I got mine as a gallon a little over a year ago as well. SdFG is supposed to be a small tea. Mine is looking good about 2 X 3. I've had others that were much slower growers and others that were much faster. I'd probably put SdFG in the bottom 3rd for growth speed in my garden.

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.

I believe Sherry has this rose and I wish I did too, instead of Enchantress, which is also a small and very slow-growing tea for me, with blooms that either ball or dry up in the heat very quickly. I hope lots of mulching and water will improve the situation, along with regular applications of alfalfa meal.

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

Ingrid

I need to add a new flowerbed before I can put it in the ground. So, I have a few things in pots for now. I also, like to grow bands in a pot for awhile....or I'll forget about them in my mixed borders.

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

Collin, I'm sorry I didn't post sooner here. SDFG is not like most teas that send up tall stiff canes almost overnight. Mine went in the ground in May, 2009 (seems like a lot longer). Here are some shots from early June.

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.
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This was taken 6 days after the previous three, showing the faded blooms.
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Here he is a year ago. You can see the plants around him that are no longer visible. He was much smaller then.
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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

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

Thanks Sherry,
I really appreciate the shots of the entire bush. I'm not going to put mine in the ground until this Fall, but hopefully in a couple of years it will look as nice as yours.

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

This rose, particularly the logic inherent in its branching/growth habit, reminds me so much of Vanity, the Hybrid Musk. Vanity is supposedly the most Chinese example of its class. Its China ancestor must have been very similar to SdFG. Very similar color, too.

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.