Hello my dear,

Guess what? I think I have finally arrived to the Shangri-La
of the climbers and scramblers support area. While looking
for better brackets for one of the window boxes that took
a dive the other day I found some U shaped doo-dads
covered with a soft spongy fabric which is actually used to
hold tools to the wall.

Straight up with a "supergrip protective coating, holds up to
50 lb." The Campsis radican that has terrorized the neighborhood
since last summer ate the original pipe holders faster than you
can say it. So I guess this will have to do the job. I figure that
screwing them to the supports of the climbers (that is the ones
that are not on the metal arbors) it would be easy to tie the canes
across without having to worry about ever girdling the rose.
Placed at several heights they will support the canes and stop
any kind of wind whipping as well as I suspect they can be
painted the same color as the walls to make them disappear.
Here are a couple of shots including one with a penny for perspective.
The opening of the U is 2-inch inside and 3-inch from side to side.

We got these at the Despot, where the roses were dying inside
little plastic bags and I had to move fast. My days as a rose social
worker are over. Did I tell you that Robin is holding a baby Nigresse
for me? When we go visiting her in Tacoma it will be waiting, and if
you are interested I will save a couple of cuttings next Spring to send
down. I have been looking for that rose for a real long time. I had it
many a moon ago and I loved it.

I still do.

Allegra

http://www.theoldrosarian.org/photos/climberhook.jpg

http://www.theoldrosarian.org/photos/climberhook1.jpg

"Allegra" told Cass

Did I tell you that Robin is holding a baby Nigresse
for me? When we go visiting her in Tacoma it will be waiting, and if
you are interested I will save a couple of cuttings next Spring to send
down. I have been looking for that rose for a real long time. I had it
many a moon ago and I loved it.

I still do.

Allegra

BH just reminded me that in this country my Nigresse is called Nigrette.
The papa was Lord Castlebaugh and the mama Château de Clos Vougeot.
I have always known her as either the Black Rose of Sengerhausen or
Nigresse. I will always call her Nigresse. But I didn't want you to be confused
by my familial pet names to roses ;) Here is a photo from Robin.

Allegra

http://www.theoldrosarian.org/photos/Nigresse.jpg

In article 2_5ja.318986$3D1.174681@sccrnsc01, Allegra
wrote:

Hello my dear,

Guess what? I think I have finally arrived to the Shangri-La
of the climbers and scramblers support area. While looking
for better brackets for one of the window boxes that took
a dive the other day I found some U shaped doo-dads
covered with a soft spongy fabric which is actually used to
hold tools to the wall.

I've seen those jobbies, but how come I always see them in red? They
were disguised as tool stuff.

Straight up with a "supergrip protective coating, holds up to
50 lb." The Campsis radican that has terrorized the neighborhood
since last summer ate the original pipe holders faster than you
can say it. So I guess this will have to do the job. I figure that
screwing them to the supports of the climbers (that is the ones
that are not on the metal arbors) it would be easy to tie the canes
across without having to worry about ever girdling the rose.
Placed at several heights they will support the canes and stop
any kind of wind whipping as well as I suspect they can be
painted the same color as the walls to make them disappear.
Here are a couple of shots including one with a penny for perspective.
The opening of the U is 2-inch inside and 3-inch from side to side.

http://www.theoldrosarian.org/photos/climberhook1.jpg

Great idea. It's filed for future reference. For now, I've done three
things. I've used stranded wire for the ones that saw through
everything else but already have support. Wonderful idea and thank you.
I've pounded rebar right through the middle of big shrubs and tied a
few canes to it. And I set a tee pee pole set in a 5 gallon paint can
in Quicrete, painted the pole dark green, and then buried it below the
rose hole for a new climber I just interred. I'm still looking for a
retired, leaky, dark green hose to use secure the various roses to
these uprights. The rebar rusts right away and disappears into the
landscape. Crass but effective.

We got these at the Despot, where the roses were dying inside
little plastic bags and I had to move fast. My days as a rose social
worker are over.

I wish I were as smart. There was a huge pallet of Weeks 2 gallon roses
at the local Despot, and I bought two: Iceberg and Granada, if you can
believe it. It has already flowered and demonstrated that the blooms
can both take the wind and last in the vase for 4 or 5 days.

Did I tell you that Robin is holding a baby Nigresse
for me? When we go visiting her in Tacoma it will be waiting, and if
you are interested I will save a couple of cuttings next Spring to send
down. I have been looking for that rose for a real long time. I had it
many a moon ago and I loved it.

I still do.

Didn't I hear that it is almost impossible to grow? Puh (French, doncha
know), I should talk, with Mme. Driout. Who, for the second, looks
pretty good, probably because she hasn't bloomed yet. She can surprise
me, for all I will see of her. She is so sheltered that she's almost in
the neighbors' back yard.

