22,795 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

You have both Chamblee's Roses and Antique Rose Emporium in TX. I'd make your selection from their offerings and advise. BTW, ZD is not a good repeater. I've never had luck with Rosarium Uetersen, but my climate and soil are different.

I grow them both in England and despite having small flaws, they are wonderful roses, worth cosseting. True, Madame Gregoire does not repeat but comes early into bloom which continues, at a turbo charged rate for 6 weeks. No deadheading needed because it will make enormous globular heps, easily larger than rugosa heps, with a pale orange colouring perfectly suited to autumn. The fresh green foliage is also heartbreakingly beautiful and the blooms have a fragrance reminiscent of sweet peas.
Zephirine is altogether a bit more problematic in that it tends to suffer terribly from powdery mildew....which can be greatly alleviated without spraying by careful siting. It hates being planted against a wall but performs far better on a chainlink or post and rail fence - ventilation is very key for this rose, as is ensuring sufficient moisture at the root zone (but doesn't all of Texas have irrigation set-ups?). A strict pruning regime with ruthless thinning and rotating the long green canes, cutting every lateral hard to within a bud or 2, maintains an open airflow and encourages a great spring flush (although the second flush occurs at the ends of the much longer laterals and has to be regarded as an extra rather than a given spectacle. A famously fragrant rose.

For me, every year in the rose garden is a good year. I learn something new all the time in my garden. Some stuff I'm not to wild about but most of the time my roses make me smile. Neighbors and visitors have told me I have the finest rose garden in N.E. GA. (yeah, right). I dought that but if they leave happy and I have encoraged them about how easy it is to grow roses, that's another great day in the garden.

Melissa, I am happy as long as the plants are thriving as well. Flowers will come and go.

Spring was great....until that awful hot wind came and cut my flush short. But that was amazing having it all inside for a week! I never would have done that if I didn't know the wind was coming so thanks Jeri for the warning this spring. Hoovb escaped it, she was just south enough to be spared. After that, I had some nice blooms and then the heat came and cooked everything. I had a few pots get sunburnt and some leaves were so pale they were almost white when they formed. After the heatwave went by the leaves were beautiful and deep green again.

Fall came in a trumpet of glory. The best fall flush ever. The Bourbons were loaded and DA roses were in their glory. It seemed to go on and on. I had roses like Jack's Beanstalk with giant blooms on top. Now there is a period of nice warm weather with cool nights. Almost every HT and Fl has something and the fragrance is very good. I haven't seen any rain since a teeny weeny sprinkle a few weeks ago so the plants are all clean with no disease except some mildew on SdlM buds from overcast/ coastal foggy mornings. This year's Halloween show Chrysanthemum crop was so good. I had the big pom-pom showy ones. They hid in part shade during the heatwave and watering them twice a day was worth it when the buds finally arrived. Thanks also to my folks who watered bands and other pots in the June-July heat for me while I was in Gettysburg for the 150th.

Just now I am getting mulch and sifting the great soil I got from the neighbor who had some concrete poured. Why do people want to send their best topsoil to the dump? I have enough to make a raised planting and fill in the low spot on my corner where I want to put Perle d'Or (Perle the Great). The bands from Vintage in 1 gal pots now are growing very fast and all need a larger pot or to go in the ground. Actually, everything is still growing fast and I'm trying to keep up. Bulbs are up too early and I have some blloms on the plum tree. But the apple that I nearly lost has grown well and all it's spring grafts survived and are big fat branches full of leaves.

The worst was the brutal heatwave of late summer. It killed many of my delicate plants that have been on the edge of growing here. My Japanese maples had all the leaves fry so that there is nothing left to turn colors but I think the trees themselves are fine and will grow nicely next year. The heat didn't bother my Camellias and fall temps have given me a great bunch of buds. Already, the Sasanquas look good and a few early Japonicas have begun to open. Ingrid, I think you would like Camellias because they can hide in the shade and give you pretty flowers through the winter. While they are small, you can move them around and enjoy them wherever you like and move them into the garage or in deep shade during a heat wave.

If we get some rain in these upcoming months to wash the soil of irrigation deposits, I will call this year a good year for my roses.

Hello Emily
Please let me know would you like to trade drift rose cuttings. I have gold medal,queen Elizabeth,and double delight,st Patrick rose .i can trade cuttings.
Thank you

Bottom line is there is no white knockout.
Only white out rose bred by same guy (Radler).

My mom has sunny knockout. It starts out yellow and fades
quickly to a off white color.

Article below explains:

Here is a link that might be useful: White KnockOut Rose?

