Niels in Denmark told of his friend who wasn't good with names. Instead of saying "Charles Austin" rose, his friend said "Charles Mason" rose. I replied, "Yeah, Charles Mason is the one that killed all other roses."

Do you have pics. of spray-of-blooms, bush-shot, or a good story about roses? There's always a shortage of all the above (too many close-up pics. of blooms). Thanks.

Ingrid

Sonia Rykiel is a better choice if you have high rainfall and clay soil. Sonia Rykiel has less blooms, but better scent and lasts longer in the vase .... more enjoyment overall. For quality over quantity, Sonia Rykiel beats Radio Times with less thorns. Kittymoonbeam once state that if she has to make a perfect rose, it's Sonia Rykiel.

Another of my favorite spray is "Blue Mist" bred by Ralph Moore. He bred more than 500 new roses. At age 101 he retired, donating all his plants and a cash donation to Texas A&M University's horticulture.

Ralph Moore is a deeply religious man. His famous statement is “None of us own anything. We're only trusted with it." Below is a spray of Blue Mist ... It's like a pretty fairy in the pot:

Here's a spray of climbing Peach Silk but the only story to go with it is that I bought it because the breeder of this rose said " modesty prevents me from saying it's the finest rose of it's color" ( in the climbing group of large flowered modern roses ) Well, I had to try one then and not having grown or seen many apricot modern climbers, I can't judge, but I will say that it is one of the prettiest roses I grow.

When my kid was in 3rd grade, she came home hungry, sniffed Sonia Rykiel and said, "It smells so good that I want to eat it." Sonia Rykiel changes from raspberry rose, to lemony rose, and finally lychee rose like Double Delight.

For a refreshing scent, nothing beats Floribunda Bolero, which smells like water lilies. Below is a picture of Bolero taken late November, after frost. Bolero looks good regardless of weather: be it 100 degrees or 30's.

Kitty, your rose is to die for! I don't know when I've seen a more beautiful climber. Your garden is gorgeous; why aren't you posting more pictures? That was just a teaser, we'd like to have more!

Ingrid

Jackie

Golden Celebration

Graham Thomas

Julia Child

For an HT Folklore loves to throw out sprays!

But if you want real spray power try a poly!

Verdun

Kitty, is Peach Silk more pink or peach? In one of your photos it looks very peachy, at least on my screen.

Jackie, I love all your garden shots. Your roses climbing your house are amazing. After seeing your pictures, I think I may try a climber around my bedroom window. That window and my bathroom window are the only windows in the house that get enough sun to do that.

I love Jackie's Impressionist picture of Peace ... I would love to have that framed in my bed room. Peace was my first love ....

This has nothing to do with roses ... but below is a spray of azaleas ... Unfortunately it's traumatized now by the acid fertilizer Lily Miller NPK 10-5-4 ..... Then I also experimented with Iron Sulfate. All made it worse than the original chlorosis in my alkaline clay. I never water my rhodies nor azaleas for 12 years until I used that high-nitrogen fertilizer. BTW, acid-flowering plants need very little nitrogen as documented by University Extensions.

I wish I had read this by U. of Arizona before I bought Iron Sulfate: "Fertilizing high pH soils with non-chelated iron fertilizers such as ferrous sulfate (FeSO4.2H2O) is not recommended because this iron will not be available to plants."

Strawberry, here's my first Sonia R. Her petals weren't perfectly lined up on the first try but her fragrance was amazing.

Thank you, Kitty for Sonia Rykiel ... she always look good. Your last spray is beautiful. The first thought is "cutie pie" ... I'm sure others come up with better names.

Below is Christopher Marlow. It was poor drainage clay, so I removed huge lime stones, and put lots of half-rotted horse manure in the bottom of the hole. He is my best bloomer with the deepest color. My zone 5a weather is so cold that NOTHING decomposes at the top, and stuff decomposes faster at warmer underground with wetness.

However, Daisy in Crete informed folks at English Roses Forum that she put donkey manure at the bottom of the hole in her warm climate ... she posted awesome pics. of tons-of-blooms as the result.

Below is Christopher Marlow, with less than 4 hours of sun and a big pile of manure in the bottom of the hole:

How about a couple more?

Angel Face A lousy plant in most respects but it does have beautiful blooms.

Brilliant Pink Iceberg

Eyeconic Pink Lemonade

Some of you asked to see my Victorian dresses I am making. I put them on the conversations forum and here's a link

Thank you, Seil, for more purples and shade that I like. I always like Angel Face's color, and I love Eyeconic Lemonade color.

My Romantica Sweet Promise 2007 hybrid tea also give blooms in spray, with the most heavenly apple blossom scent ... it's like visiting an apple orchard. See below:

The "story" attached to this rose, of course, is that it is not, and never has been a Tea Rose -- despite the fact that it successfully masqueraded as one for many decades.

It IS actually a Hybrid wichurana, and has the wonderful green apple fragrance you sometimes find in that group of roses.

Jeri

Below is Pat Austin, she's short on potassium with droopy neck. I sent my husband to the nursery last spring, with a shopping list to buy "Sulfate of Potash" and tomato plants.

He called me from the nursery: "They have Pot ash for $12, a small bag". I was thinking of wood ash in a pot, so I told him, "I can get free wood ash from my neighbor's fire place, why should I buy that stuff?"

He clarified, "It's not wood ash, it's Pot ass". I said, "I don't want potty ass in my garden either, forget it!" So he went home with the tomatoes. I pointed to the shopping list, "where's my Sulfate of Potash?" He said, "they had it, but you didn't want it." I realized that he mispronounced ... Yes, he's an American, but not a gardener.

Pat Austin got droopy neck from a mispronunciation:

I have no place for it, but think it's lovely.

Jeri

Symphony

Route 66

Heaven on Earth

Gruss an Aachen

Ballernia

Morden Blush

Thank you, Kitty, for that funny story ... that made me laugh. In our neighborhood, we have a few Dr. Huey growing.... folks don't know that it's not the original rose!

I have a bed with leaves AT THE BOTTOM, but the top is dry and alkaline with horse manure: zero BS nor mildew, even on Golden Celebration.

I have another bed with tons of leaves on top. Acidic wet surface breeds fungi easily ... whatever roses I put in there, get black spot, plus mildew (no matter how wet). The only clean ones are Knock-out, Flower Carpet, and Kim Rupert's Lynnie.

Lynnie rose is amazing: It's 100% clean, zero mildew, BS resistant, while other perennials get mildew in that wet bed. Recent roses are far more disease resistant than other plants. See Lynnie, bred by Roseseek (Kim Rupert) below:

Jackie

Jackie