I really like mine--the color is what caught my attention at first but I also like the shape of the plant and how much it blooms. Mine would probably bloom more if I watered more. Mine is not very black spot prone either, which is a HUGE plus here in Atlanta. It doesn't have much fragrance, though--the only negative that I've seen. It also doesn't ball like its look-alike, Enchantress.

Give it some time--growing from bands is sometimes tough. You get nothing for what seems like forever and then, WAM lots of growth.

I think you'll really like it once it gets going. In my opinion, this is one rose that should be much more widely grown.

It might do better for you in the ground rather than the pot, if that's an option for you.

Ingrid

Glad to hear it is healthy in Atlanta...I live near Birmingham and we have very similar heat and humidity.

Thanks for your responses.

I'll wait and see for now.

Cheers,
Collin

For me rose bushes are hard to photograph. A flat photo just does not give you what the human eye does, so I'm always disappointed that the full glory of the bush was missed. These photos are no exception, but I do believe they show that the canes on SDFG are quite thin & sidewards growing rather than strong & verticle. He is an oblong shape for some reason, having been so from the beginning, about 6' wide and 3' tall. These photos are of the wide side. I do like his blue-green leaf color. I adjusted the exposure in a few photos to more accurately depict the leaf color and so the detail can be seen. The lighter colored leaves in some of these photos (the light seems to wash out the color a bit) are not really accurate, but they do show the bluishness that you see in real life.

This was taken 6 days after the previous three, showing the faded blooms.

Here he is a year ago. You can see the plants around him that are no longer visible. He was much smaller then.

SDFG grew flat across the ground for a LONG time, gradually and slowly building height. In this photo he's about 4' across, 2' deep & 1-1/2' tall. So far it is a very manageable bush needing no pruning or trimming just snapping the deadheads. It is extremely healthy here and densely foliated which is not something I can say about many tea roses in my garden. But SDFG has been really leafy from the beginning and still is. Obviously, I don't know how big he will ever get, but he has doubled in size since last year. It's just that that's not saying very much. He's a great front of the border Tea rose with smallish, petal-packed flowers of magenta which is rare for Tea roses - kind of an oxymoron all around. Like all Teas he loves heat, but he doesn't seem to be fazed by our lowest temps which are in the high teens. Can't speak to anything lower than that.

Sherry

Yea, I bought it for that unusual color. I'm also glad to hear that he keeps his foliage, as with everywhere with heat and humidity, BS is really a problem here in Birmingham and I don't spray. (except a little vinegar)

Thanks for your generous post, it is really helpful.
Collin

I love SdFG's ground-hugging tendency! And the abundant foliage obviously is a huge plus.

Just added this one to my 'acquire' list, for the new place in Mississippi.