I don't want to get to many but I have a few slackers that need to be replaced.
Exciting about the rose nursery! Do you have any details on it?

Oh, boy. Pictures! The Babydolls do look just like teddy bears, the Shetland sheep have wool similar to the feathers of your Sebastopol geese, and the pig looks like a big fat calico cat. You always raise unique livestock that I never see anywhere else. So exciting!

I'm in the middle of Michigan -- the Greater Lansing area.
Heavy clay soil...but it is good to have when there isn't a lot of rain like this summer.
I haven't been to Hummingbird, but it looks like the nursery is in Clare, "The Gateway to the North": https://hummingbirdroses.com
If the roses grow for her up there, they should be hardy enough! The nursery looks like a great summer drive destination!

I messaged her on FB and they just moved to Clare so display garden immature.
She mainly mails out bands but she's working on potted roses.