Thanks beachlily, we have some pretty spoiled furbabies. And yes, we are lucky to live in the south, even though we are under a winter storm warning, but nothing like up north. I am ready for the flowers to start growing too. Baby Nudger with Radar in the back ground: Grown-up Nudger getting in touch with his feminine side: Sharon

Went to the corner store today and picked up a nice hanging basket full of bright pink petunia's for the iron hook in my front yard. While I was there I took a look at the other flowers they had and found a daylily I had to have. So now "Double Red Royal" is nicely planted in my garden. It has a scape so should flower at some point. Can't wait to see its double bloom! I also got confirmation that my daylily orders will be shipped out this week. I'm so excited to see which bonus plants I got. When they arrive, I'll be worse than a kid in a candy store! Jason

Rita - Yes my roses always get a lot of damage from winter and I have to cut them back quite abit in spring. Last year was the same and they still did well come July/August but yes, definitely late coming. I am excited this year as I planted some hardy roses that were bred specifically to withstand our rotten Canadian winters. One is from the Explorer series and three from the Parkland series. They are supposed to have little to no winter die back. I still love the english roses and the hybrid teas but they just don't like our winters very much. When I post pictures in July and August you'll see how much they will have grown. My daylilies are coming along but yes, they seem very slow this year as well. Our April was so cold and dry and now our May has been so cold and wet. I hope the summer is a lot better! Jason

Thank you both very much for the compliment. Lilyfinch I don't remember when I planted most of my roses. I have 23 antique roses and some knockouts, but the oldest I have is Mrs BR Cant which I planted 8 years ago in the spring, I can't remember if Lamarque and Climbing Pinkie were planted the same year or the next. Once I planted my first 2-3 roses I was addicted and bought usually 3-4 roses every year, I haven't planted any new ones in the past 3 years as I just don't have the time to spend in my garden like I did. I have found my climate here (can't speak for anywhere else as this is the only place I have ever gardened before, but Noisettes (which originated here in Charleston), regular tea roses, China roses and hybrid musk roses tend to thrive quite well and can get quite large fairly quickly for some. Peggy Martin (I did a post on the antique rose forum about this fantastic rose) is a found rose so I don't know what background she has but she seriously thrives on neglect and I do very very little to her. She is believe it or not the youngest rose I have! I have a lot of heavy clay soil so working with it is back breaking and slow which is why I haven't added anymore roses as of recently. I have some roses that grow quicker than others and in my garden here are some of my slow growers; Madame Alfred Carrier is one that is always touch and go, Mrs Dudley Cross, Maggie (I threaten to dig her up every year but she is looking for promising this year so we shall see), Cornelia (another touch and go rose that I have threatened to shovel prune but keep giving her a chance and she too looks better this spring)...While Lamarque, The Charlestonian, Peggy Martin, Belinda (not to be confused with Belinda's Dream), Duchesse de Brabant are among the fastest growing then there's Mrs BR Cant who hardly did a thing the first three years and then took off into one monster of a rose. The rest seem to grow at a fairly normal rate. I had to laugh a bit at your saying hoping to stay long enough, I have wanted to move to a bigger home for awhile but my garden keeps me from doing so, I just can't leave her and anytime I tell someone we were thinking of moving they would gasp and say you can't leave your garden what about all the hard work you have done. My daughter laughes at me because in the winter I'm all about moving, that is till spring comes and I'm like I can never leave. Haha I think she right! But I would say in general it will take about 4 years to have them really start filling out again though it just all depends really in end on a particular rose. ;) So I didn't intend for this to be so long lol, but I hope that helps you some. What roses did you plant if you don't mind my asking? I would love to know! All the best of luck and happy gardening to you!~Meghan