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duchesse_nalabama

no spray report for a garden in north alabama

duchesse_nalabama
15 years ago

hi, all,

This is half way through my rose year, first year no spray.

I only sprayed once last year, but it was very dry last year and I sometimes felt I lived in Dallas! This year has been cooler and more humid; much more typical of north Alabama.

I've been going through my rose list and evaluating them, so thought I'd share my list and results. I am not sure who would be interested in this, but here it is, anyway, Gean

Teas

These have been among the best in terms of bs resistance. Some of these were just planted in the spring, but are doing well. Except for Duchesse de Brabant and Madame Joseph Schwartz, all are in full sun, unless noted.

Etoile de lyon - spotless.

Marie Van Houtte - spotless

Mrs. Dudley Cross - spotless.

Mons Tillier - spotless

William R. Smith - spotless

Maman Cochet - spotless

Clementina Carbonieri - spotless

Mrs. BR Cant - is under pine trees, is blooming, and is growing w/little apparent problems. Gets 5-6 hours of sun

Mrs. Antoine Mari - spotless

General Gallieni - spotless

Duchesse de Brabant - I put her right outside my kitchen window so I could see her, but she doesn't get enough sun there, only about 4-5 hours. She is blooming, growing but has that gangly look they get when they don't have enough sun. Same with Madame Joseph Schwartz. Moved into pots.

Chinas -

Spice - she had a beautiful spring flush, rested and is flushing again now, but the blooms are small - heat, I guess

No bs to speak of, but some problems with thrips this year.

Ducher - flushed earliest of all the roses and then dropped a lot of leaves. Is blooming now, but the blooms are small and hasn't completely re-leafed. I don't know if I like this rose or not.

Cramoisi S - doesn't really have bs now, but the blooms are sporadic and small. Dropped the leaves it carried over the winter and hasn't fully re-leafed. Odd looking, but I really like the fragrance and blooms when they're larger.

Mutabalis - I am trying to train this as a tree, so it's a little odd looking, tall skinny legs with leaves and blossoms on the top. Constantly dropping and growing leaves.

Buck

I like these roses! Prairie Harvest, April Moon, Quietness, Silver Shadows, Hawkeye Belle, Winter Sunset. Little to none in the bs department, all bloom pretty well. WS's fade more than I'd like, but the bush form is nice and it is a steady bloomer. The fragrance of Silver Shadows is wonderful.

Quietness seems the most robust of them all, but they're all young bushes. WS is the oldest, at going on three.

Misc.

Seafoam - this rose is out in the boonies under some pines but in quite a bit of sun, and I don't pay tht much attention to it, except it blooms well and I hack it back when it gets out of bounds. I deadhead sporadically.

Baby Blanket - I have two but I only bought one. The other rooted itself from some cuttings I accidentally left in the dirt after pruning. It's now as big as the one I bought. No bs on either, one is in fairly heavy shade under some trees and I'm not sure how well it will do over time. The other is in a pot in the sun.

Floribunda

Julia Child - blooms very well, almost no bs.

HOt cocoa - some bs on the lower leaves, but it is a steady bloomer and grower and it is doing just fine no spray. I love the color of the blooms.

Valentine - I almost sp'd this rose last spring after it flushed and then got a lot of mildew.

I hadn't pruned it at all, so it was also sloppy looking. After it flushed heavily this spring, I cut it completely back. It's now about a foot high and covered with blooms again. This is one that needs to be hard pruned, I think. It is spotless now and covered with buds or blooms.

Pink Gruss - No bs right now, but it has dropped some leaves and then re-leafed. It has beautiful blossoms. I do like the delicacy of the rose; I hope it makes it over the next couple of years. It is not a robust rose.

Centennaire de lourdes - no bs, but I'm not sure I like it.

Iceberg - this rose does pretty well for me; little to no bs so far. One is in too much shade, though and needs to be moved. The one in sun is doing better.

