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night_stalker

Climbing Red Rose - Blaze or Dublin Bay?

Night_Stalker
10 years ago

I'm going to be planting a climbing red rose for my aunt. I went to nearby gardening stores, and the two varieties I could find on my last trip were "Dublin Bay" and "Blaze".

Which should I get, and why? What's the difference?

Comments (69)

  • Donna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
    7 years ago

    Hello, vaporvac. I am in North Canton. My rose garden is only a new one (some plants are 2 years old, some 1 year old.). I must find my plant list to even remember what I am growing. I do spray for fungal diseases around 4-5 times a year. We live in black spot heaven. I know that many here frown on spraying of any kind. So I am torn between respecting the environment, and keeping my roses clean. I made 2 orders when Brecks had their sale on the all color spectrum that they were offering. last year. Most lived, with a few that died. I have around 30 plants in the ground, with around 10 plants in huge pots that made it beautifully through the winter in my garage without missing a beat. Where are you, vaporvac?

  • Donna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Mikeber~ thank you for that information. Your response caused me to think about what I am doing. I really get upset at the idea if digging up a living thing and discarding it. That is why I am so torn with what to do with the Don Juans. They are planted on 2 sides at the base of 3 arbors that surround my fishpond. the whole area is bordered by boxwood hedges, and I know that the Don Juans are competing with nutrients along with the boxwood. I fed each religiously last year each month with plantone, and epsom salts, Three of the plants have one long cane that is about 5' tall, and some other small growth, one plant looks like it died and the other 3 are kind of limping along. I am toying with the idea of taking out the end boxwood out of the hedge that is next to the roses, as they rob nutrients, and also don't allow really great sunlight from reaching the roses for the hours of the day that they need. I can't decide what to do. I suppose that we could wrap the canes in burlap in November. Still trying to decide to remove or to replace the dead Don Juan and make improvements in the area which might help them grow better. If I replace, I would like a repeater. Hmmmmm…..

  • mikeber
    7 years ago

    If you were now considering purchasing and planting the Don Juan, I would probably recommend against it in your zone. But if they are already one year in ground, I would try to preserve them. They are good in regular weather, but please read and educate yourself about winter protection.

    My personal opinion (and it's only an opinion) is that the differences between roses are not that significant. I had so called "hardy" roses that died in the winter cold. Others - defined as warmer climate, survived harsh winters (with protection). Go figure...

    (The common problem with climbers is dead canes, which means you basically start every year from zero).

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    7 years ago

    I'm in Cincinnati. Shoot. It would be fun to live near another member. I'm a newbie also, although I inherited my NewDawn and many of my plantings with my house. The ND are over 75yrs old as is most everything. I think it's called a "mature" landscape, which really just means a lot of "stuff" growing everywhere! :) I am currently trying to make something out of the established beds after years of neglect from me. I'm focusing on roses for the sunny spots and a pre-existing bed with polyanthas. I have plans for rose expansion, but first need to get the runaway bamboo, etc under control. Your setting sounds really nice... you should post a pic of the DJ.

  • zack_lau z6 CT ARS Consulting Rosarian
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Rhode Island Red is a good disease resistant red climber for my yard.

    Mike Chute, one of the speakers at the Yankee district rose convention, said that the best thing Blaze had going for it was its name. Some roses are lucky to have a name that keeps it popular year after year. You can't judge the health of a rose when it rolls of the truck--you can be sure that pesticides are used to keep fungal diseases away. Nor is waiting a few months to look at the stressed out survivors at the end of season such a good idea--the rose may have other issues that stop people from buying it.

    Perhaps the best you can do is to visit nearby gardens to see how roses do relative to other roses. If you see lots of healthy HTs, there is a very good chance they still have some sort of spray program.

  • Melissa Mc (6b)
    7 years ago

    Glad to hear the Dublin Bay is a hardy rose. The one I ordered just arrived and I would like to plant it tomorrow. Everything I've read said it will tolerate some shade, is that true? The arbor I'm planting it near gets morning sun and then shade later.

  • Donna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
    7 years ago

    Melissa, where did you order your Dublin Bay? I need 6, and so far, online prices have scared me away. I would like to find it locally, already growing, but so far have not.

  • summersrhythm_z6a
    7 years ago

    Hortico has bare root Dublin Bay.

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    7 years ago

    Most climbers do much, much better as grafted plants, particularly if they are going to struggle with winter. I wouldn't even think of trying Don Juan or Dublin Bay as own root plants anywhere north of zone 8. It just isn't what they were ever meant to do.

    If you are still interested in red climbers after a couple of fails, do order a Quadra or two.

