If you read older litterature you will discover that Manetti has been tried and tested many places in Europe, but I only know of it's actual use in Italy. There are several canina varieties still being used in Europe, maybe pfanders is more popular by some producers. I know of a small producer who only uses this one. I know other some prefere it for certain types of climbers and hybrid perpetuals, and use multiflora and laxa for other roses. The most commonly used canina varieties are very winter hardy and adjust well to both acid and alcaline soil, better than multiflora on both factors. There must be another reason why other root-stocks do better in America. I sometimes get suckers from a type of rubiginosa (the apple fragrance), and I really don't know of any of the large producers that use this rose, but it is well mentioned in the older litteratue. When I buy roses I often don't know what they are grafted on. I have a friend who propagates and used to import roses every spring. Some years there was bulk imports from Eastern Europenan countries, and the roses seemed to be budded on local growing wild roses. It is at least 6 years since the last import now. I remember the rose people was very surpriced when they discovered this. mad gallica: I checked my rose-books, and all of them mentions how the bud onion are to be buried a few inches below the ground. Now I have to tell I live in Norway and my books are Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, French, German and British. When you buy a rose in a garden center this is the advice all buyers get trown after them.

Riding 4 Life: Forgive my short answer. You had so many broad-stroke needs, I thought it best to suggest a book, the best book, on the subject so that yo can have a proper starting point. (By the way, the Sunset Western Garden Book would tell you that lemon grass is not hardy in Zone 14.) Here's a semi-short list of proven plants for Zone 14. These will take your blinding sun, your hot summers and your cold winters. Medium to Large Trees -- Cedrus deodara DEODAR CEDAR Cedrus libanii atlantica ATLAS CEDAR Gleditsia triacanthos inermis THORNLESS HONEY LOCUST Pinus brutia/eldarica AFGHAN PINES Pinus pinea ITALIAN STONE PINE Platanus x acerifolia LONDON PLANE TREE Zelkova serrata SAW-LEAF ZELKOVA Small to Medium Trees -- Aesculus x carnea RED HORSECHESTNUT Brahea armata MEXICAN BLUE HESPER PALM Butia capitata BLUE PINDO PALM Cercidium floridum BLUE PALO VERDE Cercis siliquastrum JUDAS TREE x Chitalpa tashkentensis CHILTALPA Eucalyptus polyanthemos SILVER DOLLAR GUM Juniperus scopulorum Tolleson's Blue Weeping BLUE WEEPING JUNIPER Koelreuteria elegans FLAMEGOLD Koelreuteria paniculata GOLDENRAIN TREE Lagerstroemia (standard) CRAPE MYRTLES Melia azedarach CHINA BERRY Olea europaea OLIVE Parkinsonia aculeata MEXICAN PALO VERDE Pistacia chinensis CHINESE PISTACHE Sophora japonica Regent JAPANESE PAGODA TREE Trachycarpus fortunei WINDMILL PALM Ziziphus jujuba JUJUBE, CHINESE DATE Trees to create fast shade -- Acer truncatum SHANTUNG MAPLE Gleditsia triacanthos inermis (esp. Shademaster, Skyline) HONEY LOCUST Melia azedarach CHINA BERRY Populus fremontii FREMONT COTTONWOOD Pyrus calleryana (esp. Aristocrat, Bradford, Holmford, Trinity) CALLERY PEAR Ulmus parvifolia CHINESE ELM Zelkova serrata SAWLEAF ZELKOVA Large Shrubs -- Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana PINEAPPLE GUAVA Caesalpinia pulcherrima BARBADOS PRIDE, RED BIRD-OF-PARADISE Callistemon citrinus LEMON BOTTLEBRUSH Dodonaea viscosa PURPLE HOPBUSH Ilex x altaclarensis Wilsonii WILSON HOLLY Juniperus (many) JUNIPERS Punica granatum Legrellei, Nochi Shibori, Tanyosho ORNAMENTAL POMEGRANATES Rhaphiolepis Majestic Beauty M. B. INDIAN HAWTHORNE Vitex agnus-castus CHASTE TREE Small to Medium Shrubs -- Abelia x grandiflora ABELIA Leucophyllum frutescens TEXAS RANGER Myrtus communis ROMAN MYRTLE Nandina domestica HEAVENLY BAMBOO Nerium oleander "Petite" series OLEANDER Rosmarinus officinalis ROSEMARY Senna (Cassia) artemisioides FEATHERY CASSIA Senna wislizenii SHRUBBY SENNA Teucrium fruticans BUSH GERMANDER Twining Vines -- Akebia quinata FIVELEAF AKEBIA Gelsemium sempervirens CAROLINA JESSAMINE Muehlenbeckia complexa MATTRESS VINE, WIRE VINE Solanum jasminoides WHITE POTATO VINE Wisteria (many kinds) WISTERIA Tendril Vines -- Vitis californica Rogers Red, Walker Ridge RED-LEAF CALIFORNIA GRAPE Vitis coignetiae CRIMSON GLORY VINE Vitis vinifera Purpurea PURPLE-LEAF GRAPE Tendril-Clinging Vines -- * for wrapping onto small-mesh fencing or for "clinging" onto any very rough surface Bignonia capreolata CROSSVINE Campsis x tagliabuana* TRUMPET CREEPER Macfadyena unguis-cati* CATS-CLAW Disk-Clinging Vines -- Parthenocissus henryana SILVERVEIN CREEPER Parthenocissus quinquefolia VIRGINIA CREEPER Parthenocissus tricuspidata BOSTON IVY Clambering/Scrambling Vines -- Rosa banksiae LADY BANKS ROSE Rosa Cecile Brunner SWEETHEART ROSE Rosa x Mermaid MERMAID ROSE Rosa Absolutely, Jeanne Lajoie, Nozomi Red Cascade, Work of Art MINIATURE CLIMBING ROSES Ground Covers -- Baccharis pilularis Twin Peaks TRAILING COYOTE BRUSH Gazania rigens leucolaena GAZANIA Juniperus horizontalis Wiltonii BLUE CARPET JUNIPER Rosmarinus officinalis (trailing types) CREEPING ROSEMARY Trachelospermum asiaticum ASIATIC JESSAMINE Vinca minor SMALL PERIWINKLE Perennials Achillea Moonshine MOONSHINE YARROW Achillea fillipendulina WOOLY YARROW Achillea hybrids HYBRID YARROWS Agastache aurantiaca ORANGE HYSSOP-MINT Agastache hybrids (many) HYBRID HYSSOP-MINTS Agastache rupestris SUNSET HYSSOP Agave parryi PARRYS CENTURY PLANT Agave shawii SHAWS CENTURY PLANT Artemisia Powis Castle WORMWOOD Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Dietes FORTNIGHT LILY Euphorbia characias wulfenii CHARTREUSE EUPHORBIA Euphorbia myrsinites BLUE EUPHORBIA Euphorbia rigida MEDITERRANEAN EUPHORBIA Euphorbia x martinii RED EUPHORBIA Helianthemum nummularium SUN ROSE Helictotrichon sempervirens BLUE OAT GRASS Hemerocallis DAYLILIES Hesperaloe parviflora RED YUCCA Muhlenbergia dumosa BAMBOO MUHLY Nepeta Six Hills Giant GIANT CATMINT Nepeta racemosa Walkers Low CATMINT Nepeta x faassenii CATMINT Opuntia violacea santa-rita BLUE-BLADE Penstemon eatonii FIRECRACKER PENSTEMON Penstemon palmeri PALMER BEARDTONGUE Penstemon pseudospectabilis DESERT BEARDTONGUE Phlomis russeliana HARDY JERUSALEM-SAGE Phygelius hybrids CAPE FUCHSIA Pyrethropsis hosmariense MT. ATLAS DAISY Ruellia brittoniana MEXICAN BLUEBELL, DESERT PETUNIA Salvia chamaedryoides GERMANDER SAGE Stachys albotomentosa HIDALGO Verbena rigida SANDPAPER VERBENA Verbena tenuisecta MOSS VERBENA As for barrier (thorny) plants: Agave parryi, shawii SMALLER AGAVES Berberis buxifolia MAGELLAN BARBERRY Berberis darwinii DARWIN BARBERRY Berberis julianae WINTERGREEN BARBERRY Berberis nevinii NEVIN'S BARBERRY Chaenomeles (tall types) FLOWERING QUINCE Ilex x altaclarensis Wilsoni WILSONS HOLLY Opuntia ficus-indica PRICKLY PEAR Pyracantha (many) FIRETHORN Ribes speciosa FUCHSIA-FLOWERING GOOSEBERRY Rosa laevigata CHEROKEE ROSE Rose "Simplicity" Series SIMPLICITY ROSE Rose Pearl Sevillana (shrub; semi-double pearly white/cream) Rosa californica Elsie (native; single magenta-pink) Rose Wildberry Breeze (hybrid rugosa; mauve blend) Rose Wild Spice (rugosa hybrid; single white/blush) Ziziphus jujuba JUJUBE, CHINESE DATE Joe