Climbers

Ghislaine de feligonde - this rose is wonderful so far for me. Beautiful spring flush growing up a pine tree; I don't know if it will bloom a second time but the first flush was wonderful. No bs at all.

Veilchenblau - I was curious to see if I liked this rose and while I enjoyed the blooms, I didn't love it, so after it bloomed I cut it completely down and moved it to the back where it will probably die from lack of water or sun. No bs at all.

New Dawn - I like the blossoms but wish I'd planted Awakening instead. I may get rid of it, not sure. No bs at all.

Zepherine Drouhin - beautiful spring flush and then completely defoliated. I cut it back some and it is putting on lots of new foliage and even has a new blossom.

I put in a Ballerina next to it along the picket fence.

Misc.

Mike's Old Fashioned Pink - this rose has a small amount of bs but I love the clusters of pink blooms. It is a strong grower and a good bloomer. It seems to shake off the bs w/o any problems.

Maggie - this is a baby, but it has bloomed several times and has not had any bs problems so far. It is in scorching sun.

Hermosa - bourbon/china? - I cut this one down to 6 inches after it defoliated and had ugly blooms. It has re-leafed and has small buds on it. It's on the death watch list. It looks much better now, though.

HOme run - this rose is blooming in a lot of shade. NO bs. Amazing.

Blush and pink ko - I have these growing under trees with tree root competition and shade. They're doing fine. I like them.

Chrysler imperial - I have a couple of these that I moved to my tomato patch. They're getting sun and water and are doing pretty well. I want to move it somewhere closer where I can see it more often.

Frau Karl Druschki - new and has some mildew. Not sure if I like this one or not. Needs more sun, I think. No bs to speak of.

Puerto Rico - it grows fine with no bs but the blooms have been small and not at all like last year's. It may be the heat we've had. Or my merciless pruning. I don't have this one figured out or maybe it's just not going to work for me, I don't know.

Polyanthas

Perle d'Or - I have a group of three of these that is starting to look like a hedge now, growing together. I have to keep it deadheaded but other than that, it is a very nice rose; almost no bs, blooms a lot.

Marie Daly - bs from too much shade, I think; moved to a sunnier spot.

Marie Pavie - these need to be moved to more sun as they're having bs problems, and I think it's because of my shade problems.

Shovel pruned -

Eureka - Patricia43 warned me I couldn't grow this no spray. She was right.

Well, if you made it this far, I am amazed! Thanks for reading. More importntly, how is your garden doing at the half way point?

Comments (22)

  • cannabisgrower
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grow almost entirely DA. Everything is BS free and PM free.
    Not been spraying and the only fert is decaying compost mulch.

  • anntn6b
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cannabisgrower's member page indicates that Canada is his/her home.
    When I read about no spray successes the "where" is the first thing I want to know.

    Duchesse,
    Great news. And this year with some rainfall. Someday we'll understand Mutabilis, maybe.

  • jbfoodie
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gean--Since you mentioned it, I have been having doubts about 'Puerto Rico' (Maitland White) as well. I just do not like its growth habit. It puts on long, gangly canes and I just cannot seem to figure it out (i.e. how to grow it/prune it). It does bloom all of the time, but I just cannot decide whether the abundant blooms outweigh the awkward growth. I guess there are only so many roses I have room for, and keeping one that does not titillate seems a waste of space. Here in Norther CA it is a healthy 'no spray' rose.

  • jerijen
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Now THAT is a terrific report!
    And valuable for everyone in your general area.

    I have a question -- those of you who are seeing a reduction in black spot this year . . .
    How's your rainfall?
    Normal? More rain than normal? Less?

    Because, out here, you know we get NO summer rain.
    I have tended to believe that our arid conditions are the reason for the overall lack of blackspot.
    (We have rust, mildew, and downy mildew to worry us.)

