Same here - I have lots of buds and lots of aphids too. They just seem to go hand in hand!

Lots of buds on my roses as well, even on the once-blooming types such as Cardinal de Richelieu. It think I will see the first roses in two weeks! Everything is just so early --and long lasting-- this year!

Same here..
This year I have a new rose from Heirloom roses - It is pale green in color :-)
I can't wait to see the flowers.

Yes! I also have lots of buds on my roses. Have been anxiously waiting to see buds on Portland from Glendora/Joasine Hanet. Have had it two years and it finally has buds. I have a bush of Lavender Dream that was gorgeous, until the voles got to it this spring, it is starting to bounce back, so hopefully it will be as glorious as before. I also have a Cornelia, Felicia and Buff Beauty with buds, that must be planted soon.
I have seven rose bushes to plant and four more on the way
from Ashdown, what was I thinking? Must have been the spring rose fever that made me order so many.

Best wishes,
Donna

Whoa!
Lots of bushes. Good for you. Have fun gardening.
Keep us posted of how they come along.

Hema

Most of my roses have buds, I found the lagest one on a mini last week. Some were pruned back harder than others (the HTs) and some are own-roots that were planted in the ground early last fall, so those I don't expect to see much out of until next month. I don't want any of them to bloom early, kills my main rose show season (early June)...

Donna, I bought 3 roses last Saturday, I came home to find two orders on my porch last night (3 each, I think), I know I have one coming from Ashdown, I've got our rose society's sale roses coming next month and I might have another order or two out there. And no space. I hope pots don't become illegal, I'll be in trouble!

Diane,

Now I feel better, had the day off work today and just stared at my roses waiting to be planted. I even have the holes dug for them, meanwhile they sit....

Lets see.. two from B&B Nursery, two From Uncommon Rose, three from Chamblees, four coming from Ashdown...now what else can I order!

I always tell myself, order just a couple, plant them and then order more, never happens.

Oh, and the aphids have made their way to my garden in significant numbers already. The beetles cannot be far behind, although last year they were very selective, attacking some bushes and not others.

Take care,
Donna

Diane, a couple of questions:

Is your society's rose sale open to the public?

And what are the dates of the northern NJ rose shows? I need to plan....

Our mini sale (we only do minis) is open to the public, but we've already closed out for this year. We usually start taking orders in January/February. Our society (Jersey Shore) will be at the Rudolph van der Goot Rose Garden at Colonial Park in Franklin Township on Saturday, June 10th for their Rose Day. There will be minis available for a donation to the Jersey Shore RS, and members (including two CRs and one not-yet CR) will be available to answer questions.

June 3: West Jersey RS Show, Echelon Mall, Voorhees, NJ
June 4: Philadelphia RS Show, Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA (fee to enter the Arboretum)
June 10: Garden State Rose Club Show, The Mall at Mill Creek, Secaucus, NJ
June 10: Del-Chester RS Show, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA (fee to enter Longwood Gardens)

Jersey Shore isn't having a show this year, we are hosting the Penn-Jersey District Fall Convention and Show. The rose show will be held on September 16th, Holiday Inn, Hazlet, NJ

It looks like the Garden State show is a week late this year -- it's usually Belmont Stakes Day. My husband and I are on vacation that week (other than a possible day trip to Atlantic City, we're not going anywhere other than the back yard, Lowe's and a few garden centers -- he's working on the raised bed he couldn't build last summer because his appendix ruptured the night of the first dayt of our vacation in August, and I'm expanding two existing rose beds and starting a new one along the back fence), so we'll definitely be at the show.

Do you have any information on the district convention, or a website with the info? I'm an ARS member, and having one that close would be too good to pass up.

Kathy, not yet. Our web page is being reworked (and I owe comments), so the info should be up shortly. The dates are September 15 - 17, Holiday Inn, Rt 35 S, Hazlet. Seminars on Friday, 9/15, rose show on Saturday, 9/16 and district business meeting the morning of 9/17.