I sowed seed last March after keeping the seeds in wet paper towels in the refrigerator for a month and had about a 50% germination rate once the outside temps. started to get really warm. I initially kept the tiny seedlings in tiny cell trays so they would not stay wet and with a lot of outside air movement trying to duplicate the conditions I have read about in the Mediteranian region. It is now 3 months later and I have transplanted the seedlings into gallon containers in a very well drained media. I feed sparsely and they sit in full sun. We have had unusually hot weather this Spring and it's been in the mid 90's F for a month and near 100F for the last 5 days here on the Texas Gulf coast and the plants are thriving and about the size of a baseball. Hot, full sun slightly dry and very little feed seems to be the trick. Next season when they are larger I'll try cuttings from these plants. I have been in the commercial nursery business for 35 years so I have the facilities to grow just about anything though I admit I've pretty well abused these plants compared to my regular crops.....Michael-Pecan Hill Nursery Here is a link that might be useful: Pecan Hill Nursery-Brookshire, Texas

Update! I walked out in the yard and found a ripe caper berry AKA seed pod. It was split open and from what I could tell, there were 5 fresh seeds. I did my research, found one method of growing them that I liked, and yesterday I planted them after they had been in the fridge for 2 weeks. I was surprised to find there were about 10 seeds, so since i had prepared 6 sleeves, some sleeves got 2 seeds. The goal here is 6 plants. One plant is NOT enough for a jar of capers! If 2 sprout in one sleeve, I will sacrifice one by cutting it off. I got my planting sleeves on Amazon. They disintegrate in the soil so the roots will grow out of them and not be disturbed during planting. Evidently Capers do NOT like their roots disturbed! Here is the open pod I found: And the planting process. I used one of those containers mushrooms come in at the grocery store. My planting medium is a sterile damp mix of perlite and vermiculite also purchased at Amazon. Seeds are in there, and misted and covered with plastic wrap. I'll update again if any sprout!