I grow two Rose de Rescht bushes here in hot, humid Alabama. I planted them last February in all day sun. The bushes are nice rounded mounds that are about 3 ft x 3 ft now. The bushes are attractive and have stayed pretty clean without spraying. The blooms are beautiful and smell like heaven. Each had a big first flush...completely covered in blooms and have had good rebloom since. They haven't been covered in blooms again, but have consistently had several blooms each. The blooms don't last long on the bush and only a day as a cut flower, but the petals fall off and self clean without drying up and turning ugly. Color is pretty true to the first pics below that were taken in very hot September...not as purple as they look in the last couple pics which were taken in spring on a different camera.

How lovely! I like to make flower collages too, just to see what a color combo will look like. There are so many things I want in my garden *right now* that I'm working on, and other things organized into dream lists for maybe someday. Right now my top priority is completing the veg garden, I'm not done planting tomatoes and it's almost June, I kick myself every time I go out and see all the work I haven't done yet. But I also have a growing collection of baby antique roses in pots that are going to need a home once they are large enough to go into the ground - I know I want it to be an informal garden with curving gravel paths, rock lined beds, and billowy perennials like lavender and santa barbara daisies, but I'm not sure where or how large it will actually be. It's a design challenge I'm not even ready to think about yet. The satisfaction I get from turning a weedy or nondescript plot into a beautiful garden is unparallelled, and when I finish all of the projects I currently have on my list I think I will need to find friends and neighbors willing to let me create new gardens on their properties. It's an addiction I have no desire to curb or suppress ;oP

Hi, Congrats n the great house. I have lots of idea�s that may work for you. We recently "updated" the look of our house by adding Stone-like Keystones to the trim around the windows and above the garage door. Just Google Keystones, you�ll see lots f sites and style to pick from. These days these architectural components are made out of non-wood products so stay looking great for years. Also, If you have a Lowes nearby, go check their section of non- wood trims. We purchased the base boards which are about 8" tall, turned them upside down and used them like a crown molding. That would look really great in the two spaces above your garage doors. Another suggestion, you could add shutters around the windows on the first floor. Also, Consider buying a few year round material style Urns for the 3 corners of the garage, and for either side of the front door. You could plant a nice combination of flowers and evergreens to give you color, and height. We have 1 with a rose tree which blooms all summer, at eth base we added begonias and two tone Ivy, one has a rounded shaped evergreen shrub, with impatient at the base, our last one has a topiary evergreen, about 3 feet tall, with the 3 ball shapes. We got all this done for under $1,000 and eth neighbors all love what we have done. I suggest also adding lower potted plants to your entry way as well. If you stay with the "stone looking" pots on posts and you should get some high impact. You can usually find those year round pots really inexpensively at stores like, TK Maxx, Marshalls, Ross and Tuesday Morning. Good luck and best wishes. Maria

Trimmed to be kept smaller for the most part. The original Knock Out, and it's sports (mutations), Blushing Knock Out and Pink Knock Out can exceed 7' tall if left untrimmed. Most people (and municipal sites) keep the plants trimmed back.