The cutting for my Charles was given to me, and the giver told me that is what it is, he even marked it with a "CG" in marker pen. The blooms do start out a lighter shade, and deepen over the course of a few days. My temps right now are moderate, 55 to 60 at night, and 75 days. For nutrition, I used Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) couple times a summer, give chelated iron twice a summer, and feed weekly with Peters 20-20-20. Watering is currently twice a day, they get sun from 7am to about 4pm. I give a small handful of lime in the spring, for calcium. The Epsom salts helps to give good rich green foliage, good bud set and promotes intensity of color in the blooms. I just pour the Epsom salts into my Miracle Gro feeder on the end of my hose, turn on the water and fill the pots up. You can get it at any drug store. If you use a watering can, add 2 tablespoons Epsom salts to 5 gallons water. The tree forms are both in 20 inch pots, one is square, the other is round.

Oh my! Thank you Marinaka SoCal.....it IS Sweet Broom!!! i remember the name now. I got them at Lowe's just by chance and loved the look and smell. One died and I wanted to get more but can't find them now at HD or Lowes, so maybe they are out of season now. But thank you all for the help. It really helped.

Thanks so much, everyone! Prettypetals you are totally right with the garden always needing pruning and weeding! Grr is right ;) Sharlene, thanks Royal America is a surprise for me this year, the blooms and so old fashioned and enchanting. And Gene Boerner is really being a show off! I adore that shade of bubblegum pink! Thanks thorngrower, love your username btw! Thank you Sara-Ann, I love seeing all of your beautiful rose photos too :) Thanks, Beth! No way I have a rose you don't lol! Irisgal, thanks for your sweet words! Montezuma is a showstopper for me! Also thanks for your help on the iris board ;) Rosecanadian, thank you! I love sharing with my gardenweb friends because you guys really appreciate the love it takes growing roses. Towandaaz, thanks glad you enjoyed!! Jasmine, thanks I am really have fun with the close ups I can take with the phone camera, I can just get lost in the details. Hareball, I think I am just lucky with naturally good soil, I do use Miracle Gro sometimes too. I would like to experiment with fertilizers but just get so busy that they are lucky if the get a dose or two of MG throughout the season.

The mix was a disappointment in that the drainage was not great - retained too much moisture. I have been using the tomato plant food from miracle-gro to supplement the plants. Is there anything I can do to stop the drop and/or encourage more blooming? Water problems: get a moisture meter and learn how to use it. Water when the soil needs it, not when the calendar says it's time. Don't over fertilize: it leads to lush leafy grown and fewer peppers. What is in the "miracle-gro raised bed mix"? It sounds like it's meant to have a lot of slow-release stuff, and peppers are not heavy feeders.