22,153 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

Thanks you all. That's a real shame...I only ordered Austins from Pickering (Palatine doesn't sell them) and a few others that Palatine didn't have as I have ordered from Palatine before and been thrilled with the quality!
I was in HD today and saw body bags with canes 3 X the size of the Pickering roses.
I'm glad to hear that the Pickering roses do ok. I was really, really disappointed. Not just in the size but in the health.
Susan

Susan, the body bag plants you saw were most likely budded on Dr. Huey from Texas or California. Comparing them to anything on multiflora, particularly from anywhere in a cold climate (compared to the south or south west) is not really fair. Both may eventually resemble each other, but very few will initially. Kim

My lavenders are pushing out new growth now. So, go ahead now, but in future years do it after a round of bloom (those that repeat) or right after bloom (those that bloom once in spring).

All lavenders are not the same, if you can find a Goodwin Creek Grey mine seem to just keep on blooming non stop. The one that is getting too much water is bigger than the one that is getting less. Mine have spread to the 3 foot size (and yes I planted them thinking they were going to be 2 footers....)

I love the greens and deeper tones of Hidecote, it blooms less so far for me, but I will be adding more of this one. It is also much smaller.

My Munsteads are growing much slower so I really can't tell you much about them.

If you have space and want non stop flowers...Goodwin Creek Grey is a winner.

You guys look at that photo and ask "How can I grow pillar roses like that?"

I look at the same picture and all I can ask is "Why do I waste my time weeding and mulching?"

Zaphod, the concept is similar to the Essex Trellis but it must be much sturdier with larger spacing for the canes. The "umbrella" top would need to droop a bit more too.
Susan

Here's a picture of a large rose of mine called Valencia. It's a fantastic rose. So far it has no scent - but it's supposed to. Sometimes my roses don't get scent until year four and then wow!! This is a rose I think would be great for your mom. There are lots of gorgeous roses on this plant. And the flowers last for weeks on the bush.
Carol

Here's another picture of Valencia.
Carol

Bebba - which water district are you in - the MMWD South and Middle Marin one, or the Northern Marin one?

I just checked the water storage in MMWD's reservoirs, and they say that as of yesterday it is at 86% of the average of where it has been historically on this date. MMWD has already announced that they are NOT going to have any mandatory water rationing at all this year.

I don't know about the water district which supplies Novato, but you can certainly look it up. If there is not going to be any rationing, then it is up to you to decide how much you want to water. I would agree with Ingrid that if you don't want to use much water, you should certainly not use chemical fertilizer.

Jackie

Whether or not there are water restrictions, summer temps are likely to be warm, at least like last year, potentially worse. Staying with the organic fertilizers will help relieve the extra stress of high salt conditions. They won't push a lot of softer, sappier "water growth" inorganics will. Yes, you will definitely still get flowers. Perhaps not quite as large, nor perhaps not quite as many, but what you will receive should be more natural for the rose varieties you grow. Ingrid and Jackie are right on. Kim

I like the freestanding look as well. It's nice to think that you can grow some of these wonderful roses without the usual supports.

Andrew:

The tag you found is for Dr. Buck's Prairie Princess. This was one of the most popular breeding parents used by Dr. Buck in his hybridizing program (the other was Carefree Beauty). It is a large-flowered climber with blooms similar to Carefree Beauty.

The tag that is in your photo is one from Chamblee's Rose Nursery in Tyler, Texas. Mark Chamblee provided roses to several places in Louisiana that evaluated roses.

Thanks guys, I don't think we are going to get anymore frosts...but you know, I said that 2 weeks ago too. I will wait a few and then prune to be safe.
-Kris

I have the same problem for the newly planted bareroot roses. They are covered in mulch but still some of the canes turned brown about the last frost.
I am a beginner in rose gardening, so please pardon me if this question seems silly. Is all the brown cane dead? Should I prune them off? They are not black yet.

You can also simply take off a little extra every time you dead-head. It slows down rebloom a bit, but keeps the plant looking tidy throughout our long growing season.

Thanks, hoovb. I'll do that. I'm looking forward to the plant blooming.

Kim, thank you for sharing you knowledge and experience. Especially the way you explain why certain things work and others don't. I have learned so much from you and others on this forum.

I read some rose guide books and wish certain sections in those books explain more in details the way you do like why doing something in theory sounds good but doesn't actually work. Keep up the great work. We all appreciate your wisdom and experience ;) Thank you for sharing.

You're more than welcome! I hope I can help you avoid some of the "clean-ups" I've had to endure! Some things can work for a while, then go south on you pretty quickly depending upon climate and conditions where you try them. If your season is shorter, harsher, drier or otherwise not perfectly suited to the "companions" you plant, you may not have as severe result as we do where it's much warmer. But, eventually, if the plants are suited at all to their situations, you're bound to encounter at least some of the issues.

I think the "vinca" socks referred to is the annual "Four O'Clocks" rather than the immortal, invasive vinca major or minor we battle here. Jimofshermanoaks used to lament how he'd battled the vinca minor invading his slope from the property above for over 35 years, until he gave in and quite battling it. The bloody stuff outlived him, unfortunately. Kim

You can change the water once a week or I like to put a tiny bit of bleach in it to keep it from getting funky.

I am moving a lot of roses, and when I dig them up, most of the long roots have to get cut. As long as you have some root stock on there, they should be ok.

Ok thanks guys... I can always count on the people here every year for the best advice, and I am learning more and more. On a brighter note, I just checked on my cuttings that I rooted last year and beneath the leaves and mulch I covered them with , they are green with bright red buds even after this frigid winter in upstate . I'm so excited! Baby steps ;-) I'm a work in progress ...

Thanks for the hope and advice. I'm in Central Denver, 5b, our official last frost date is May 15 but anything after mid-April isn't very hard.

Since the plants are showing signs of life already, would I be okay waiting to transplant until mid-April, when I'll be planting some store-bought perennials or should I go ahead now?

I'll try to pull the shaded one, think I'll let the ones in the crack go for a year, think about where I might best use them all together.

If your soil is workable, thawed and not too soggy, go ahead and move it now. Otherwise you'll need to wait until the soil has improved. I have the same last frost date as you and I plant and move things in April all the time. Although maybe not this year, lol. I still have a good two feet of snow cover everywhere. But if you'd prefer to wait until you plant those perennials you can still move it then instead. Even if it's leafed out some by then it will still be movable as long as you keep it well watered to get it started. Any time in the early spring is usually fine. Just don't wait until it's too hot. That's when it's hardest on them to move them.

But the best news is that they decided to completely enclose the roses with deer fencing so this year should be great. Some of the beds are completely replanted with new roses. The Mother's Day brunch in the rose garden will be beautiful this year. Here's the new deer fence with the azaleas.

Azaleas and flowering trees are at their peak. I went to Nuccio's afterwards and they were so busy. Everybody was in azalea heaven there. Of course I had to have some. I love those guys, they are so fun. True dedication to growing and creating flowers and helping people be better gardeners. If I ever need to get back to feeling why I started making a garden, I go there.

Oh, Kitty, those are a beautiful breath of spring!