Today is a beautiful Fall day, almost all of the leaves are down. I have most of them raked and bagged. I've also begun to clean up the garden beds. But the roses soldier on, trying to bloom regardles of the season's cycles. At least the tender ones do. The Explorers and hardy shrubs, change colours and loose their leaves just like the Maples, the Oaks and other hardwood trees.

Just goes to show you, that the repeat blooming roses with Tea genes are not really meant to live here in the North. The North, that too is a relative term. If I do a Google search, Smiths Falls, Ontario is at 45 degrees of latitude. That is pretty much the same lattitude as Portland, Oregon and Lyon, France. Both warm and temperate places where tender roses thrive.

I was in one of the ski shops in Ottawa yesterday, buying my DH new X country skis and boots. Changing seasons, changing activities. The fellow who was helping us is originally from Oslo, Norway and he was telling me that Ottawa winters are far colder than those in Oslo which is at 59 degrees of latitude.

On the brights side, my roses thrived this year. This was the best year I've had for roses since I moved to the East. It was wetter and cooler than normal for most of the summer. I didn't have to water until late August. In spite of that, there was virtually no black spot in my no spray garden.

The majority of my roses are now mature plants with 3 or 4 years of root growth to give them vigour. I have also been quite severe in the shovel pruning department for the past couple of years, so the ones that are left are varieties that perform and please me in spite of the climate.

I was out in the yard this brisk Fall morning looking at my still healthy roses, putting out buds and still the occasional bloom, and trying to open despite the frost last night and rain a few days ago. I managed to cut one final bouquet, complete with the last of the snap dragons. Fall's final rosey treat:

I wish you all a happy and joyful winter, cuddle up, read the rose books and catologues. Order a few more treasures, not too many though. And enjoy the winter while the garden rests.

Cheers,

Rideau Rose Lad, aka Rick

What a beautiful bouquet!

Cheers to you,

I'm glad you're doing well. Your Compassion is finally doing well down here in comparatively balmy London, but it's taken... how many years since you moved east? I had it planted first where it was competing with the roots of a Norway Maple.

Cheers,

Steve.

I lost many of the original plants I brought from B. C. Buff Beauty, Sombreuil, Cornelia and many others. Just too cold here for them, even in pots in the garage over winter.

I've pretty much got the zone 4 survivors list figured out now. Just started ten cuttings of some of my rare varieties in early October. Nine have taken and are putting out leaves right now on the sunny table next to the computer. I've learned that striking cuttings is good insurance with respect to the hard to find varieties that I grow.

I've also supplied bud wood to Pickering for several of the Buck roses they now have in their collection. So now if I loose the mother plants, I have a Canadian source to replace them from. You should try Prairie Sunrise, Pearlie Mae and Prairie Harvest. All good bloomers, hardy and very disease resistant. They had Pearlie Mae virus indexed because evidently there are RMV virused plants around. The bud wood I gave them was clean and they were very happy. Both my Prairie Harvest and Pearlie Mae mother plants are covered in buds right now and still trying to bloom in spite of the frosty nights.

Good to hear from you again.

Cheers,

Rick

Sue

Included are Bonica, Centaurea Montana, Geranium Roxanne, Mme. Alfred Carriere, Graham Thomas, Marie Pavie, Blue Mist, clematis koreana, sedum, achillea, Ardoisee de Lyon, Marchesa Boccella, New Dawn, Lavender Dream, and Flower Girl.

Thanks again for the inspiration.

Sue

Sue, I also have Lavender Dream and Blue Mist and it's nice that we can grow these roses in such varied climates. I must say though that Blue Mist, which is a young plant, has almost completely stopped blooming. The tea roses on the other hand weren't told that it's November and the Bourbons aren't getting it either. Far be it from me to complain, but it was nice to get a feeling of what it's like for other rose lovers at this time of the year.

Ingrid

It has been warm and sunny here as well for the past week. In fact it has been so warm, I haven't dared to try to put my roses to bed for the winter yet. I went out and bought a wagon load of straw on Saturday. But I am still waiting for the roses to go dormant before I cut them back and cover the beds. It is supposed to go down to minus 6C tonight, so it shouldn't be long now.

Not complaining though, this fall is glorious and It is nice to have time get the house and yard ready for the cold months.

Sue, nice bouquet. My family and friends on the West Coast have been telling me about all the rain. But at least you won't have to worry about all your roses dying back to the ground in winter.

It always amazes me in April, when I uncover the beds and see only a few inches of live cane, that they will be lush and covered in bloom by the end of June. Roses are tough plants.

Glad to help some of you warm zone gardeners to get the fall feeling vicariously.

Cheers, Rick