  • Donna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
    7 years ago

    mad gallica, do you know where Quadra is available?

  • Melissa Mc (6b)
    7 years ago

    Donna--I ordered my Dublin Bay from Heirloom Roses. They had 20% off and free shipping a few weeks back.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    7 years ago

    Donna, High Country Roses has Quadra out of stock. I might give them a call, because when I was looking for Agnes, the web site said "out of stock" and Matt the owner had some and sent me three. They are a great company.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    7 years ago

    That is the quintessential old-fashioned rose garden. What is the pink climber?

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    7 years ago

    My Quadra came from the late, much lamented Pickering. If you wait and order it from Palatine next January, the rose that will arrive in March will be much larger and more ready to grow than what High Country will send this year.

  • erasmus_gw
    7 years ago

    Vaporvac, if you're asking me about my picture the rose on the white arbor is Alchymist. It's usually more apricot looking. I cut my Alchymist nearly to the ground this spring. It's a grafted plant and though it's supposed to be very hardy it got a lot of winter damage. Maybe it'll come back. Dublin Bay hasn't suffered much winter damage. I've got an own root Alchymist potted up in case my grafted one doesn't survive. I think many times grafted plants will take off faster but they are not necessarily bigger after a few years and they are not necessarily as long lived as an own-root plant. I know that's debatable. Some of my own-root plants are no good. Most are good.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    I live in Ontario, Canada and for the first time since bringing it home I have counted 14 buds on my Blaze rose just now. Sometimes there are 3 on one stem end. I cover mine up with burlap every year and every year it makes a liar out of me by surviving the winter . Then getting buds on it now wow!!! I am in shock at seeing it.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Somebody updated me saying this wasn't the blaze but the Henry Kelsey that was similar to the Blaze rose. So how come when I first bought it from our garden center in 2017 that info that came with it around the stem said it was a blaze rose and that it was grown in Canada?? Why didn't it say it was the HK on it?? There was no way anybody could have removed the tag from it unless one had scissors and it wasn't a tag that was just stuck in the pot. Here is a pix of it. Will see if I got a pix of it when it had that rose on it when I bought it.


  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    ok will see if I got one of it, yep I did as there is the old trellis and the fence behind it. So what one is this??? There will be hopefully at least 14 to open up this year on it. Last time I got flowers on it was June of 2017.


  • seil zone 6b MI
    4 years ago

    I've had both and I much preferred Dublin Bay. For one thing Blaze is a once bloomer and Dublin Bay repeats. That in itself makes it better in my book. The blooms on Blaze are much smaller and have few petals and little form compared to DB's bigger fuller blooms. I unfortunately killed my DB by pruning it low in the fall one year. It didn't come back in the spring. Blaze was shovel pruned this spring to make way for something I like better.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    4 years ago

    Karen, I see you are in Ontario. I'm impressed you have any climbing rose there. Hearing Canada HK might be a better guess than Blaze I would think. My hardiest red climbing was Quadra.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago


    soooooo Sheila how would you explain the card that is around it saying it is a Blaze??? What is the new and improved version??

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I think it has repeat bloom. I don't know if it's hard. I think that is up to zone 5. It is also called Demokracie.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    4 years ago

    Karen, it could be Blaze. Some of us have been sold mislabeled roses and hence the speculation about other possibilities. Eventually, you will figure it out. HMF roses is a web site with lots of photos all varieties of roses. You can look at many photos to help you confirm what your plant's name is for sure. Even there they have occasional mistakes people tag as probably wrongly named. Your location will help you rule out the less hardy ones. I lived in Alaska for 33 years and one hardy rose seller there intentionally sold roses under incorrect names. Her competitor told me she thought it would somehow help keep her ahead of the competition. Now, I've moved (and she retired) and I am trying to find a rose I loved that she sold me there without knowing it's real name. I'm thinking it is Suzanne or Haidee. It is very frustrating for sure. I'm sure you'll sort it out eventually. I hope I find the one I'm looking for too.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Regarding it being the Henry Kelsey I never saw this rose at our garden centre near me nor did they sell this variety of rose in the 3 years I have been going there to buy them. All they had were the Blaze ones and I myself have never heard of the HK rose was familiar with the blaze and so I checked my garden centre for it and they had it were selling maybe 4 or 5 of them. But what I find is there is if you see a particular rose you are looking for and want one get it when you see it because if you say oh I will wait until next year that particular rose may not show up again the following year. I found that out when I bought the strike it rich rose, the at last rose, the Always and Forever rose in that I can't seem to get a 2nd one the following year. The only ones I can find are the Lizzie rose or the red, sunny knockouts or the shield rose. Have not seen any blaze roses for sale this year either. They won't be long in opening up as I can see the hints of red on the buds!!!! I don't care if it only flowers the once as I have other roses that do. And also too compared to last year where it didn't get any. Hey I would rather see lots of blaze roses open up on a real plant and last for some time rather than pay thru the nose in buying cut ones and then not having one bud open on them and then on the third day they are finished with and not one of them did open up. Have had this happen so many times that I said never again and now whenever I see them for sale in any of the stores I quickly walk by them as any that I have now I know would last longer than them.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago

