21,401 Garden Web Discussions | Roses


I was just having this discussion with a rose friend in emails. One of her family favorites is Pink Favorite. Jack Harkness wrote in, "Roses", that Pink Favorite was, from the nurseryman's point of view, a "boring rose". Healthy, vigorous, ever flowering and a real bore. Nearly every bud resulted in a Grade 1 bare root without any extra attention or coddling. Nothing about the rose made it "special" to the nurseryman because it was pretty much a guaranteed success. It seems those mentioned in this thread fit that bill in our gardens. Perhaps someone should be listing these so the next time someone asks about "no care successes", these can be posted? Kim

Thanks for all the replies, info and tips! I feel like a dangerous addiction coming on... I appreciate the direct link to the Autumn Damask and the very helpful website. Looks like I'll be spending some time on there. Definitely going to check out the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden! I'm very excited that we have something like that here so close by. I haven't actually been to Regan's or any other nursery specializing in roses - just heard about it from people. Good to know about Greenmantle nursery too! Again, thank you for that wealth of information and guidance.


Leaves look like severe rose slug damage...
Rose Slugs can be found mostly on the underside of rose leaves. (But not always)
If you can't find any on your leaves then good insects ate them or they only had one generation and are gone already for the year...
You can pick them off and squish them or try to hose them off... Safers insecticidal soap works if needed... Follow directions...
Here's closeup pics of severe rose slug damage:


Rose slug located by my thumb...



The pot sounds OK for temporary quarters. I put mine in ordinary water buckets from the dollar store when I did mine. They spent the entire summer there.
If it's very hot putting them in shade to begin with might be a good idea.
I'm in a very different climate but my roses on the NE side do very well in morning sun only. Do you have any other roses on that side of your house? If they're doing well then this one should too.

Thanks, Seil. I don't have any other roses on that side; the roses I do have are completely wild (I have about 50' of fence that is burglarproofed by a very thuggish Mermaid).
This would be a prominent spot in the front yard where it would be required to look good.
Maybe it would work. The front was recently landscaped and has actual irrigation. The spot I have in mind was meant to have a hibiscus, but I wasn't able to find one that was suitably orange!

hi Seil
This was a bare root that I bot at Walmart earlier this yr but you are exactly right that this rose is off a brand new cane. Actually you helped with the planting. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/roses/msg0415215915324.html
I watered every day for first week and now maybe every 3 days or so. Am I on the right watering schedule?

Well I have three colors it appears so I am assuming they are the same insect just different lifestages but I could be wrong. I have green (they appear to be the bigger, normal looking ones) and then a white smallish (they is the ones that attack) and a dark gray one.
I didn't notice any this morning when I came in. Yesterday they were visible on the canes and branches.
The gray and white ones look like thorns at first...they thy fly up and try to kill you.....
OK maybe I am exaggerating but I have 20 bites on my legs and arms....and its almost like I am fighting off huge gnats when they fly off the bushes and go for the person or thing disturbing their hideaway....
ANd I am still on track to prune back the knockouts and see what happens because right now they remind me of tumbleweeds. I never saw these darn things until I went to cut down one of the plants the other day. They sat on the trunks mostly but they appear to be sapping the moisture and nutrients out of the plants....

You know after hearing so many horror stories over the years about Leafhoppers, JB's, Thrips, etc. I'm actually becoming grateful we only have rose slugs and alittle aphids to deal with... Even though our rose slugs are here 6 months at least they do not eat all the blooms or start growling and want to bite me like a vampire!...
Best of luck!


Here, it's not bugs. It's that we no longer have rain, and our groundwater is increasingly problematical.
Perhaps I am truly insane. I have, after all, devoted much of my life to Dalmatian dogs. But I will keep going, using dishwater, where needed, and considering a greywater system for the future, because I MUST.

Yes, I go to the Name that rose forum at least once a week. I try to help where I can. I like trying to ID the roses but sometimes it can take time to do research on them. And a lot of times there just isn't enough information to make a positive ID. There are THOUSANDS of roses and unless there are very definite characteristics to a rose it may be very difficult to match up to a specific name. The more information a poster can give the better the chances are but realistically a lot of pink/red/white/yellow/mauve/orange roses all look very similar.

Hey fellow Michigander! Thanks for your reply, I totally understand the difficulty in id'ing a rose. My neighbor gave me that rose from her bush,my guess is it may be a popular rose bought at a local nursery or big box store. Just a guess. She says if she hears the name she'll remember it.
Thank you,
P.S i have a couple other "unknowns" I may post soon, hope someone can help, really appreciate it!

I prefer own root roses in my z4 area IF the rose is vigorous growing on its own roots. Most modern shrub roses, minis, & OGR's do best own root. HT's & grandifloras tend to be not very vigorous on their own roots plus slower to wake up in the spring so I want these guys grafted. Floribundas are a mixed bag so some do well own root & others do better grafted.

What you are holding are "hips", seed pods. Roses are related to apples, so think of them as "rose apples". Inside there are achemes, what we call seeds. You can open the hips and dig out the seeds, but be careful of the fibers inside the hips. If you get them on you, it's as bad as fiberglass and you will itch like crazy until you shower to get them off you. Once the seeds are removed and all the pulp is cleaned from them, you can store them in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper until fall/winter. Many who live in colder climates store them on damp, not 'wet', just damp, paper toweling inside ziploc bags until they see them begin to sprout, then they plant them individually. I live where I can (and do) plant outdoor for germination, so I'll let someone who lives in a colder climate and must handle them the way you likely should, give you advice from this point. But, yes, it might be possible for you to raise seedlings from the seeds those hips contain. Do it, you'll have fun! Good luck. Kim

Awesome...thank you for the info!! I live in zone 5 which gets snow and cold. A couple more questions..
okay, so i wait for fall or winter to start them?? When do you think would be best?? And since it will be cold out then, when i get the seeds out, do i just pot them up in dirt like i would regular seeds?? And do i leave the hips alone until the fall/ winter as is, and then get the seed part out of it, or get the seed out now and store them until then??
I have never tried this before and figured it would be something neat to try, but to be honest i dont think i am good at this. I have recently tried to start growing catnip seeds and impaitents and a couple others from seed, and for the life of me i cant seem to get anything to start or grow...but i am willing to keep trying, so any more helpful advice or thoughts will be appericiated :)




The most Magnificent rose in my garden is Louise Estes (HT). Lots of big beautiful blooms on long cutting stems that smell wonderful. I have a lot of min/minifloras that cover the bush's in blooms and repeat FAST.
Golden Fairy Tale (Sterntaler)
High centered buds and blooms like those on an HT, but with a far greater profusion of blooms more akin to an Floribunda and a more bushy, upright and well-foilaged growth habit than an HT.
Above average cane hardiness, very vigorous, fast repeater, near bullet proof disease resistance and has a warm fragrance to the blooms when the sun is on them that is reminiscent of a milder scent of Double Delight.
Best yellow ever hybridized IMO.