"Cass" wrote:

Great idea. It's filed for future reference. For now, I've done three
things. I've used stranded wire for the ones that saw through
everything else but already have support. Wonderful idea and thank you.
I've pounded rebar right through the middle of big shrubs and tied a
few canes to it. And I set a tee pee pole set in a 5 gallon paint can
in Quicrete, painted the pole dark green, and then buried it below the
rose hole for a new climber I just interred. I'm still looking for a
retired, leaky, dark green hose to use secure the various roses to
these uprights. The rebar rusts right away and disappears into the
landscape. Crass but effective.

Well love, I believe in rebar with all of my heart. I just yesterday discussed
with BH an idea I got to secure a couple of climbers to the back fence.
Said fence is a pain in the butt and it abuts to the state park, so there is
little you can do without having to get involved into the never ending
bureaucracy that that would entail. So, I suggested that we place 2x4s
about 6 feet apart in front of the fence, buried in quickcrete. Then
run lengths of rebar arched atop the posts burying them about 6-inch
into the posts. Once that is done, go behind the fence and secure it
to the posts with big, and I do mean big lug bolts. I plan on painting
the whole thing flat black and leave the rebar alone. Once it oxidizes it
looks just like another cane. Been there, done that. And let me tell you
that any soft pink rose as New Dawn or Celestial, even St. Swithun
can look out of this world against a black background. How do I know?
The new part of the fence towards the front is now black and the color
of the greenery around it is nothing short of breathtaking. veddy British
although the British are into a vibrant blue these days, enough of it around
for me not to use it.

I wish I were as smart. There was a huge pallet of Weeks 2 gallon roses
at the local Despot, and I bought two: Iceberg and Granada, if you can
believe it. It has already flowered and demonstrated that the blooms
can both take the wind and last in the vase for 4 or 5 days.

I'll stay out of this. Discretion being the better part of valor ;)

Didn't I hear that it is almost impossible to grow? Puh (French, doncha
know), I should talk, with Mme. Driout. Who, for the second, looks
pretty good, probably because she hasn't bloomed yet. She can surprise
me, for all I will see of her. She is so sheltered that she's almost in
the neighbors' back yard.

Nigress is a pain unless you keep her in a pot. Little sister to the other one
that doesn't know how to behave outside the pot, EdeB. I shouldn't complain
since the bad boy is budding again. But with the colder weather we are
having I sincerely doubt I will see any of the gorgeous blooms again this
year. Nigress hated the ground. She was a pampered diva from moment
go. In the days when bringing roses from Europe wasn't a problem a fly
attendant (we used to call them stewardess in those days) friend of mine
brought a couple from Germany, one for her mother and one for me.
Her mother's died almost instantly, and mine linger in the ground, sulking
all the time.

Rose real estate being what it is even then, I decided I love the two or three
blooms she maliciously put out for me to forget all about SP her, and got a
big pot and just planted there. Like your Mme. Driout she could have been
a block away from my garden and an eerie repetition of what EdeB did in
that same garden, she bloomed her little - I do mean little - head off that
summer. So I become a nurse maid for the next 10 years. Finally we had
a serious problem in the county with wilting, everything was falling like leaves
in Autumn and one by one some of the most delicate roses disappeared.
I don't know if you remember the problem with Oleanders they had in
Florida. Well it was sort of like that. Nothing and no one was able to
stop it, and from voodoo dolls to Clorox I think we tried it all without
any success. As mysteriously as it appeared, it disappeared. But the scar
was deep. I was lucky, I only lost about 40 roses. Some friends were left
with nothing but a scarred soil. In those days there was nothing to help
fight, and of course it was devastating.

Word of caution: she also may be related to Mme. Driout. If you take a
look at her in bloom, you are history, toast, finita, kaput. So if you want
to keep your sanity walk around her and pretend to be looking somewhere
else. That rose is perverse. Some times I think they all are.... I will root you
a couple of cuttings. Why should I suffer alone?

Allegra

Allegra wrote:

http://www.theoldrosarian.org/photos/Nigresse.jpg

Gasp. Beautiful.

Allegra wrote:

"Cass" wrote:

Well love, I believe in rebar with all of my heart. I just yesterday discussed
with BH an idea I got to secure a couple of climbers to the back fence.
Said fence is a pain in the butt and it abuts to the state park, so there is
little you can do without having to get involved into the never ending
bureaucracy that that would entail. So, I suggested that we place 2x4s
about 6 feet apart in front of the fence, buried in quickcrete. Then
run lengths of rebar arched atop the posts burying them about 6-inch
into the posts.

How do you do that? Drill rebar-sized holed in the 2 x 4 and run the
rebar through it? What stops the rebar from thanging out of the hole in
a high wind and whip-sawing anyone nearby?