    It's so true that store bought roses can never compare to what we grow in our Gardens. Have you thought about growing TheBlaze improved? I don't know in what other ways it differs from the original Blaze except that it does repeat bloom.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Here is my most recent picture I took of it this evening. Getting excited as I can hardly wait for them to open up on it. Also too have not seen any black mildew on it. Is doing 100% better than what the hollyhocks were as even though I planted them they never amounted to anything or died on me so I said ok I will go back and try a rose instead went with the good ole blaze and like wow. It is doing great!!! Has survived and thrived you could say :)


  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Here is another shot of it with a different bud on it.


  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago

    Look so healthy!

  • HalloBlondie (zone5a) Ontario, Canada
    4 years ago

    @Karen - I'm also in Ontario. I've seen Blaze available in spring in many garden centres around here. As for the comment that it may be Henry Kelsey from another poster; that could very well be the wrong information anyways. So I would not worry about it at all. I do not grow either rose so cannot offer any new info on it.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Oh okay so if you don't have one you can simply come here and I will post them of mine :D


  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Awesome. I looked out my bedroom window just now and my blaze rose is in flower as three of them have opened this morning!!!!!!!!!!!! Will go and get a pix but don't want to miss the courier coming with my shelves so as soon as I get them will do so.

  • Bella Paul
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago


    HK has yellow in the center.

  • Nola z5aWI
    4 years ago

    Hi Karen, I grow Blaze Improved in zone 5a Wisconsin. I've had it a long time and truth be told, it does get some blackspot but I absolutely love the color of the cherry red blooms so refuse to take it out. It's very hardy (I put a half bag of mulch on the base for the winter) and it only died back once in the whole time I've had it and that was this last winter when we had a polar vortex and the temperature dipped down to -26 degrees F. It's the only red rose in my garden as I prefer the purples, pinks and blues, but this will stay. It only has a very faint fragrance, and puts out a decent spring flush with repeat all the way into October. Nola


  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago

    Thistle flower oh, I would love to know what else does well for you.

  • Nola z5aWI
    4 years ago

    Hi VaporVac! A lot of my roses are on their third summer besides Magnifica rugosa, and Blaze Improved and Reine des Violettes. They are: Twilight Zone, Lady of Shalott, TheLark Ascending, Royal Jubilee, Golden Celebration, Munstead Wood, Jude the Obscure. Just planted last fall: Etienne, Anna de Deisbach, Penelope, lemon Spice, Lilian Austin. This spring: La Reine, Pope John Paul ll, Chartreuse de Parme, Plum Perfect, Elle, Dark Desire, Gloire de Ducher, A Shropshire Lad and Mme Isaac Perier. What are you growing?

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Feel like celebrating today 3 of my Blaze roses are in bloom. Here are the first two. Somebody said they could tell if it was it by looking at the bloom on it. Well took one of it as such. :) Smell nice too!!!!!!!!!!!

    And this is one of the ones opened up all the way. HK? Don't think so Blaze since it had the tag as such fastened to the stem when I got it. Earlier pic. I took of it. Our Garden Center never had any HKs for sale there only Blaze ones.


  • Karen F
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    The only query is this the regular Blaze? What is the difference between it and the new improved one?? Would it say as such on the tag? Mine stated that it was grown in Canada. As for the so called Dublin Bay I have never seen any of these for sale at either the Garden Center near me or at Lowes Garden Center when I picked up the above rose. What is often the case they bring out the new varieties when they first come out and you or I have to nab them when they do because the next year they aren't available anymore!!!! So glad I got a campfire one when I did as when I went back there today they were all gone as well as the red one and the Oscar Peterson one. Will try Lowes Sat. see what they have on them.