    Jeri

  • contrary_grow
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gean,

    Thank you for this information - it is very helpful to me as I'm in the same zone in Mississippi. I have many of the same roses you do. The Bucks have also done very well for me (with the exception of Blue Skies and Distant Drums). I have most of the teas you mention and they've done extremely well, too. I also love Chinas which do well for the most part. Two of the roses you mention as not being sure you like, Ducher and Centennaire de lourdes, are two of my favorites. Ducher was the first rose which bloomed in my garden and has not been out of bloom since. Even the thrips didn't bother it this year. I love the blooms on CdL and it hasn't been out of bloom either. I have Rosette Delizy which has no BS. However, the blooms are never perfect - they always seem brown around the edges. Another rose which has had no BS is Lafter - it's finally giving me some decent blooms.

    I'm going to take a look at Ghislaine de feligonde (do you have any pictures?). I'm looking for a couple of roses to grow over some tree stumps that are left from Hurricane Katrina. I planted a Peggy Martin to cover one stump, but the two stumps I have left are huge. Do you think GdF would work?

    Thanks,
    Mary

  • User
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gean,

    Thanks for the scoop. I would love to see your hedge of Perle d'Or if you have a picture handy. I will keep this list under my pillow!

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here are some other roses I grow no spray that I didn't include above

    Hybrid musks

    Buff beauty - Mine is two years old, going on three. It blooms on the eastern side of the house, half of it up an archway going into the backyard and half of it trained over a picket fence. It has never really had any bs problems. I love the color and am looking forward to the increased bloom time as it gets older.

    Cornelia - this has been moved three times and now is under some pine trees where it gets about 5 hours of sun. It has bloomed only once, but it's been moved a lot. Next year should show something more.

    Sally Holmes - wonderful rose, constnt bloomer, steady grower, no bs. I planted this adjacent to a big pine which had some big tree roots I was trying to dig around. I took Patricia43's advice and planted the rose in a cardboard box and buried it. It started growing and hasn't stopped. I don't know how to prune this rose and have to figure this out for next year. I've just had fun watching it grow.

    Another tea

    Lady Hillingdon - when this rose is blooming and when it isn't too hot, the blooms are spectacular. But when it is warm, the blooms fade. The new growth is a beautiful reddish color. It is a lovely bush, but it is like pink gruss to me, not overly robust. I am giving it another year or two, but may trade it in for one of the Pioneer roses in an apricot that ARE carries, like Caroline Hairston.

    It kept all its old leaves from last year, and after it had a nice flush of blooms this spring, most of the old leaves turned spotty and fell off. It's just starting to bloom again, and putting out new leaves.

    Climbers

    Peggy Martin - I have this one growing on a picket fence; it is a baby. It has had no bs and has put out some of those little pink blooms. I think it will be a very strong grower. If it turns out to be a strong bloomer, I'll keep it, I think; otherwise after couple of years it may go.

    Darlow's Enigma - this one is planted way in the back under a lot of shade. it has bloomed some and has no bs, but I know it needs more sun than it is getting.

    Shrub - Belinda's dream - I am learning to keep this one pruned hard after it flushes so tht it will bloom on stronger, straighter stems. Otherwise the blooms cause the stems to flop down as they are very heavy. A good rain will ruin her blooms. No bs.

    Easy Going - no bs at all, just planted from bareroots last spring. Nice yellow blooms. Strong rose.

    Another China

    Contessa du Cayla. This rose was moved this spring because it was going to get way too big for the spot it was in. It's growing but hasn't bloomed since Imoved it early this year. Next year. No bs and it has lovely blossoms.

    Hybrid teas

    Mrs. Oakley Fisher - has some amount of bs, but it too was moved early this year. It has bloomed some. It shakes off the small amount of bs it gets; the blooms fade in the sun. Seems fairly strong. I like this but don't know tht I'd replce it if it dies, mostly because of the way the blooms fade. I might like to try Dainty Bess. I do like singles. I wish I could find a place this rose liked so that it got enough sun but not so much that it faded. Is that a do-able goal, do you think?

    Elle - this is an ARS award winner from a couple of years ago; kind of like Tiffany. It is growing in a pot in a lot of sun and hasn't really had too much bs; it shakes off what it does get and does have very fragrant blooms.