I assumed that your comment was covered by "tender climbing roses". i.e. I did not interpret that to mean that all climbing roses are tender but to mean that if you are growing a climbing rose that is tender you should------.

Sounds like good practical advice to me. And I'm glad they mentioned crab apple trees--I was just wondering the other day what might be the best time to prune my fairly young one. Those branches are a bit low to the ground.

Kate

Sharon----Thank you for saying very gently, what has neede to be said for a while.You have the gift to be able to say this gently. I don't have that gift. I'm no beginner to roses (1970's) or this form (1990's). Like you said, "this is a form to ENCORAGE people to grow roses. Not some place to scare them and run them off." I know every time I see a new rose grower on this form, I get excited in hoping they stick it out and learn to enjoy the world of roses. Now I'll be a good boy and stop here :)

I think most people come here because they like to share the enthusiasm for roses and there are always new things to learn. Like Henry said, sometimes several people will get on the bandwagon for a subject and that can give the impression that whatever's said is true. The strength in numbers thing. I am more concerned with that than unkindness here, which seems rare. I wish for more skepticism and Susan's " find out for myself" spirit. Sometimes even very experienced gardeners will all get on the "let's bash Austins" meme for example. I never understand the need to translate one's bad experience with a rose to " this rose is universally bad". So my plea is more with the reader: Don't believe everything you hear, do some research, get a number of opinions in different zones,
and rely on your own experience too.

I

Thanks Lyn, good advice, I’m sure next season I’m going to make an attempt to get some local help on the pruning front. :-)

Kim, Termites are that bad there? Have never heard of termites effecting garden plants here. Houses, yes, plants not so much. I think it would be unusual at least. I’ve heard that Hawaii has a huge problem with termites but I didn’t know gardeners in California have to deal with that. Sounds like you’ve found a way around it for the Butterfly Bush at least. Thanks for that explanation.

I love pruning actually. I’m limited in my understanding of what one plant or another need or don’t need it, but I think it really can make a big difference. I have perennial cranesbill and normally after they bloom, I just leave them alone and by fall they look pretty awful. This year after they bloomed, I decided to prune them back well and I was amazed at how fresh and healthy they looked the rest of the season. And I grow a couple of Ninebarks that are very tolerant of hard pruning and instructions often suggest you can prune to the ground every spring.

But that is a subject for another thread. Thanks and I think I have run out of questions on this thread. :-) Thanks again.

Kippy, I feel that way about some roses. Rose fragrance is something I would keep a plant for and surround with companions in it’s down time, even with just a few blooms.

I did a little more reading about the PRRGarden and the curator, said he rates each rose in the garden once a month and they have to be above a 6 to stay. he also has volunteers make their own evaluations twice a year to try to keep it objective.

You could be right about the way in which Austin benefits from having his plants in the garden there. And how the average consumer responds. I also think though that the fact they are trying to go ‘no chemical’ might attract more gardeners who are paying attention more to the overall health of plants.

I was also somewhat disappointed to learn that they still use some products on their roses. The article said they’ve reduced use by 86% and his staff ..’sprays sparingly for pests like spider mites and rose midges, but the formulations are lighter than in the past. Fertilizers are organic, with fish emulsion a favorite.’ I linked to one of the articles below for anyone who has an interest.

So that might be another reason why they are managing to grow Austins. I’d still like to visit their garden next year.

I think experimenting is fun and $25. is cheap enough for a learning experience and some entertainment as well. :-) Maybe you are onto something with the micro-climates. I’m always surprised at how differently a plant can grow when I move it around the garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Seeking a More Vigorous and Self-Sufficient Rose in the Bronx

It's cool here too.. Not cold..wet, Not often. I haven't received it yet and am wondering what I will do with it. While I have soft and medium pink roses, I do not have baby pink. I thought I might plant it along a walkway with Marie Pavie instead of Clotilde Soupert but the color possibility is a concern.

Lynn

Well, it blooms all the time, so you are going to have to get used to it! She's a bloomin' fool. I usually call that color "common pink" because it is the most common pink to show up in seedlings. They definitely picked this rose for commercialization because of its bloomiferousness, not its color.

I like this one.

Oh yeah, that is the only problem with the book "The Rose" it is completely based off of roses that grow well in England and the big rose picture is out of that book.

I am not certain on Climate zones in England compared to the U.S., but I would imagine if it grows well in England it would do fine in Zone 6.

The thing about much of England is that while it doesn't get as hot as does much of the US in Summer, it also doesn't get as cold in Winter. From what I remember offhand, much of it is USDA zone 8 (give or take), so while things might not grow as vigorously in their cooler Summers, they also won't be as hard-hit in their milder Winters. Then again, as I remember from Plant Delights' happy zone-pushing, it's possible that when a plant has a more intense growing season, it can better handle a cold dormant season. And in any case, 'Lady Hillingdon' is one of the hardier Teas.

