What a beautiful bush and blooms. But all those "peace" type roses are gorgeous, aren't they!

I've noticed that some of my roses, which I had to prune practically to the ground, are coming back with what seems to be an increased vigor and health. Not a lot blooming yet, but the number of buds is impressive.

Maybe roses (or at least some of them) benefit from some really cold weather? That will to survive kicks into overdrive when spring comes--and we get especially lovely bushes and blooms?

Kate

A lot of bad comments about jfk. Gave up on mine after about 5 yr. What a mess!

I honestly haven't encountered a rose type or variety which didn't perform better after a period of colder weather. Of course, "colder" is relative to the genes of the rose, the climate in which it is grown, etc., but every rose I have ever grown performed better after some real "winter" season variation than most have after the lack of any real winter. It's as if they enjoyed "the rest" from constantly being pushed to grow and flower. Perhaps it's because of some internal changes the cold produces?Perhaps it's due to cold knocking down some diseases and/or insects? Perhaps both and more? Who knows? It's long been written that roses don't generally perform well in places like Hawaii where "winter" is often more like many of our "springs". With improvements in health and vigor over the decades, that may not be the case now, but reading ARS annuals and magazines over the decades, roses have reportedly not flourished where there really isn't a "winter". In my conditions, no winter has unusually resulted in a rather lackluster spring and summer performance, while more winter change results in fuller, leafier, healthier more productive plants. Kim

Beautiful blooms!

Oh!! That is STUNNING!!!!
I have Pink Peace, and I love it!! - but last year (2nd year) it only had 2 canes. If mine looked like yours - I'd be ecstatic!!! Yet - the perfume and the flowers make me want to always have this rose.
I can't believe how incredible yours looks!! WOWOWOWOW!!!!
Carol

Thank you everyone. The cold weather theory does make sense. It could be that JFK is just not a very good rose. It did have a few nice blooms last year, but overall not many. Kate and Carol I do hope you both post some pictures of your roses. I am looking forward to seeing them.

Hey Sara Ann,
Beautiful, beautiful Pink Peace!!!
In defense of JFK, mine has been a very dependable rose for many years. Granted, it's not my favorite white since its fragrance is mild and blooms can turn ugly if they get rained on, but mine does bloom a lot once things start to heat up. Much better performer for me when it gets really hot and steamy down here. He seems to prefer warm, humid weather. He's a bit behind a lot of my roses with his spring flush. Blooms are just cranking up now that we've had a couple of weeks of high 80's and low 90's. Here are a couple of pictures from earlier this week to give you an idea of how much he can bloom when the climate suits him. Not the best picture quality and not a lot of open blooms yet, but hopefully you can see all the buds waiting to open up.

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Thanks, Pat. That's a good illustration that every rose is good somewhere and not all are universal in their performance. Stay cool! Kim

Pat, that's the prettiest JFK that I have ever seen! I cheered when mine suckered and Dr. Huey took it over.

That Pink Peace is amazing. You have some of the loveliest roses. What was your sprain prep like? Compost, fertilizer, pruning? You have the magic touch! Lesley

Your PP is beautiful, Sara! I hope the one I just picked up does so well.

JFK is sort of known for being finicky. It hates any kind of humidity at all so would never open for me. In the right conditions it can be spectacular like Pat's but those conditions can be hard to find. White roses tend to have thin petals and weather conditions effect them easily and quickly. I've had Honor and Full Sail too and they weren't very good openers either. I've found for me Pope John Paul II has heavier petals so it opens better and doesn't damage as much in rain. You have to try different ones to see which ones do better in your area.

Secret's Out, the white sport of Secret, is a decent white rose here (in filtered sun) with a real snoot-full of scent! Kim

Thank you everyone. Pat, your JFK looks amazing! I won't give up on mine yet. I'm sure we'll have plenty of hot weather, so I'll see what it does. Like I said this has been a very unusual spring. We've had several days of very cool weather after having about five days in the 90's. Lesley, you are so sweet. I love your rose gardens because you obviously have a knack for making it all come together and looking so beautiful with your other plantings. My spring preparation consists mostly of pruning and using Mills Rose Magic just about the time they begin to break dormancy. I do this because it's easy. I lightly prune most of my roses, this year the only roses that were pruned hard were the ones that had a lot of die-back, surprisingly I didn't have much problem with that. I have always felt like I have had a lot of luck when it comes to roses, I don't think I do anything that special, just the minimum of what anyone would do in caring for a plant. People tell me all the time they can't grow roses or they think it would be too difficult, so that's why they don't. Believe me, I've made my share of mistakes through the years and it seems like every year I learn a lesson of what I should have done, or not done!

This post was edited by Sara-Ann on Fri, May 16, 14 at 16:04

Seil, myHonor is grafted and in its third year in my garden. I'm lucky it's been a wonderful bloomer for me, gorgeous blooms and fast repeats. It lives south of the house on a very sunny spot, and the atmosphere is mostly very dry but with occassional fogs.