    Pope John Paul II - I bought this has a J&P milk carton rose. It has new growth but has had yellow leaves and osme bs because I forgot to water it. It seems as though it will do well, I don't know.

    Pot ghetto

    Reve d'Or
    Borderer
    Mystic Beauty
    Faith Whittlesey
    Krishna's Peach

    Thank you for being interested and I hope this is of help to others. I'd love to read what you grow and how it does as well.

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you for the comments, ya'll.

    Mary, can you tell me how much sun your Ducher and Centennaire de Lourdes get? I think I pruned CdL wrong; Imoved it last spring and cut it back and while it has fully leafed out it has only bloomed once or twice. I think it's my fault. Ducher may just be in the wrong spot.

    I've seen some lovely Duchers, so it probably is just me. Maybe it would rather be in a pot, I don't know.

    Here is picture of Ghislaine for you. It is easy to train up a tree because it has no/few prickles. Also, bbinpa posted a beautiful picture of hers some time back. Let me see if I can find hers also, which seems to be grown as a shrub rather than a climber.

    {{gwi:274169}}

    {{gwi:274170}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: barbara's GdF

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Redsox, I'll take a picture of the PdO and post it tomorrow. I look at it from my kitchen table and enjoy seeing it every day. It's really not that much of a hassle to go out and hack off the sprays with spent blooms.

  • gnabonnand
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice, thorough report ... thanks for sharing it.
    Spice is the same for me during the hot summer months ... very small blooms that show thrip damage. It's a real beauty in the spring though and is a beautiful landscape plant.

    Randy

  • barbarag_happy
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our humidity is perking along between 70 and 80%, jic you Gulf Coasters wonder if we're REALLY comparable to y'all! First two beloved roses which are struggling in my no-spray garden:
    Escapade-- significant shedding of inner leaves, enough that plant is not gaining much size in its 2nd season (tho the heat may be the culprit)
    Lyda Rose-- looks lovely from any distance & is blooming its head off but lots of leaf loss. Could not consider this one resistant, but % of loss is only about 30% at worst.
    Secret Garden Musk Climber--lots of leaf drop, plant not growing or blooming well. Too bad, since its obviously a nice rose. Darlow's is outperforming this one widely.
    Sombrueil-- a gaunt grower to begin with and frequently almost completely bare. It reblooms well but is not attractive. Would not replant this.

    Winners:

    Belinda's Dream
    Darlow's Enigma
    Distant Drums
    The Fairy
    Lavender Dream
    Lion's Rose (Lion's Fairy Tale)
    Lovely Fairy
    Prairie Harvest
    Quietness
    Sea Foam
    Sweet Chariot
    Vanity (Hybrid Musk Climber)

    I've gotten used to Chinas being shedders and these recover quickly and grow lovely new leaves:
    Archduke Charles
    Ducher
    Louis Philippe
    Martha Gonzales
    Mutabilis
    Old Gay Hill China
    Spice (wish I enjoyed the so-called fragrance. Stinks.)

    Teas: My teas are too new to report upon, but so far I can confirm every single one on Duchesse's list.

    Polyanthas: this is old news, but here goes--

    Perle d'Or--a winner, healthy and a good bloomer
    Marie Pavie-- goes thru ugly phases but recovers
    Marie Daly--healthier than Marie Pavie by far, with larger blooms. I'm wondering about mine as no way are they any darker at all than Marie Pavie's blooms. Both fade to almost white here.

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mauirose, I enjoyed reading your list and report. I am thinking about trying some Austins in a couple of years and like to hear about which ones do well in hot/humid weather. I am glad to hear the teas do well for you as well.

    Have you thought about trying any of Viraghavan's roses? I'm wondering if you know of anyone that grows these. A few of us grow Faith Whittlesey and I just bought Krishna's Peach. Am curious about them.

  • mauirose
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Gean-

    I am curious about Viru's roses but haven't tried any yet. So far the only source i find is Roses Unlimited. Not sure if she ships here? Still waiting to hear back from her. i like the sound of Krishna's Peach. Can't wait to hear how it grows for you.

