22,153 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

I would think your soil in central PA has plenty of iron. Is the soil red or brown?

If the soil is high in aluminum, this can cause an iron deficiency.

Kidhorn, our soil probably does have enough iron BUT the waterlogging and cooler soil is not allowing the plant to use it at the present time.

Thanks for the suggestions MichaelG much appreciated...

You don't want to water too much, either. The roots need air as well as water. How often you need to water is depends on your climate and soil.

Dani,

Fanning canes of GJ on a fence is a good idea. Do that with the long canes that she produces in late summer and they will bloom the following year, maybe with some repeat bloom too.

GJ's thorns are among the most horrible in rosedom, literally sharp as needles. Always armor up!

Thanks! Should I keep it or toss it out? How would I even get it to root and is it possible?

After help from Adam's post, I did some web research. It seems that Ruscus hypophyllum is used in the flower trade. It is a member of the lily family. Propagation is typically done by division of the underground rhizome. It does well in shade.

Nice and green!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ruscus hypophyllum

I have two kinds yellow roses. my Julia child roses so far have been slow to grow for me. one is getting black spot so far and the other is just not really doing anything. now my other yellow rose strike it rich is just doing great! it has blooms all over it and new starts on it and getting ready for more blooms. so far I have been disappointed in Julia child.

A little surprised to see the reception Sunsprite got here. I have both Sunsprite and JC, both 4 years old now. Sunsprite is a 7 feet tall, 3 feet wide bush now, and JC died almost to the ground last winter and is about 2 feet tall now. Yes, JC's bush shape is fuller than Sunsprite, but IN MY GARDEN, JC is not blackspot resistant. It was given he best spot in terms of getting full-day sun and good air circulation because DW is a big fun of the French Chef, but it spotted each year to the point of being 90% naked.

Don't get me wrong: JC is a great rose, and it can be spetacular in the right location (see Nanadoll's pictures). However, depending on the attributes that you are looking at, Sunsprite can be the superior rose. The only JCs I saw in person other than my own are at the botanical gardens in the City, none of which looks nearly as good/big/health as Nanadoll's or mzstich's (breathtaking!) .

A breakdown based on my own experience:

Bush shape: JC's bush is fuller, but it has twiggy growth as the plant vigor is affected by blackspot. (I don't spray). Sunsprite grows straight and narrow. JC might win if I spray, but l don't.

Flower: Sunsprite does not last long. JC bleaches out quickly. I like Sunsprite better, but that does mean anything at all as it is purely subjective.

Fragrance: both have strong fragrance.

Repeat: each had 4 flushes last summer, but Sunsprite's repeats have more blooms (and come with leaves).

Disease: needless to say, Sunsprite wins by a mile.

Sunsprite for me has been a truly carefree rose. It sounds that JC can be one at the right garden, but just not in mine. Sunsprite is one of a handful of roses that I have grown that I think beat out Knockouts in terms of being tough, reliable and environmental friendly IN WHERE I LIVE. In DC, the blackspot pressure is even worse than where I am and the strains of blackspot might be similiar to what are here. I would try Sunsprite first instead of JC if you don't spray.

Also, a second vote for Golden Fairy Tale, which has been ridiculously vigorous and total blackspot resistant here in my garden.

Glad to hear you are feeling better! Gardening is such a stress reliever for me. On rough days I come home from work & work in the garden before I even come inside. It really helps me leave my work stress outside the house. :)

And I love roses! Glad to hear yours are doing so well!!

Thanks guys I will post photos when I get the rest of the garden cleaned up. I bought some Dr Earth rose food today. I love my organics

WOW... you guys are wonderful! Thank you SO much for your thoughts and suggestions. I think I'll give it a few more weeks before I throw in the towel and replace them with something else. In talking with others here in western ny, it seems that most everyone is experiencing the same thing, and that most new plant growth seems to be delayed.
When I pruned last month, I followed directions and left about a foot of growth. Most of it doesn't appear gray-dead and brittle (I've removed those parts); the bark seems to be reddish and still mostly supple. Would it be better to prune back even more or should I just leave it? What kind of fertilizer is best at this stage? Again, thank you for your help... I'm so clueless :(

Fertilizer cannot help plants until they have leaves. But the most popular fertilizer among folks here is Espoma Rose Tone, Plant Tone is just as good if you find it priced cheaper.

If you are pruning down by sections, look for a ring of green inner bark in the cross section. This indicates life. Canes that are only one year old will have green outer bark. These young canes should have white center pith. Brown pith in young canes indicates winter damage and calls for further pruning.

I feel your pain. It's not uncommon. I purchased Mary Webb from Heirloom and it turned out to be dark pink and not fragrant. I took it back and they gave me another rose.

I just posted a rose that was supposed to be Heirloom but turned out to be Electron. Am glad that I did because I love it.

Hard to know what your rose is until the bloom opens, and you can tell if it is fragrant -- see how it grows.

if it turns out to be a climber and it's really fragrant then Cl. America.

Another way to gradually amend a large bed -- in Autumn, gather neighborhood leaves and shred them. Apply as a top-layer over existing mulch. In mid-Winter to early-Spring, scatter high-nitrogen organic fertilizer (blood meal, Milorganite, lawn fertilizer, whatever) over the shredded leaves. Don't worry about the fertilizer kick-starting your plants -- most organic granular fertilizers need to break down before they're available to the plants, and that doesn't happen until things warm up in Spring. But the extra nitrogen will speed up the breakdown of the Autumn leaves, and encourage earthworm activity which will further mix your soil.

:-)

~Christopher

You don't need to go deeper than a foot if the subsoil drains at all.

Thanks - Are any other rose varieties that would appreciate a handful of sulfur annually?

Any rose that grows out pale with green veins. But don't do it every year. It is a long-lasting treatment, and it takes a year to react on the soil.