Diane, thanks. Can you give me a heads-up when we can register? I'd love to go on Friday and Saturday. I doubt I'll have anything to show, but you never know. And, with any luck, inventory at my husband's supermarket will be that week (he's a department manager at a large Shop Rite in Jersey City), and he'll be off on Saturday.

And can I bother you for the RIR comments from last year? I love reading what everyone else has to say. (I know -- I still owe you a letter on your follow-ups to my comments, and I apologize for my tardiness, but a good chunk of last year disapeared into a black hole, between my mother's vertigo, my father's sudden death, and Bobby's ruptured appendix, all within the month of August.)

I will try to remember, in any case I'll post a notice here.

Since e-mail from the link hasn't been reliable, drop me a note at hiptownrose2@aol.com, and I'll send the 2005 RIR (Roses in Review).

Diane, thanks -- I just sent you an e-mail.

My Knockout roses just bloomed for the first time on Monday. I usually have blooms until November. And I have them in only 2 hours sun.

pontesmanny

No blooms yet but a sign of some color on Reine de Violette. And the blackspot begins. I saw some today. This year - Funginex, Banner Max - whatever it takes. I give up.

Yay! I got my first rose bloom of the year today! It was Mary Rose, notably an early bloomer, but she is in a protected spot on the south side of the house, where even dahlias survive winter, as if this were California or something :)

Congratulations on an early start. I haven't seen any blooming around yet except at Steve's.

I noticed today some of the glossy leaves are starting to look brown. Turned them over and I found tiny little caterpillars all over them besides the aphids and possibly whitefly.

In the back yard, Gold Medal has three fully-open blooms, and so does Sonia. On the front porch, Fred Warriner has four, and Sunsprite is full of blooms that should be open tomorrow or Saturday.

Then we have the 26 plants we bought on Saturday, many of whicn were already in bloom (Our Explorer smelled heavenly on the way home! I wish we'd taken the minivan, though -- we could have fit in at least ten more that we wanted but had to leave behind).

First blooms here too. My rugosa rubra seedling wins. I think I waited five years for one of those to bloom. Was ready to rip them out. Heritage follows by a close second.
Kathya11, that is a lot of roses!

All of my existing roses have tons of buds with a hint of color showing, ready to open, and now look at all the rain coming!! Lots of aphids already. My new roses I purchased with flowers already open; garden party and cherry parfait. Does anyone grow Cl. Cecile Brunner? The reason I ask.....I received it as an own root baby 5 years ago, and it has never bloomed for me in 5 years. However, this year it is covered in buds! Would it be the early spring we had? Has to be! Reached its large size in its 3rd year, but no buds 3rd or 4th year! Not in much shade. It does grow behind some other stuff but only 3 feet or so of plants in front of it, its back side is totally in sun. I've waited 5 years for it to bloom Knock-out is over 5 feet tall now, looks good and some of the area that got killed the winter before is filling in. Been growing her 5 or 6 years, winter before this killed a section in its front, bottom. I am going to take pics of 3 of my unknowns and post on name that rose forum this year. I have a digital camera finally but have trouble posting.

Yup, Loretta, you're right -- that's a lot of roses. We have a large lot for our town (50 x 100 -- a double lot), but it's small compared to what lots in the real world measure. The house is small, so we have room to plant, and other than some annuals, which I plant in pots, we're not really interested in anything but roses. So we're expanding the rose beds; today I took the afternoon off and planted 9 of the J&P boxed roses that have been sitting there asking for attention, and I marked out the area where the J&P test roses will be going. Next week, the biggie -- the new bed along the back fence, which is where my half of those 26 roses will be living. And I'm going to dig up two large spreading junipers that are in the front yard and replace them with low-growing floribundas (the junipers are being donated to our municipality, to be planted in a park -- I've already spoken to our Public Works director).