I will be going to the "Night of Wine & Roses" at Tagawa Gardens (http://tagawagardens.com/docum... http://tagawagardens.com/tgros...) on April 20th at 4pm, but I'm not buying any roses from Tagawa's this year. #1, they have a hard time surviving the winters here because they're so babied in their greenhouse... takes 3-4 weeks of "hardening" off before they will live outside and I'm just too lazy to be pulling roses in & out of my garage on nice days for 3 weeks! #2, too expensive - $40/rose? Uh.. no. #3 - Star Roses. Tagawa's is carrying mostly either Weeks or Star Roses this year (no J&P) and, to be honest, the Star Roses look like CRAP. They were all planted at the same time (Tagawa's gets a gazillion bare-root & pot 'em up & grow them in their store/greenhouse for 2 months before letting anyone buy any.. the "night of wine & roses" or, as everyone else calls it, the "running of the little-old-ladies" as it's like a madhouse when they start selling at 4pm!) and the Star Roses are like 1/2 the size of the Weeks roses.. very puny & pathetic. Plus I haven't had any luck with Star Roses.

But here's Sugar Moon (3 of them in separate pots)


And Home & Family - off to the right you can see some of the Star Roses (Gemini) and how puny they are.

That is a high price. Wow. Do they have no competition at all, or are they just selling at a lower price to landscapers, who then sell to homeowners at the $40?

Nope, that's the every-day price for them. I think they reason why they sell out of roses is because they're the "premier garden center of Colorado". Yes, they're a VERY nice nursery, but damn are their prices ridiculous! The same exact (and I mean SAME exact, the grower is the same one!!) plant that HD sells if it's a locally grown plant will be $5.99 that Tagawa's sells for $14.99. And bad thing is that they sell out!! I think it's because people are still thinking foofoo and that plants from Tagawa's are better. Personally, they're about the same. And I've found the hard way that a lot of the big beautiful plants that Tagawa's has don't survive. They've been grown in a hydroponic state all their lives that their root system NEEDS that nutrient fluid and won't survive on their own in the ground. Last time I bought a delphinium from Tagawa's the root system was hanging out of the pot by like literally 12". I put it in the ground, watered it gently every other day like everything else, and it croaked. Took it back and that's what the one lady said.. they need the hydroponic fluids. That kind of sucks.

That's crazy! Maybe that's why, when I buy the half dead stuff off the clearance rack I have such success. They are used to neglect and my yard is no different to them.

Even though they are local, I've never been there. Too much good stuff up by me.

I was fascinated to read in American Rose and interview of Meilland representative this week. Knowing that most of Star roses are Meilland and that Meilland breeds roses in a warm Mediterranean climate, I have always believed that Star roses tend to be a little on the tender side. The interviewer asked the Meilland rep something like "Rose growers in the US perceive Meilland roses to be a little frost tender..." and the rep said something like "It simply isn't true. Our roses are tested in SE Pennsylvania and in California."

And I just about fell over laughing. They are tested in areas that are zone 7 or warmer. So how would they know whether the roses are cold hardy in, say Wisconsin, or Colorado? Perhaps by listening to the complaints of rose growers in those areas - which they offhandedly dismiss as being false.

I guess I have a similar complaint about most HT's bred in CA. They are of, by, and for people who live in warm zones. It's just a matter of chance when they survive cooler ones. OK I'll climb down from my high horse now.

Lots of HPs, Climbers, and Floribundas to plant in the next month. Need to focus on digging 2-3 good holes a day.

I agree completely, Steve. I'm currently reading "Otherwise Normal People" and marveling at the time, money, and effort people on the East Coast are willing to invest for the sake of "California blooms" on their hybrid teas. If they didn't grow well here, I probably wouldn't grow them. In fact, even if I were staying here and had to downsize drastically, choosing only 25 roses to keep, I think I'd choose nothing but Austins and Kordes Fairy Tale roses, which never look bad in any season.

Which is why I was a big fan of Saville bred miniature roses.
John Saville once told me they wouldn't keep a rose, no matter how pretty, if it couldn't survive Boston winters. It if could survive Boston winters, it would probably survive mine.

Oh Zuzu, I just had to go look....and ended up ordering "Otherwise Normal People" and two other books from Amy Stewart. I sent her book about her first year gardening to my daughter in California who is in her first year gardening. i'll tell her to thank you...