  • jerijen
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have seen Golden Threshold, and want it desperately.
    Maui, I hope you can get them, because I'd think your conditions are exactly what Viru is breeding for.

    Jeri

  • olga_6b
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It is still June, so not so bad, it is going to be much worse later. From the list of repeat blooming roses that I don't spray these are the winners so far.
    Knock out - healthy
    Darlow's Enigma - healthy
    Home Run -healthy
    Puerto Rico -15 % leaf loss
    Ducher -15% leaf loss
    Arethusa -10 % leaf loss
    Earth Song -15% leaf loss
    Quitness - 10% leaf loss
    New Dawn - less then 10%
    Awakening -less then 10%
    Lyda -20%
    Belinda's Dream -30%
    Perle d'Or -30%
    Cecille Brunner -30%
    Marie Pavie- 40%
    Illusion -10%
    Quadra - 5-10%
    White Cup- 15%
    Carefree Sunshine -less then 10%

    In my sister's no spray garden close to me
    Dublin Bay- 10%
    Dortmund -10-15%
    Knock out -healthy
    Colette -30%
    McCartney Rose - 20%

    I also have plenty of healthy once bloomers and species that I never spray, too many to list now. If anybody interested, I can always share with them.

    I do spray my Austins, Bourbons and moderns. They would be 100% bald by now w/o spray. I see it in my sisters organic garden. Good culture, plenty of sun and defoliated roses :(
    I am trying to get rid of roses that require spraying, but it is so difficult to part with some of them (Lady Hillingdon, Yolande de Aragon, Deuil de Dr Reynaud, Abraham Darby, etc). They all are huge and beautiful. I am givivng away more and more of these to good homes.

    Olga

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Barbara, sometime during last year Spice stopped smelling like pepper and started smelling like grapefruit. I hope yours does that too. Mine smells like pepper right now. But the grapefruit fragrance is wonderful!

    I've thought about adding one of the Fairy Tale roses - glad to hear that one does well for you. Thanks for adding to the list.

    Jeri, I should have known the GT was a single! - you really like them; I do too. Pretty yellow color.

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Olga, I suspect everything will get much worse later on too, and am wondering what the rest of the summer holds. I've thought your bs pressure is much worse than ours, but I'm not sure.

    Sometime when you have time I would like to see your list of once ayear bloomers; I wonder if this is not where I am headed as well.

    Thanks for adding your list.

  • duchesse_nalabama
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Redsox, here is a picture of the three bushes of Perle d'Or I am trying to grow into a hedge. It's not there yet, but in a year, maybe. Hamp has encouraged me to prune it however I want; it just grows back. I find this to be true. Good luck, Gean

    {{gwi:274171}}

    {{gwi:274172}}

  • mkrkmr
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the reports! They're were interesting and helpful. I have some of the same roses, but mine are still too young, I think, for a useful report. At our previous house, the bs & pm problems mostly went away after the roses got established.

  • bbinpa
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the report and the lovely photos. I really like Pearl de Or.

    I will be giving a similar report when I've had a chance to take my pad and pencil for a walk around the garden. Just off the top of my head I remember clearly that Louise Odey is almost completely covered with BS and Ghislange de Felligonde, her neighbor is clean as a whistle. Yesterday I noticed how very clean Lion's Rose is and how Blummenschmidt is getting BS very bad.

    I promise to do a more complete report later.

    Barbara

  • barbarag_happy
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Duchesse, thanks for the comment on the fragrance of Spice. I have Lions-Rose (Lion's Fairy Tale) in front of Sombrueil in hopes that Lion will be a nice bushy shrub to hide Sombrueil's bare legs! Despite continuing defoliation of Sombrueil-- I'll say it again-- Lion's Rose is clean as a whistle. FWIW, Coffee Country quit getting spotty once the heat came on-- it's one of Virus with highly interesting and variable colors. A good garden rose but taking its time to establish for me.