Hey Tina, I noticed you have a few things on your trade list that I would really love: Green Glaze Collards, Nero Di Toscana Kale, and Giant Red Mustard. In the chance that I might have something you want, please take a look at my list. I'd love to be able to do a trade. Thanks for your time, Erica (EricaBraun �" GW)

I recommend REINE DES VIOLETTES. It is one of those Old Garden Roses that belongs in every garden. This rose is thornless, or as close to thornless as a rose gets. The blue green foliage is also fragrant. On days with high humidity you can smell it from ten feet away, even when it is without bloom. The graceful growth habit is tall and arching, more like a Bourbon than a Hybrid Perpetual. It is also amiable to training. I have two: one trained up and over an iron tuteur and another pruned as an upright shrub. The flowers have perfect OGR quartering, start out magenta pink then change over to a dusky purple. Truly lovely on every way. Okay now the faults. The blooms, although ravishing, are of limited use as cut flowers, because the petals drop rather quickly. To be enjoyed indoors you have got to get to the blooms as soon as the rotund buds "crack" open. Even then you are only going to get perhaps 3 or 4 days out of them. Second, this rose will make you wait three years before you start seeing reliable repeat. Even then, like Paul stated earlier, you are not going to get the constant repeat like you see with modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. She does repeat (my big one on the iron tuteur had three blooms this morning), just not as much as I'd like. Third, the rose suffers from anemia; i.e. she needs iron, lots of it. If you do not have enough in your soil the flowers are going to be lighter and pinker, and the normally blue-green foliage will have a tendency to turn yellowish, which is easily mistaken for RMV. Speaking of RMV, RdV is notorious for being infected. The good news is that back in the 80s Dr. Malcolm Manners at Florida Southern College subjected RdV to a heat treatment that cleaned up a specimen. He then sent clones to several nurseries that specialize in own root plants. So far I've been able to verify that the Antique Rose Emporium and Vintage Gardens have the cleaned up Reine des Violettes. Trust me, you haven't lived as a rosarian until you've seen Reine des Violetts in full bloom. It is an utterly spectacular sight. The one I have on that iron tutuer is planted in a corner of my property close to the road and in the spring IT LITERALLY STOPS TRAFFIC. Here is a link that might be useful: RMV free Reine des Violettes!

Well my goodness: I didn't know there were two 'Russelliana's. Looking at the photos on HMF I find myself wondering though whether they aren't confused in commerce, because the two varieties sure do look alike in many of their photos. I need to go and study the foliage on mine. I seem to be in the business, on this thread, of shooting down hypotheses. Here's another shot: the true Centifolias, all their various sports and forms, are prickly lanky plants and most definitely not thornless, as I know to my cost from working with them. By the way, in asking about the habit I had the parent plant in mind. I confess I haven't read this thread as carefully as I would need to to make thoroughly responsible contributions, but purplish old roses in my mental files fall into two main categories: the shrubs with some near or remote Gallica blood, generally shrubby; and the rambling purple Multifloras. In the first case smooth canes would lead me toward hybrid Gallicas and Hybrid Perpetuals, as others have suggested; the latter, well, I just said. I would read up on foliage. There may be any number of holes in this reasoning. P.S. I went to look at that purplish Centifolia through the link. I don't know it, and if it's a hybrid it could differ from the basic Centifolia style. I believe, though, that 'Pompon de Bourgogne' is a true Centifolia, that is, prickly.

I bought the Oklahoma and planted it today. Most of the flowers blew off I guess as I was driving it home but hopefully they will return next year. I'm a bit concerned as it is a grafted tree rather than "own-root"... not sure why they would do that, particularly on a native species tree. Hopefully it will survive. Here's a photo of the flower color for anyone who's interested. pretty much a full-sun location, hopefully it can take it.