That's so interesting, Jane. But on reflection I can see why your climate would be more like the English climate than it is here. For example, I never saw pictures of English gardens that didn't feature roses, delphinium and lavender. I can't grow any of these successfully. I've failed with them all. I read somewhere that it's harder to grow roses here successfully than almost anywhere because of the diseases our extreme humidity encourage. I do now have a few of the Knock-Out roses which are not as susceptible. Of course, rosarians don't consider them real roses. I'm just not willing to spray constantly with the stuff you have to use with the others in spite of their great beauty. My aforementioned grandmother had a beautiful rose garden. She went out weekly and sprayed every leaf carefully with some kind of awful concoction. A friend recently sent me a copy of a magazine from the Netherlands. (Of course I couldn't read the articles, but enjoyed the pictures.) I was struck by the large number of flowers pictured in their gardens that originated in the US, many from the West. Elin Johnson
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