Once that is done, go behind the fence and secure it
to the posts with big, and I do mean big lug bolts. I plan on painting
the whole thing flat black and leave the rebar alone. Once it oxidizes it
looks just like another cane. Been there, done that. And let me tell you
that any soft pink rose as New Dawn or Celestial, even St. Swithun
can look out of this world against a black background. How do I know?
The new part of the fence towards the front is now black and the color
of the greenery around it is nothing short of breathtaking. veddy British
although the British are into a vibrant blue these days, enough of it around
for me not to use it.

You saw the picture of the fabulous blue at St. Albans?

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Eberndoo...s/WarmWelcome.
jpg

Painted trellises, especially in the French mode, are truly wonderful -
but high maintenance here close to the ocean. Black is very cool,
fades. I love it as an trim color. In fact, the trim on my house is
diplomat grey, which has faded in 2 years. O, I could see trellises of
dove grey and diplomat grey. That's just not the layout of my garden,
which is open and hilly, rock wall, natural wood. One day, when I build
Grandy's cottage...For now, I've found that Rustoleum green mixed with
Rustoleum black to tone it down for the landscape works well.

Didn't I hear that it is almost impossible to grow? Puh (French, doncha
know), I should talk, with Mme. Driout. Who, for the second, looks
pretty good, probably because she hasn't bloomed yet. She can surprise
me, for all I will see of her. She is so sheltered that she's almost in
the neighbors' back yard.

Nigress is a pain unless you keep her in a pot. Little sister to the other one
that doesn't know how to behave outside the pot, EdeB. I shouldn't complain
since the bad boy is budding again. But with the colder weather we are
having I sincerely doubt I will see any of the gorgeous blooms again this
year. Nigress hated the ground. She was a pampered diva from moment
go. In the days when bringing roses from Europe wasn't a problem a fly
attendant (we used to call them stewardess in those days) friend of mine
brought a couple from Germany, one for her mother and one for me.
Her mother's died almost instantly, and mine linger in the ground, sulking
all the time.

Rose real estate being what it is even then, I decided I love the two
or three blooms she maliciously put out for me to forget all about SP
her, and got a big pot and just planted there. Like your Mme. Driout
she could have been a block away from my garden and an eerie
repetition of what EdeB did in that same garden, she bloomed her
little - I do mean little - head off that summer. So I become a nurse
maid for the next 10 years.

I need another diva? Prince Eugene is doing his thing this year. I'm
suitably impressed. Tons and tons of buds, good flowers (I hope you saw
my post). I wonder that Vintage never sells this rose. Mine lives in a
pot and has no plans to move soon.

Finally we had a serious problem in the county with wilting,
everything was falling like leaves in Autumn and one by one some of
the most delicate roses disappeared. I don't know if you remember the
problem with Oleanders they had in Florida. Well it was sort of like
that. Nothing and no one was able to stop it, and from voodoo dolls
to Clorox I think we tried it all without any success. As
mysteriously as it appeared, it disappeared. But the scar was deep. I
was lucky, I only lost about 40 roses. Some friends were left with
nothing but a scarred soil. In those days there was nothing to help
fight, and of course it was devastating.

I've got some kind of garden contagion this year. Very odd, obviously
some microbial contagion because it enters pruning cuts. I don't think
it's dirty pruners because only certain roses get it, and not just, or
even primarily disease prone roses. sigh At the moment, I'm just
cutting it off.

Word of caution: she also may be related to Mme. Driout. If you take a
look at her in bloom, you are history, toast, finita, kaput. So if you want
to keep your sanity walk around her and pretend to be looking somewhere
else. That rose is perverse. Some times I think they all are.... I will root you
a couple of cuttings. Why should I suffer alone?

LOL. I love it. Like a need more roses, much less divas. I'm losing my
patience with divas when there are so many healthy and beautiful roses
to grow. I went to Vintage Gardens where I had apparently permanently
lodged my credit card. I came home with more roses, a Baby Faurax
lookalike, Raymond Privat, bigger (yea!), and Mme Lambard. Then just
cuz I'm an evil enabler, I bought two fabulous Suan Louise's because I
want others to grow this hard-to-find rose. Her buds are about perfect:

http://home.earthlink.net/~cbernstei...il2Bouquet.jpg

English Garden (forever useful in bouquets, that buff, the perfect
blender and filler, quite good tea scent), Bridesmaid the blush pink (I
think-a mislabeled rose), Niles Cochet in the front. Niles Cochet has
the most perfect foliage of any rose, or maybe ties with Sophie's
Perpetual.

--
-=-
Cass
Zone 9 San Francisco Bay Area
http://home.attbi.com/~cassbernstein/index.html