I am reconfirming my wish list from past rose parades and adding a few new ones too!

Glad to hear that Angie, it was always a trooper of a rose.

Can't leave a post bare, last weeks bouquets.

Zuzu - Rhapsody in Blue is MARVELOUS! I *love* that one and have to get one now! Plus, how much shade does Rio Samba tolerate? I have a really shady spot in the front yard (uh, actually, almost the entire front yard!) that I could definitely put one or two or 5 in that spot!

:)

What an intoxicating display. I could look at them all day - but I too should be working. Thanks Zuzu.

Zuzu, I must buy more land -- so I can plant more roses! Of course, it would help if that land were in a more temperate area than New York's Hudson Valley, so that I could grow some of the less hardy varieties that I admire in your photos! There are so many that I wish I could plant in my garden. I remember walking through the nurseries with you and Sue seeing so many roses that I've never seen here in the northeast (or even heard of, except in your wonderful postings).

Tell me, how does Pinata perform for you? I replaced my Joseph's Coat with it over the arbor, because my JC got a terrible gall at the base that made the canes wither again, so I finally uprooted the monster and was looking to replace it with Jacob's Robe, but decided on Pinata instead. I hope it will cover the arbored gate as well as JC did.

Also, how does Persian Light perform for you? I have two of the Persian varieties, and just love them. The most frequent comment I get is that it doesn't even look like a rose - but that usually comes from folks who are more familiar with HT's. But what that really means is that they think it's very unique, and I agree.

I'd love to grow Ash Wednesday with a dark maroon rose alongside it - I bet that would be pretty if they would bloom simultaneously.

Oh, I have to sign off now and catch my train into Manhattan. More later. Thanks for the wonderful postings!

I like Pinata a lot, Mike. It's as vibrant as Joseph's Coat, unlike Jacob's Robe, which is much more subtle in its coloring. The blooms are smaller than on Joseph's Coat, but it seems to bloom more and it's certainly more resistant to black spot.

I love the entire Persian line. Not one of them looks like a rose, in my opinion. I think my favorite is Persian Flame, which looks just like an early-blooming species tulip.

I think I'll finish the April alphabet tonight (if 5 o'clock in the morning can be called "tonight") and it's a good thing because I already have about a hundred May photos.

This is Silver Cloud, a little Ralph Moore floribunda.

This is Smooth Angel.

Soaring Spirits, a climber named for the victims of 9/11. I love the shocking pink.

Sophy's Rose, an Austin:

I think I already posted a photo of Strawberry Romance in another thread, but here's another.

Summer Fashion starts out like this:

But then it does this:

Summer Samba:

Suni:

Sweet Revenge, a mini:

Tabris:

Terrazza Bella:

Oops, I skipped over Sunshine.

The Lady:

The Prince:

Three Weddings, the perfect pillar rose: