The compulsion wears off after a while. You start putting them in pots because there's no more space in the ground, they start looking bad because you can't keep up with maintenance, a few die and you know it's your fault...you come to your senses eventually. In the meantime, it's fun!

When I look out to my garden and see snow and ice covered bushes, I fear a poor survival rate when spring finally comes. I have 5 Austins coming and a few duplicates from Palatine. I believe I should be ordering more!!!!!! I can`t stand to see an open space.We have such poor selections here that on line is my best choice. I can justify just about anything since I`ve been snowed in for a month! Lesley

Um, amazing what a bout of bad weather can do. I too have been at the 'add to cart' button after what feels like 10 years of rain.

Hoovb is perfectly correct - you do/will (eventually) reach a natural balance and settle your priorities - it's either time, space or the size of your purse.

It doesn't make it any easier when all these darned catalogs keep coming in. I got two today from companies I've never heard of - Van Bourgondien and Four Seasons. I don't really see much in them that would grow in my small space, but still!

LynnT

Thanks everyone. Lesley - Sounds like you have good reason to be ordering roses. Your garden or gardens are so lovely and I would hate for you to lose any of them, but if you do, you have to replace them.

Eventually, as has been said, you should reach a balance and not order or buy anything new unless it is REALLY wonderful. I've only bought one new rose this year. I only brought home one new rose last year, but I'd worked on obtaining that one from overseas for the past seven or so years. With that said, I just counted the cuttings which have already come out of the wraps and are potted out front. 279 callused cuttings in foam cups, quart pots and bands (with four more bundles scheduled to come out in about a week). They only cost me soil and another few tubes of cups. Does that count? Kim

I picked up 3 roses today at Regan. I seriously considered only getting 2 of them, as I'm about out of sunny spots. Anything else I get will have to be a) shade loving/tolerant and b) drought tolerant, and hopefully c) somewhat rodentia repulsive.

I dug my holes on Monday. The roses are in the bucket of water until Friday morning when I have time to plant them, (and make some gopher baskets) and they're getting drizzled on right now because IT'S RAINING again a little (but not very hard, because I can't hear it in my quiet bedroom).

I have more holes to dig too, but it won't be until next week - my Meyer lemon needs to get out of the pot, and I have a fig tree that also needs a home (and a gopher basket of strength and durability).

Ah, the early thrill of it all! In the beginning it's a wonderful thing. You pore over web sites and catalogs. You fall in love with every rose you see and have to have it. You hunt for every spot in the yard that could remotely have enough sun. You start collecting pots for more because you've run out of sunny spots in the ground but you haven't run out of "have to haves" yet. You are besotted by them all! Enjoy it now. It doesn't last.

Things tapered off when I ran out of room, even for more pots. But the pot ghetto number still varies vastly from year to year. I really went nutso last year so I'm way up in pot numbers, over 60 I think. But I'm not too worried now because with this nasty bitter cold winter I'm sure I've lost some out there. I'll just fill in with some of the potted ones and that will bring the number back down again to something more manageable...I hope. I haven't purchased anything yet for this spring and may or may not pick up something locally when the time comes depending on what comes back. We'll see.

The other consideration is the time and ability to take care of them all. I just don't move like I used to! So I am seriously looking at eliminating some that are just not very good or pleasing to me. And that's the thing. All those gorgeous roses on sites and in catalogs don't always preform in your garden. Try them, yes, but don't expect them all to look like their pictures or behave like their press releases. Every garden is different and you need to find the ones that work best for you...but be able to get rid of the dogs. Which is harder than you think! We all have this innate need to nurture the duds back to glory. Sometimes we get lucky but a lot of the time a dog is a dog and no amount of TLC on our part is going to help. You have to "know when to foldem" an let go.

I had that problem in CT but finally stopped at 325 when it became too much. Here in SoCal after a bit more than a year I'm up to 112.

Also, self-discipline regarding roses is not noticeably in abundance on these forums - you will not get much restraint being practiced here (whatever they claim).....it only takes a nudge and a wink (and a rather nice photo) and all resolutions are out the window.

Oh, so true, Camp, lol!

Camp,

So true! Lol. This is definitely not the place to come for self-discipline. When I saw the title of the thread I even thought to myself, "Are those words allowed to be in the same sentence together?"

Two of my other hobbies are cigar smoking and lapidary.
I post on two boards related to them. On the cigar board, there is an expression ODO, order disorder. No matter how many cigars you have, you are always looking to buy more. We all have collections. I have over 1000 and that is relatively small. I accumulated rocks and rock slabs to cut cabochons for years. I have cut a lot more cabochons than I have cigars and enough material to cut many more.
I stopped doing lapidary to plant roses but will resume when I'm done planting and getting the roses established.

25 years ago, over a three year period I bought and planted over 200 bushes. There Is a lot of enjoyment building a collection. The deer got all but about 15.
I bought 4 bushes last year and 5 this year. I have sunny areas to plant maybe 10 more. How did I ever find room for 200? When I cut a cabochon, the work is done and I put it in a display case. Roses take ongoing effort, so I'm taking it slowly.

I had two dogs and a cat. It's nice to have pets but they require time and expense because you have a responsibility to them, no more. I feel the same about roses and that keeps by rose odo under control.

I remember fondly the first bloom on the first rose I ever planted. I was so very excited! An actual rose bloom in my garden! Several visits a day to watch it develop.

Now it's a whole different thing--the first bloom on a new plant--that will be carefully and rather critically inspected, with findings noted. Is it worthy?

The first blooms of the year from established plants get a smile and a sniff or two. Over the course of the year it is the most exceptionally perfect flowers that capture my attention. The rest are most certainly enjoyed, but not obsessed over.

Our perceptions change so much. Time does its thing.

Don't worry about it. Besides, when the roll is called up yonder, you want to be able to ask St Pete, 'Did you see that Rose I just planted, isn't it great? Ah, btw, I've got a few more coming so if there's any chance....'

Self discipline and rose buying don't belong in the same sentence!! Lol. You do slow down after a while but just enjoy the rose ride!!! We couldn't have a more beautiful hobby!! Take care, Judy

I think your heart and mind will tell you when you're ready to slow down or stop. It took me quite some time, but I had to get it out of my system and experience a large number of failures before I began to plan in a more thoughtful way and understood what would do well, and also how much I could realistically handle.

Every yr I keep saying I have to stop ordering roses. I'm out of room. Hah! Well, I have slowed down, but can't seem to stop totally. Of course, I have excuses, like a couple roses died, or I found a spot in one of the beds where I can squeeze one or two more in, or I'll donate the ones I don't want anymore to the local rose society, or there's something new that's just so cool I have to try it. But one of these days I simply will not be able to add any more. Even the pot ghettos are getting too overrun. This yr I think I only ordered about 25-30. That's actually maybe a little more than last yr. But, I wanted to replace a few that died, so that's why I got more this time. But seriously, I'm getting too old and tired to take care of all these roses. So I definitely have to start slowing down soon.

Ya know, we really should start a thread about what roses we have ordered!

As a newbie, I've been all agog over the lovely pictures posted here and over-excited about restructuring/filling up my very young garden. I've ordered probably about 25 roses for this spring. I'm pretty sure I can get them all in the ground, but I won't have a lot of room for more. I may once have thought "Oh, roses, they last for years so that will eventually SAVE me money, right?" Ha!

I vacillate daily between thinking "what have I gotten myself into?!" and "I think I could handle more..." Mostly I'm just excited though. Won't this winter ever end? :)

Karen

I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments and appreciate the input.

Beth, I think it would be fun if someone started that thread. Karen, I've been thinking the same thing about winter!

Sara-Ann,
You have nothing to worry about. We are all here to help. There is absolutely no chance that self-discipline will ever rear its ugly head on this Forum.

By the way......Westerland is a nice rose:
{{gwi:230081}}

Harryshoe - How did you know that's one I've been admiring for years? Beautiful rose!

It wears out after you get older - well, it has in my case. Think quality care on fewer roses over quantity & freaking out trying to take care of all of them. I have a few different climbers, and a dozen & 1/2 varieties of Austins. More than enough flowers to cut & enjoy. My pot ghetto is limited to about 6 plants, it SOOOOOOO nice now!

An enabling message:

Someday, you will slow down, and take a look back at your life. The saddest lookbacks are filled with dreams wished for, but unfulfilled.
There are some things we might want but it just doesn't work out: to be a gold medal Olympic winner, to go to the moon, to win the Kentucky Derby.
But if your dreams are of a big garden with lots of beautiful roses (and of course us here to cheer you on), that's something you can do, and enjoy.
Self discipline, you will have plenty of it during a lifetime. You don't need it for roses.

I love your philosophy, Lucille

Lucille...I could not have said it better! This coming from a Ky. girl who would also dream of winning the Ky.Derby! I must be happy to just attend the Derby and grow plenty of red roses! Lesley

Lesley, your reach should always exceed your grasp. I will totally cheer you on if you are in the Derby starting lineup someday:)

Lucille, I think I might love you!

Harryshoe, that is a stunning picture!

Hooray for all of you enablers... you enrich my life!

Happy Valentine's Day!