Thanks for the update Lyn - such a pity when the big names in the rose world run into difficulties - difficult to fathom!
I really envy you having met all those people personally.
There is so much information on Paul Barden's website 'Old Garden Roses and Beyond' as well as his blog and I am so grateful it is still online. Anyone interested in hybridizing and propagating has to have a look at it. I learnt so much from the articles by Malcom Manners, Ralph Moore and others.
Here are some pics of florist roses which I grafted and are now growing in my garden.
