Is Mrs. Dudley Cross Wrong for My Garden?

9 years ago

I love the fact that this rose is thornless and adore the flowers when they're at their best. Unfortunately, in my garden that rarely happens. In the cool season it usually mildews and that makes the flowers unsightly too. When it gets hot (or even very warm) it wants to take an extended rest. I may get good flower production four weeks out of the year and not a whole lot more. Have any of you who live in a similar climate and grown this rose had a similar experience? Considering how much water it gets I'd like a little more satisfaction. As it happens I've just noticed that it's crowding the rose to each side of it in Tea Rose Row so it may be a moot point but I'm still curious what situations suit this rose.

Ingrid

Featured Answer

luxrosa

9 years ago

Mrs. Dudley Cross' has nearly clean foliage in my no spray garden this month and only shows at most c.5- 7% blackspot when conditions favor that disease. It out grew its tendancy to getting light powdery mildew when it was c. 4 years old, now its floriferous and beautiful. The blooms are getting to be very large and sexy, I'm glad she's in my garden.

Lux

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Comments (9)

catspa_NoCA_Z9_Sunset14
9 years ago
She did the same things here (mildew and scarce blooms but expansive girth), Ingrid, so I can't tell you what she likes, unfortunately...I'm looking forward to learning what suits her from those with a happy MDC.
catspa_NoCA_Z9_Sunset14
9 years ago
duplicate deleted

This post was edited by catspa on Mon, May 5, 14 at 20:42
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jaspermplants
9 years ago
I have her in my hot climate and she is not so great. She's been in the ground 3-4 years now and it seems like she bloomed more at first and now not so much. She does mildew here. She's grown into a wide plant but she just doesn't seem healthy; foliage doesn't look that great and, as mentioned, she doesn't bloom all that much. The year she did bloom a lot though, she was gorgeous. Love the blooms. I wish she did better here...
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
Original Author
9 years ago
Well, at least I'm not the only one. I wonder whether this rose needs more humidity and/or rain. I used to assume that all teas would do well for me but that's been far from true. As the sun has become more intense over the last few years, fewer and fewer roses seem to be really happy. I may be left with only a handful of varieties and will have to keep an eye out for which roses are said to be really tough to replace the increasingly unhappy ones here.

Ingrid
sammy zone 7 Tulsa
9 years ago
I am far far away from you, but also have bad luck with this rose. I do not remember off hand what her source is, but it is a rose that grows well in my garden. However, Mrs. Dudley gets black spot.

it is interesting that some roses seem to have everything you need, but they just do not make it.
' Sammy
harborrose_pnw
9 years ago
I grew both MDC and Marie Van Houtte, the rose that's called "MDC on steroids," in Alabama. While MVH was vigorous and healthy, MDC was a laggard and not really healthy either. I did get a few beautiful blooms from it, though, and I wondered if it just needed more time. That was a 7b, humid climate in good soil with a lot of mulch and water. Maybe the clone we have available isn't very good, I don't know. I wasn't sorry to leave it though.

I seem to remember a picture of one that was posted from a forum member in Dallas that was tall and loaded with blooms; I think it was pretty old shrub.
jerijen
9 years ago
Ingrid, she was a mildewy mess for us, near the coast.

I've come to wonder, though -- had we toughed it out for 3-4-5 years, if she might have outgrown the mildew. Some Teas do that.

Jeri
bluegirl_gw
9 years ago
Very good reliable tea in the 2 zones I've had it--coastal zn9 & here in desert zn8. No-spray garden in both zones.

When mature & happy it throws large blooms regularly. The one I have now has been in the ground ~yr. from a chopped-root grocery store plant. Not only survived the harsh winter that killed a young band raised Rosette Delizy planted nearby, it had a nice spring flush.

Don't know if it's a good rose for your garden, Ingrid, but I'd say give her some time if you've already got her.

It's well known as a good rose in this area--got recognized as "the San Antonio Rose" because of numerous large & very floriferous specimens planted in that city.