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jumbojimmy

Help me choose which roses should I keep?

jumbojimmy
12 years ago

I have to move again - back to my parents house due to personal reasons.

I have this dilemma - I can only bring home at least 2 roses. All my roses are very tall and bushy and it would be very expensive and back breaking for me to bring all of them home. I've learned this valuable lesson: when renting a house - don't buy too many things because you just. Right now, I feel sad and guilty for destroying all my roses except 2.

I'm going to keep 'Comtes de Champagne' because it's a free flowering rose and those tiny blooms make me happy when I look at them.

Surprisingly, I find it very hard to get rid of my once blooming roses. It's easy for me to get rid of my Austins because I know I can replace them later in the future.

Which one should I keep?

1. Duchesse de Montebello (lovely, light green leaves, almost thornless, love the scent)

2. Felicite Parmentier (very thorny rose)

3. La Ville de Bruxelles? (Last year, it mildew badly, and the roses dried out very quickly during summer.)

Thanks in advance.

Comments (10)

  • landperson
    12 years ago

    I think your descriptions indicate that you have already answered your own question. :-))))

    The gold ring appears to go to Duchesse de Montebello.
    It's the only one you said only nice things about.

  • lottirose
    12 years ago

    And I concur with the choice - a very, very lovely rose here.

    I am sorry you are having to leave many roses behind - I have had to do the same and in a situation where I knew they would not survive. I only brought three with me and the choices were hard.

    Good luck with your move.

  • roseseek
    12 years ago

    I love your analytical mind, Susan. Cut right through the static and hit the bottom line. A very nice talent! Kim

  • jumbojimmy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    LOL! I was hoping someone could convince me why I should keep Felicite Parmentier or keep my Austin roses instead of those once bloomers.

    What would you do if you can only keep two-three roses? Will a once-bloomer be on your list?

  • roseseek
    12 years ago

    That depends upon room, Jimmy. If you have a limited space and the once flowering rose is huge, why would you want to keep it? You'd have to whack it so severely it wouldn't flower. It seems more in line with my personal aesthetics to take the ones which flower continuously so the room would be as colorful as possible and which would fit the spaces best. You will soon begrudge something with less colorful time its space, time and other resources. Think of the others in the household, too. If it's big, potentially diseased due to not being able to grow as large as it needs to remain well fed from the foliage cover and wood it needs genetically, and is always just green and thorny, how will your parents and anyone else who views it refer to it? Will they begrudge it the space and water because it seldom pleases them?

    I'd think they would be much more agreeable to the rose's intrusion on their room if it flowered constantly so it provided them eye candy. Kim

  • rosefolly
    12 years ago

    If I were you, I would think first which roses I liked best, and of those, which roses would be the most difficult to replace later when the situation changed.

    And good luck to you!

    Rosefolly

  • eden_in_me
    12 years ago

    Can you take cuttings of the ones you decide not to keep? Pots of cuttings should not take up too much room until you have a better situation for them. I wouldn't feel I was doing anything illegal because you did pay for the rose once.

    Or do you have a friend that would "rose-sit" the ones you can't take with you. I'd volunteer, but would probably kill them.

    Marie

  • landperson
    12 years ago

    Did you get your Felicity from Vintage? I see that you are still scratching your head about this decision and will be interested to see what replies you get from your question posted at HMF. I am not familiar with FP, but I just looked it up there, and see that it is very lovely and that Gregg likes it a lot. However, since both FP and DM are both once-blooming, and DM has already proven to do better for you, I still think she is your better choice (IF you really can only take one of them). On the other hand, I think you still want us to talk you into taking FP, so....you are in a pickle and a half.....:-))))

    Here is a link that might be useful: Felicite Parmentier at Vintage

  • User
    12 years ago

    I'm being nosy here, but why can you only bring two? If it's a matter of that's all they'll let you put into the ground, see if you can bring more that you can keep in pots. You can keep many roses in pots for years, until you have your own place again. Since it sounds like the original plants are too big to dig up and pot, you can start cuttings, like Marie suggested. Also, why do you have to destroy the originals? Is the owner insisting you remove them? Otherwise, the next tenant might enjoy them.

  • jimofshermanoaks
    12 years ago

    I think you should check out which ones are the most difficult to replace and opt for those. If it cannot be replaced, choose two of that category first. If it may be difficult to replace (in the future) because it is only offered by Vintage, then move that up in the list if you have room after considering the possibility of growing in pots and collecting cuttings. JMO, of course.

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