I can't believe it survived!

When we moved into our house nearly 25 years ago (oh, man, how is that possible?), we had one lone rose in the backyard. It was a lovely hybrid tea, Tropicana by name, on the right above. Bloomed all summer, 20 flowers at a time. I used to cut back branches 2-3 feet long to keep it under control. It really was trouble free.

Then we put in our new garden. We added so much dirt and compost that ground level rose 4-5 inches, and that marked the beginning of the end. I don't know yet if higher ground level did the rose in, or if its time had just come, but it slowly died over the next several years. We loved it so much we attempted to replace it. You can still get the cultivar, even though it dates back decades. We got one and it only lasted 1-2 seasons. I tried again last year. The company we ordered from, which shall remain nameless, sent me a different plant entirely, only telling me in the shipping materiasl that they were out of Tropicana. Much to my shock - this is supposedly a GARDENING business - they sent me a replacement good only to Zone 6! Those of you familiar with MN gardening know that St. Paul is in Zone 4, where temps can drop as low as -20 to -30, and plants have to be able to withstand that. Zone 6 only goes down to -10. I felt this plant couldn't possible survive, so I did absolutely nothing to protect it. We had a good amount of snow cover, which always helps. Much to my surprise, it greened right up this spring. But I contained my enthusiasm. Maybe it was the root stock, not the graft. Well, I have to tell you, the plant made it. It's blooming with its proper rose! I still don't think I like it as much as Tropicana, but we'll see how it continues to do.

Previously I mentioned the "carefree" roses - see what those blasted insects have done to the leaves (lower right, if you're having trouble)? They still look good from a distance, but I don't know how long that will last if the leaves all start to fall off.