Lol, Nik, I love your enthusiasm and I so relate. I have race offs every year for the first to bloom too, lol! Pics when they open, please!

About half of the bare roots I planted in December and January have produced at least one bloom. George Burns, Bolero, Lavaglut, and one that escapes me. All the others are in bud and will bloom soon. Very exciting!

The bands I ordered last fall have almost all produced a bloom or two and doubled if not tripled in size. Boule de Neige is the only one to not even produce a bud yet, but I've read it's quite a slow starter. The Mystery Rose from Rogue Valley is also in bud. It appears to be a fairly strong yellow with red blushing on the outside of the petals. Probably a Hybrid tea judging by the bud shape and the foliage on the plant so far. I'm hopeful I'll be able to identify it someday.

Jay

I can't make a guess on which of yours will be first, Nik, but I can say that of my new bands the one I planted the latest bloomed first. That would be Wild Edric, but unfortunately a cursed rodent saw fit to make away with the flower overnight, and I had already pinched off all the other buds. Arghhh!

Ingrid

So far 'Ascot' has shot up to nearly 5' tall but still not a single bud. If it is all blind shoots I will be seriously annoyed.

Darcey Bussell was one of the best-blooming first year Austins ever in this garden. A very nice rose.

Well the race was won today by Darcey...

But only for a few hours. Since Darcey is in a sunnier spot, it was a handicap bet, so I consider this a tie.
Nik

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Sat, Mar 15, 14 at 15:12

I love Darcey Bussell. Mine was trying to grow taller than I wanted so I had to prune a few tall canes, but not to worry, it was already setting buds on the lower older growth and I think only missed a week or two with out an open bloom this past year. This will be its 3rd year summer in the garden and it is already trying to out do the past.

But since I only pruned a few roses worrying about encouraging growth in a drought, I have some that have been blooming for weeks, Britannia, Mr. Lincoln, Gruss An Aachen, Janet, Young Lycidas, Crocus Rose, Grandmothers Hat, Icebergs, Don Juan and Simplicity have been blooming. Elle is the first of the prunned roses with Neptune just starting. Even Ebb Tide has sprays of deep purple coming on. I expect the first flush or two to be good but late summer til after it rains again to be less.

Congrats, Nik! Darcey's a beauty!

I was expecting Boscobel to be the third but the small Groire de Dijon beat him to this. I'm so thrilled to see her blooming. You must excuse my excitement here since it is not only that these roses are new to me, it is also that in contrast to lots of you I don't have the opportunity to see most of the roses I plant in person, so to speak, before they bloom in my garden.

I've read all the horror stories about GdD from you guys in the States, I hope she does OK for me.
Nik

Oh, Nik, those are all lovely!

Your Gloire de Dijon bloom is beautiful, Nik. I hope she scoffs at the naysayers and does well for you. You never really know about a rose until you try it in your garden.

Ingrid