Mary, do you use all 4 or rotate which ones you use? I have been using fish emulsion, banana peel tea and alpha tea. I am going to add super thrive and Miracle Grow this year. I had 3 pots with miniature roses that I took off of the deck to toss because they were so pitiful. A couple of weeks earlier I had tried some banana peel tea in all of my pots and I noticed new growth in those 3 pots that were waiting for the dumpster. This spring they all 3 look like completly different roses, so lush and healthy So that tells me with the right fertalizer you can really make a huge difference. The fact yhat you have such healthy roses in pots tells me that your plants are very healthy.

Thank you Maryl and Debra for looking and commenting.. I was quite surprised with the roses, Maryl. They are beautiful but don't have the intense fragrance of the OGR. Debra, the fans on Firecracker Parade are short and the blooms so far are a bit in the foliage but it appears to be growing pretty well. There are five fans and five scapes. I did keep it in the greenhouse that first year so this is the second in-ground year. I have several first year plants from Ladybug daylilies that have put up scapes and another couple of other newbies that have scapes. We are having a short blessed cool spell which mayslow blooming down a bit. I have a couple of plants that are two or three years old (one of each) that have their first scapes this year, kay

Oh yes, Julia, these plants do indeed like the rain, but so do the weeds and grass!! I cannot get in there to work! Nancy, I have no idea how much rain has come in but it has been a lot!! Many of our counties are on Code Red alert which means flash flooding and dangerous flooding over roads. I am liking Forest God very much also-it came from Laura last year. Kay, the blooms have shown great color although as I told you if you get close to them, they are very much rain damaged!! I think the plant you are talking about in that bed is Lady Dragon showing the last of its blooms. Debra, Tall Dark Stranger may be more reddish if it ever sees sun! Truly, since it has been blooming, it has been cloudy and rainy!!

Sorry it took so long for me to add to the post. Longwood Gardens is an over the top breathtakingly memorable place. My husband and I spent more than 4 hours marveling at the skill and beauty on display. Visiting Longwood Gardens is my husband's birthday gift to me. Jojo was the icing on the cake of a wonderful day. She is every bit as lovely and gracious in person, and such a good sport about my interrupting her at work. I admit that I was on the lookout for Jojo and had mentioned to my husband that I might see an IFF who works at the Gardens. If I read his mind correctly, he thought "yeah sure, not likely; IFF?" I found Jojo in the Pierce du Pont house and we met again in the Conservatory near the "Tiffany" tree, apt and serendipitous locations given how we all have known each. My husband was unusually quiet while Jojo and I talked. Not at all like him since he strikes up conversations with everyone everywhere. I promise he will be more talkative next time. He has a better understanding now about the dearness of the forum. He enjoyed all your comments and says hello. Maybe our husbands should form their own conversation group, the DHIFF. Wishing I could join you all next week. Have a good time and good weather.