21,401 Garden Web Discussions | Roses


I agree with Catsrose. When I changed from a spray to no spray, I ended up losing many beautiful roses. Many of the popular Buck roses needed spray. The worst for me are the ones that are unique in their beauty because they may have special blends of color. I recall Distant Drums, Frontier Twirl, and others with unique blends that I shovel pruned.
I had a theme of red and white in the front of my house. Prairie Star had to go. Europeana, Veterans Honor, Chrysler Emperior, Mister Lincoln, and many others needed to go.
Blackspot was a huge problem for me, but also the heat was a problem, and I live north of you. Some blow so fast in the heat that they are not fun to grow. I do no remember the names.
Many of us here also post on the Antique Forum where we discuss what works for us. I understand that you are asking what does not work. I have had bad luck with David Austin roses also.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
Sammy


I can vouch for: John Davis, John Cabot and William Baffin. They are all very hardy, ferocious (thorny) 10 feet climbers in my garden. I love the Kordes climbers - I have "Rosarium Uetersen", but it's more like a large shrub to 6 feet. I also have a huge climber that I believe is called, "That's Jazz" and it's over 9 feet tall. Other climbers in my yard that have only grown to 6-7 feet are:Darlow's Engima, Ramblin' Red and Colette. Hope this helps.

I am looking for two climbing roses...one for over an arbor in the entry to my yard and one is for a pergola in my yard. I am in z6 (MA) and I am looking for as disease resistant a rose as I can get cuz I won't be spraying them. I really love Eden, but I was told she isn't a repeat bloomer and can be susceptible to rust (or some other nasty). Stinks cuz I love that kind of rose. I was also looking a Zephrine Dourhin cuz she is supposed to be thornless, but I think she may get too big. I like Jasmina & Renae also. I just would like a rose that can grow well w/o spraying and that flowers a lot without having crazy thorns or trying to eat my arbor. Should I rub a lamp? Lol.
Also, I have been scouring for Pretty Jessica and only found her "banded". I am a newbie & have no idea what that means. Anyone have an idea? Ty in advance


Carol, how many bloom cycles do you usually get per growing season? Good luck with your new ones.What did you get? Here's you something to laugh at: today I finally broke down and bought another Blue Girl! The bush looked sooo good... I sp'd 2 last year...just love those stingy blooms.


I don't think it's available in N. Amer. at all. Looks lovely!
Here is a link that might be useful: Amandine Chanel at HMF

Andreark,
I planted a Munstead Wood from Austin, bare-root, this year and had a short but lovely flush. I mean short -- we're talking two weeks.
I talked to a gal who gave a talk on Austins this past weekend at Otto & Sons Rose Days,and she said, "Munstead Wood is not a particularly vigorous rose." I don't mind if the bush stays small -- it's supposed to, and besides it's in a container -- but I sure would like more flowers.
Darcey Bussell, which I bought in a 3-gallon, has been blooming for 3 weeks with no sign of stopping, and its fragrance is almost as nice as Munstead's.
Oh and by the way, my Falstaffs (I have 2) haven't flowered once this year. Not once. They do get partial afternoon shade -- are yours in full sun?
Thanks,
Sylvia

Andrea--so happy to hear that Munstead Wood came through. Although the pics of the lighter colored MWs were quite attractive, let's face it--what we really adore about MW is its dark moody but glowing shades. It will be interesting to hear whether other owners of MW who complained about lighter initial colors on it discovered the darker shades also as the rose matured.
My MW, planted in the garden, is not a weakling, but in fact quite vigorous for a shorter plant--and was quite prolific last summer. Hasn't bloomed yet this year--just a couple blooms on Home Run so far.
Enjoy your MW--one of the loveliest Austins in my garden and I hope in yours.
Kate
This post was edited by dublinbay on Fri, May 2, 14 at 22:12

Or use some organic Plant-Tone or Rose-Tone (available at HD)--it has some alfalfa in it (may have some Epsom salts in it too--I don't remember right off hand). Spread out to the drip line, but not too close to the base. Water in well with a strong spray of water and cover with mulch.
Don't know about where you live, but in my area, you have to buy a 50 lb bag if you want alfalfa--so I started using the --Tone fertilizers instead since they have some alfalfa in them. Not a lot, but some.
I do believe alfalfa promotes basal break growth.
Kate

Kate - for what it's worth, if you ever want to give something a shot of pure alfalfa and want a smaller quantity, go to the small animal section of a pet store. In the bags of Timothy Hay for guinea pig/rabbits, there will also be small bags of Alfalfa hay. They run about $7-8, which is relatively reasonable for adding alfalfa to small gardens. I'd estimate those bags could supplement 7-10 roses depending on dosage.
Of course if the "tones" work for you, you're getting the alfalfa and a lot of other good stuff. Just wanted to clarify some options.
Cynthia


That's very kind of you.
Let me research whether I can de-virus it, and get back to you.
Though I suppose if it were simple, you'd have done it already?
No matter, I enjoy learning, and actually my friend has a tree rose that has a virus and I've been meaning to look into it. I think it is the mosaic virus (if that's a virus name).

