Funny you should say that you expect most people to say, "all of them"; that's exactly what I was thinking. Ok. If I have to narrow it down a bit, I think the roses I'm most excited about getting are Eugenie Guinoisseau (I've been wanting a moss and this is the one I'm trying), Lullaby (sounds beautiful), Madame Cornelissen (been looking forward to this one for a while), and Duchesse de Grammont(been wanting this one for who knows how long). How's that for a narrowed list? I didn't even include Adam, Madame Wagram or Anne Marie de Montravel all of which I'm very excited about. There are more but I'm really trying to keep with the spirit of the original post.

Vintage Gardens, to me, is more trusted with the identity of their antiques because they continue to investigate what they have, compare to old records, and have no problem issuing their identification as tentative by placing the name in double quotes. Tammy posted pics of hers, and that is the "thornless RdV" I remember from another nursery -- dull green color to the stems, leaves wider and more rounded, tapering suddenly. Tammy first said hers had thorns, then took the pics and came back saying what she thought were thorns were merely small bumps. My band is just as prickly as a typical Gallica -- no one seeing it would remark about its "smooth canes" because they're not. That's not what I would call the same "a few thorns" as found on Tammy's band -- I can't put my finger on the stem without touching a prickle. The first reference on HMF for RdV is clearly a translation from the French (as noted by both the French title and the text's awkward English). I would much prefer to read the original and translate it myself. It's very likely that the "also the prickles of the branches" which follows a semicolon (which denotes a separation of the second clause from the first, such that it could be its own sentence if grammatically correct, and that the translation isn't makes me wonder about the accuracy of the translation) is not connected to the comment about "red stipules..." It could very well be that missing from the translation is a negative, turning that last bit into a comment about "also the lack of prickles of the branches" which is less awkward of a clause than "also the prickles of the branches." But I can't tell for sure without reading the original French. Be careful about taking an awkward translation as gospel just because it's the oldest. If several descriptions beginning merely a year later describe the plant as without (or almost without) prickles, I'd take that over the claim that the first description (as translated on HMF) is noting "red prickles" which I really don't get even in that awkward translation -- the semicolon would not be used if the "prickles of the branches" were red like the stipules. A comma would be. Also remember that considering the time for a book to come out in print during those years that close together, it's very likely that both authors were writing without seeing the works of the others. Thus the descriptions are better trusted to be based upon actual inspection, rather than copy-and-paste from other authors -- because there wouldn't have been time to read the first description and write it again in a book coming out a year or two later. Ultimately, RdV has had notes in her description over the years about her relative thornlessness. The band which I received would not be called "thornless" any more than many other roses I've seen which never acquired that adjective in their description. Sure, my plant isn't overly thorny, and its prickles are small, but they are not sparse enough for me (or anyone else seeing it for the first time) to say "my, that rose is thornless." But others seeing the real RdV over the years have. That's why I don't think this one is the "real" one, and the one I grew previously (and gave as a gift) was. :-) ~Christopher

After two weeks of beautiful 70+ temps, Everything popped into bloom and Easter Sunday was perfect. The next day - BOOM! Temps dropped back into March temps with 40-41 degrees F. for daytime highs and 30s at night. Weird. So far, no freezes here, but they got snow up in the Panhandle area. It has rained continually over the past three days. That is the good part. We can use the water! It has been chilly, dark as dusk, and very, very soggy...that's the bad part. I need a break from all the gloom and chill. I am so wanting to plant my tomatoes! Beautiful roses there Kay. I've seen pictures of both roses you ordered. Can't wait to see pics of them growing in your Cottage Garden!

Excuse me - I incorrectly directed a repeat of my question ( never answered) from last year to ourSteelers. It should have gone to the opening poster, R from pnwz8. I had asked about rootball size of the small Cream Veranda from Winona, Tx.