SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

I suppose one can be too rich or too thin. These are not my areas of expertise. One thing I know for sure is that one can never have too many roses. As I have made abundantly clear in previous posts, my preference is for the French roses of the Victorian era. That is not to say that I am indifferent to all other roses. The coral and yellow roses that blend so well with the blue of delphinium, geranium, lavender and perovskia and are somewhat rare among the older varieties. I am particular fond of Alchymist, but it blooms much too early in my garden and since it is not remontant, there is no hope of matching it with my favorite blue perennials.

Modern miniature roses provide the perfect solution for my problem. They are sturdy, unfussy and they bloom almost non-stop. Their range of color is extraordinary. It includes wild red and yellow and red and white combination that would be intolerably ugly in larger roses. Most are unscented, but geneticists are hard at work to change that. Scentsational roses are said to be intensely fragrant, something I cannot confirm since my own mauve Scentsational became the rare casualty among the many mini roses I have grown throughout three decades.

At the moment I have approximately three dozen minis--a gift from a good friend--waiting to be potted. Ideally, I would place them in containers that can be brought indoors for the winter. Exiguous space and the objectionable behavior of two feline hooligans preclude that option. I will just have to find the best way to prep them for our erratic winter.

FAREWELL TO NOR'EAST MINIATURE ROSES RETAIL

Even as it fades, Michel Cholet miniature rose displays a lovely array of colours.

Miniature rose Stardust has both the perfume and the elegant shape of Heirloom Roses.

I am probably the only person left in my village who still ends her wishful sentences with a "G'd willing and the creek don't rise." first of all, the creek no longer is what it used to be on colonial days when it powered seventeen mills. Building the village meant altering its course so that it vanished from some places while going underground in others. Luckily, it continues to run behind the houses on my block and the sound of its waterfall persists as one of the most pleasant remnants of its former glory.

For all its gentle nature, the creek does rise on occasion, as it has been doing after a particularly heavy, three-day long rainfall. If I am not shopping for a new canoe just yet--my friend Bob bought the older one and I hope he does not mind that it tends to veer to left--it is that there has never been a flood in my neighbourhood. It does feel good to be on high ground just the same as changes have been known to take one by surprise. Such a change has taken place at Nor'East Miniature Roses, a nursery with which I have done business for almost thirty years. During that time, I tried its Judy Fischer, Jean Kennely, Rise'n'shine, Cupcake, Starina, and Beauty Secret roses, finally settling on the mini climber Jeanne LaJoie as the most suited for my garden. Only last year I ordered red cascade minis for container gardens and lovely it was with peach coloured geraniums for company. This year, I added Michael Cholet and Stardust to my collection. Alas, after June 30th. Nor'East Roses will discontinue its retail business. At the moment, it is selling its roses for the ridiculously low price of $ 3. 75 plus shipping. Though at such low cost I can order two of the the Yellow Lady Banks climbers I have coveted for years but dared try, given they are most probably too tender for Zone 6. I will plant them by the sunny wall against which the tender Fortuniana has thrived. I will surround them with Fiala lilacs, Grant Mitsch daffodils, Duchesse de Nemours peonies and Hidcote lavender. How can they fail to flourish? I will miss Nor'East Roses all the same.