I have no info on the rose, but was going to tell you that I made decorative picket fences next to the walk-ways to hide a hand rail on. Mom can use to steady herself and it looks like a picket fence. I put the rail for the pickets on the back of the post and then put the handrail on the front of the post. When mom fussed she did not need the handrail, I said they were for her friend _________ who was unsteady on her feet :) It helps to keep mom out of that planter bed too (helps because she is determined to get exactly where she should least be to "pull a weed" Oddly she does not pull the weeds close to the walk)

Nancy,
I'm not familiar with OSO Happy Smoothie, but I've grown OSO Easy Paprika for several years. My Paprika bushes have been carefree and completely disease free without spraying here where even knockouts are bad to blackspot. Our humidity level hovers in the 90s and temps average in the mid 90s throughout the summer months, but these bushes never shut down. They provide constant color spring through fall and ask nothing in exchange. The Paprikas are thorny, but they are not marketed as thornless. I wouldnâÂÂt think OSO Happy Smoothie would be advertised as thornless if it wasnâÂÂt at least very nearly so, and I would assume Smoothie to have similar disease resistance and bloom power as the others in the OSO series. I only have personal experience with Paprika, but have seen some of the others grown locally, and they seem to be winners, too. I also grow Apricot Drift and Coral Drift. They are carefree, very disease resistant and constant bloomers, as well, but both do have thorns (Coral is very thorny; Apricot doesnâÂÂt have many thorns, but enough to prick you if not careful). The Drift roses stay much shorter in my climate than the Paprika bushes (and other OSOs that IâÂÂve seen). I prune back my Paprikas each winter to keep them at about 3 feet X 3 feet, but the Drift roses never get over 2 to 3 feet in height (and at least 3 ft wide) here without any pruning. Both the Drifts and the Paprikas will look better and give you a greater quantity of blooms with some deadheading, but both will continue to flower reasonably even if you donâÂÂt. I donâÂÂt think you could go wrong with any from either series as far as ease of care, but I'm not sure on the thornless part. HereâÂÂs a picture of Paprika this weekâ¦loaded with buds and some blooms beginning to open:


Without a picture it would be hard to say for sure but, yes, there are roses that spread called ground cover roses. More likely though is that this is one of the miniature roses they use for these "gift" roses. All roses grow in their own way and yours just likes to grow sideways instead of up. If it is healthy and blooming I wouldn't worry about it.
You can keep it in the pot if you wish but it would probably be happier in the ground. Roses are always happiest outside in the ground.




I wish I had my rose list handy as there are many Austins that I have grown for years in my NS gardens. I just moved to a new location in NS but plan on digging out or replacing some of the best and oldest Austins that have survived the wind and salt spray and lack of snow in winter.
James Galaway was the first to come to mind as he is one of the biggest and most prolific of all of the Austins that I have grown. Charlotte, Teasing Georgia, Tradescant, Eglantyne, Crown Princess Margarete, The Dark Lady, Claire Rose, Alnwick Rose, Scepter'd Isle or just a few that pop in my mind as I type. I have over 100 roses in my old garden and had up to 235 in my previous one. I do not spray except for some dormant oil in the spring. I feed them alfalfa tea twice in the summer, seems to be their favorite food.
I hope you find some that perform well in your area as they are wonderful roses.
valerie
Hello again, thanks so much for all the suggestions. I expect my two Albas from Cornhill to arrive by Monday, mailed last Monday apparently, but still not at my post office. Today I get the holes dug. I am loving the pictures of Polareis, and Wild Edric seems to be mentioned often. I'll see how these two, Queen of Denmark and Maiden's Blush, do first, if they don't do well, I'll probably call it a day for roses here, other than the rugosas I already have in the front.. just not as crazy over them as I was my Austins. I don't know if I can make peace with the once-blooming properties of the Albas either, but shall see. Happy gardening season, all. :D