22,795 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
diane_nj,
That is very kind of you to mention, but I grow own root roses (I regret my two grafted exceptions) so I have to wait until it becomes available own root which usually takes even longer (an additional year or two).
The reason I didn't answer previously is that your information might very well be useful for those who prefer grafted roses.
Though not for me, I thank you for the information nonetheless.
I have both and MELODY PARFUMEE is far superior to HEIRLOOM. In my climate MP grows up as high as 6ft sometimes and the blooms go thru a wonderful range of shades and tones of mauve, lavender and magenta. The form is much more pleasing to me, whereas HEIRLOOM's is more loose and informal, and it blows way faster. It's not one of my favorite roses, that's for sure. Scent-wise I couldn't tell you. I don't really go for the smell factor; I like the visual effect best. Truth be told, tho, I do seem to remember HEIRLOOM having more of a scent than MP. At least as far as mine go....
My Blueberry Hill is a weak performer, I get only three to five blooms a year and it doesn't grow to full size. It does get bs, but Cornell formula stops it. I learned on this website they are prone to RRD. But mine is growing on its own roots. I hope that gives it protection, it's never had a serious infection. I keep because, well, just look at the blooms.
I forgot to say, after the first year with Blueberry Hill, I was so pleased that I bought another one on its own roots. It also remained small. They were said to be "shade tolerant" and mine were getting 4-1/2 to 5 hours of sun a day. Nevertheless, I took the second one over to my friend's house where it would have over 6 hours a day. It did much better and quickly produced considerably more blooms for him.
I received this today concerning rose rosette virus in Tulsa Okaloma.
https://www.facebook.com/tulsaworld/posts/10152403218101446
Here is a link that might be useful: Tulsa World article
Henry, thank you so much. I did not see the article, and have been very disappointed in what has happened to our rose garden in Tulsa. I even went to a Rose Society meeting there last week, but the devastation of the garden never came up.
I am so glad that they are going to upgrade it for handicap access. Possibly in years to come it will again be a beautiful attraction in our park.
Sammy
So I cut off the cane tips that were black, and now the tips of the canes are turning black again. What does this mean?
I'm thinking at this point of cutting off one or two healthiest looking canes and try to get them to grow roots. As there is still no sign of new growth after all this time, I worry that it's not going to make it.
That's a very good question, Jim, because I am really just a beginner growing roses and I haven't got any breadth or depth of experience. But I have been growing them for something like 8 to 10 years, and because of living up north, and having to struggle with cold winters, shade and tree roots, it might be more relevant to ask how many roses have come and gone on my property. At this moment I have only five mature rose bushes �" Barkarole (HT), Great Maiden's Blush (Alba), Buff Beauty (H Musk), Souvenir du Docteur Jamain (H Perpetual) �" all with me the whole 8 years or so �" and the 5 year old New Dawn, plus Morden's Sunrise (this will be its 2nd winter) and another Hybrid Musk bought this year. Blueberry HIll has been struggling for 5 years, but gives me a few fabulous roses every year. But at one time I grew HT Crysler Imperial, which I gave away because it looked like its name; Savoy Hotel I gave away because it was too mediocre to have one of my very few HT sites. HT Pristine, with which I was dearly in love, came from the nursery not very healthy. It seemed winter hardy enough, but it was slowly dying and when I dug it up, it had very little root, which was its problem when it came here. I wanted to try again with Pristine, but the only place that carries it now is David Austin in the states and would cost me $50 to get it here, so I won't be doing that. A Shropshire Lad gave me flowers for 5 years before succumbing to a bad winter. Fritz Nobis was invaded by tree roots. Robert Bondar didn't hang around for a second winter. Sometimes you learn by failing. But I am getting too old to be digging out rose holes to plant new ones, so I paid someone to do it this year to give me one last fling. I've ordered another Barkarole, Dark Desire and Dainty Bess. Whatever roses kick the bucket henceforth, they're gone for good. I've scoped out some nice asters, beebalms, cosmos and such to take their place. Over the last 8 years I've seen a lot of blackspot. Barkarole is listed as prone to bs by at least one expert, but it is wonderfully healthy here. Pristine and Barkarole were about the same in that respect. Great Maiden's Blush and Buff Beauty have never known bs. New Dawn will get a little, but never enough that I've sprayed it; Docteur Jamain and Morden's Sunrise are very susceptible. What breeders and nurseries claim about blackspot resistance for each kind of rose may or may not be true. It certainly is contingent on the climate, and we might expect there is sometimes some hype. But every pathogen, even Ebola, reveals that some individuals are more resistant than others. We see that everybody exposed gets Ebola, but some few survive, just as when the various tree diseases go through a forest, some species and some individuals will be resistant. It's a fact of life in genetics, so I've always assumed that that was what I was seeing when certain of my roses stayed clean and clear (without sprayng) of bs while others succumbed. None of my roses have ever had chemical fertilizer. They live solely on manure, compost, alfalfa, bone meal, glacier rock dust and epsom salts, and my (non-) adherence to a watering program must be a holy terror to a rose bush, but as you can see some few have stayed with me. I've learned so much on this website from the knowledgeable people, in just a short time, it's amazing and inspiring to share our mutual enthusiasm.
Thanks for the info...
I personally would not lay anything under your roses to spray your leaves with the Cornell formula...
I'm lucky here as I can just apply compost and they seem to grow and bloom ok so I'm not going to fuss much anymore except for pruning and deadheading...
Insulation will not help if there are some hours at zero or below. The roots will be damaged.
The earth is a source of heat that keeps topsoil in the 20s when the air is zero. But on the deck, the roots are separated from the ground heat. So put the pot on the bare ground against the house foundation, preferably on the south or east side, and pile leaves around the pot. When temperatures will fall below 10, add some more leaves to protect the lower canes temporarily. Remove these during mild spells or as soon as the worst of winter is over. Mulching over the canes could encourage canker during mild weather.
This post was edited by michaelg on Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 15:00
I'm not surprised that your roses didn't winter inside. Most homes do not have anywhere near the right conditions to make them happy. It's better to let them go dormant and protect them. Michael has good advice for winterizing them outside. That is exactly how I winter my 40 some potted roses. But if you have an unheated garage and only a few pots you can also winter them in there. Put them on blocks off the cement floor and water them once a month all winter and they should do OK. The reason you need to water them is because inside the garage they won't be getting any rain or snow on them, I have one rose that goes in my shed for the winter. What I usually do is dump a shovel full of snow on the top of the pot when ever we shovel. They don't need a lot of water but they do need some all winter long.