  • Nola z5aWI
    4 years ago

    What I’ve read Blaze was introduced in 1932 and blooms on old wood only, hardy in zones 6-10. Blaze Improved ‘Demokracie’ introduced in 1950 by J&P blooms on new and old wood, hardy in zones 5-9 and blooms in spurts throughout the summer.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    I must have a screw loose as yesterday I went to Lowes to pick up a white tea rose but they were all gone. Have to wait until next year I guess. Had drift roses and the chinook sunrise and a pink climbing rose. Forget name of it. Checked out Walmart and they didn't have much had it is the Baffin in a pale pink with the explorer series. But why I said the above comment was at Lowes they had for sale for $17. and change in the 2 gallon pots was a Blaze rose!!! It looked a lot healthier than the other ones and it had 2 blooms small ones on it. Sooooo ding-ding me ended up buying it. Have yet to plant it. Maybe today. My other one looks awesome. I have not seen any of the climbing roses here for sale that were listed in this post(saw one Don Juan at our garden center awhile back) and with my living in Canada a lot of the US dealers don't ship roses to here. Had to get a pix of my blaze rose yesterday I am so enchanted by it.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago

    Are you saying they had WB's pale pink sport, 'Lucy Irene'? Good deal on your Blaze. Is the the original Blaze? Is gets confusing sometimes, doesn't it? Looking forward to pics! : ))

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    They had a pink climbing rose at Lowes but forget the name of it. Would have got one but they looked pretty pathetic. I looked on the tag of the 2nd one said it was grown in Canada but it didn't have the name of "Demokracie" anywhere on the tag that was tied with string around the main branch of it. So I imagine like the first one it is the Original blaze. It is doing so awesome the first one. Here is a picture of it. And I found out I can plant the 2nd one I got up against the Wooden

    Fence like this one only further down. YAY!! Discovered caterpillar or rose slugs not sure which on it anyhow I picked them off and threw them over the fence :) Was on just one branch as you could tell by the leaves. I also removed two that had the leaves like a cocoon with the caterpillar in it so just removed that entire leaf bract and pitched it over the fence. Haven't seen any since on it. I didn't want to spray it as we do have chickadees and chipping sparrows come to our gardens too. Have set up a small birdhouse in it and the chickadee have taken up residence it . They are sooooooo cute.

  • Karen F
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago


    That's nice posted the picture with the comments and it never posted. So will try again I think I know why too. Not the site. Found out I can put the 2nd blaze rose up against the same fence like the first one only a bit further down. Got the same tag with it like the first one but misplaced the first one's tag but like the first one I got says it was grown in Canada e with a picture of it saying it is a blaze and a climbing rose and there is nowhere on the tag saying it is a "Demokracie" or the new improved blaze. Also info on how to look after it on the back So I can put it in my book. Had pink climbing roses but couldn't find a half decent one Forget name of it. Our Wooden Fence goes right along the entire yard out the back and lot of us hang planters with flowers on them I bought 2 for Canada Day in red/white petunias and then one of pansies. Since I last took this picture more have come out on it. Now it doesn't want to upload the pix.


  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Now it did. Here is a close up of the two on one. My first climbing rose too at that.


  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago

    This is the way it starts with climbers, Karen. I love hearing the enthusiasm you have for this rose. It fairly leaps from the page! : ))

  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    Why would I want to get rid of my Blaze?? When it is doing this? And is healthy as a horse :) Hahah good thing there isn't such a thing as claustrophobic rose blooms. :D


  • Karen F
    4 years ago

    I went with the blaze because at the time that was the ONLY red climbing rose that Lowes or the Garden Centre near me were selling at that time. I did see a Don Juan at the garden centre near me but didn't get it in June I think it was. Got a 2nd blaze from Lowes this month. I think they had pink ones but not sure where I would put it. Can't order any from the states to be shipped here is a strict no-no due to my living in /Canada and no plants of any kind are allowed to cross over the border from the US. I have not seen any of the Dublin bays or the Henry Kelsey. But what is really weird is that Walmart was selling the Martin Frobisher rose that was also of the Explorer Series the same series that the HK and numerous other climbing roses belong to.

  • Olivia Rose
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Hi Karen, I love my Blaze Improved. Bought them from a local nursery’s clearance bin, a 2 gallon pot for $8.00.




    They are only 5 yrs old and yes they do get a bit of blackspot after the first spring flush. I don’t spray but I diligently give them a very dilute Bayer 3-in-1 every week. I am in Zone 7, by the way. This rose can give me four to five flushes til December.

    I can’t detect any fragrance at all, so I counter that by having four Marie Pavie in those pots. My neighbors said I have the most beautiful front door in my subdivision.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    4 years ago

    I bought another Martin Frobisher for here from High Country Roses, because it was so great in Alaska. It is very special.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    4 years ago

    Olivia Rose, even without seeing the rest of the houses, I'm thinking that I agree with your neighbors! Wowza! That is a statement entryway! : ))