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As summer draws to a close here in Central Florida we look forward to less humid days. Frequent rain has occurred for a number of months now keeping humidity high. Our higher elevation here allows for very good drainage in the sandy soils. Many of our mother plants are grown in ground. They are not sprayed and show very little blackspot with the frequent rains.
One of the books which I was first told was a "must have" is Roses At The Cape Of Good Hope by Gwen Fagan. This book is wonderful in that it documents Gwen's work with old roses in the Cape Province of South Africa. The period she covers is from 1657 to 1910. The book contains many full size photos of the varieties she studied. This makes it a valuable reference book and her writing is a delight to read. The Heritage Rose Foundation is giving a signed copy away the first weekend in November at their get together at The Antique Rose Emporium. I will not be attending but this got me to thinking, wondering If I could locate a used copy at a price that I felt reasonable (I never have been able to in the past). I frequently buy books from Alibris, AbeBooks and Ebay . Luck was with me as I purchased first edition copy, signed by Gwen Fagan and in new condition, delivered for less than the cost of an oil change. I mention this to offer some of the sources that I have found affordable books from and to let you know my patience was well worth the wait. One book that I purchase frequently for the raffle table at rose meetings is The Quest For The Rose by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix. I frequently find copies of this for about $5.00 delivered (although that will never happen again after sending this out). This book is a wonderful mix of history from some of there own personal travels and hundreds of color photos of many classes of roses. The photos show most plants in their natural setting giving one a good idea of the form. We added one new variety to our selection, the rose is Frederick Mistral. This is a hybrid tea, light pink in color. More information about it is on our website or www.helpmefind.com The following is a list of restocked varieties;
Don and Jan Rogers |