:-)

~Christopher

The pruning should be done in early, early spring, and NOT in the fall or early winter. If you are pruning fall and spring, that definitely is too much pruning.

I'm not sure what you are pruning for, so it is hard to give suggestions. You don't need to prune just for the sake of pruning. Here are some reasons I prune in my zone 6 garden in Kansas:

1. Prune out brown and dead wood.
2. Prune to cut off winter/freeze damage--I do a test cut near the end of the cane. If the center (pith) is a bright white, there is no winter damage and I do no more cutting back. If the center (pith) is "off" (kinda tannish), I go down the cane about 4-6 inches and cut again. If the pith is still not bright white, I go down another 4-6 inches and cut again--and so forth, until I reach bright white pith. This kind of pruning is usually limited to hybrid teas which, sometimes being a bit iffy temperature wise, suffer more from winter cold. The hybrid teas sometimes have to be pruned back nearly to the ground before good pith is available. (Check the hardiness number on your new roses--make sure they are winter-hardy for your zone.) Assuming most of your roses are hardy enough for zone 6, you won't need to do this kind of pruning for most of them.
3. Prune to control height--cut back at most by 1/3. But it is rare that height is a problem here, so I rarely prune just to control height. At most I may give the rose a very light "haircut" overall--a couple inches at most.
4. Occasionally I prune a bit for shape--a branch is jutting out too much, making the rose look lop-sided, so I trim back that branch a bit. I don't usually need to do much of this kind of pruning.
5. If a branch got broken off as a result of the winter winds, I make a smooth, neat cut immediately below the breakage. This rarely happens also.
6. With climbers, I avoid cutting back the long canes. Instead trim back the "laterals" growing off the long canes--make them about 6 inches long. It is those laterals that will probably produce the next set of blooms.
7. Occasionally a rose gets much too crowded in the center, so I thin it out. This rarely happens, however.
8. Prune to rejuvenate an older shrub. Cut out at ground level 1 or 2 old canes (they will often look grey and barklike). Do that each year for several years. New canes should be produced each year, and in about 3 years, you will have a "new" and "younger" rose bush.

Right off hand, those are the major reasons I can think of for pruning. And note that most of them are only occasionally needed. The only ones I regularly do every early spring are numbers 1 and 2: deadwood, and freeze damage.

Hope that helps.

Kate

Thank u so much for your replies seil and dublinbay - appreciate your advice! I will look to prune for general health and vigor right around the time that my forsythia are blooming. Thx again!

I've always thought that the high humidity and added warmth provided by the jar method was very important. So much so that I don't take the jar off until I'm sure the cutting is rooted or dead. If you put several cuttings in a plastic tub with a cover aren't you going to lose heat and humidity for all of them when to take the cover off? Also, with the jar method you can water to keep the soil moist without uncovering them.

Henry, that has not been a problem for us. Cuttings in a terrarium have plenty of warmth, and plenty of moisture.

If there's not enough condensate moisture cycling up and down, we add some. Our soil is alkaline as all getout, and not a treat for plants. Plus, in addition to plants, our garden houses three Dalmatian dogs, who have been known to dig vast holes in pursuit of the many gophers that infest the area.

ANYTHING is safer here in a terrarium.

We didn't invent the method. We learned it from the late Col. Mel Hulse, who had marked success with it, as do a number of other CA rosarians.

MOST of the time, now, our cuttings are in a small greenhouse. But if we're only working with a limited number, we still use the terrarium.

Jeri

More info

Here is a link that might be useful: click here for more info

Ha-Jim I just read there are 5,000 species of blister beetles worldwide--doesn't matter. They are nasty pests no matter how many species exist.
Here's my BB story: Several years ago, a black beetle began showing up on my yellow calendula, which that year I had all over the place. The insect was chewing the heck out of them. Spraying wasn't possible, nor did I want to try that route. So I ignored the ugly things. Big mistake. The next year, they were ten times worse. They seemed to love all kinds of yellow flowers--calendula was still number one, but yellow coreopsis and rudbeckia seemed to be good in a pinch. I decided the situation called for the gloves of death, so I put them on and went to work, easily "popping" hundreds of these nasties per day. I went out at set times and told myself this would be a fun job, and I sort of began to enjoy the popping sound, as well as the release of loudly cursing the things (yes, I'm nuts). I was shocked to find the insects on my Russian sage one day and even hollyhocks. They never bothered my roses, though. After a number of days of this bug killing, there were no more BBs to be seen. The next year, about 15 showed up, and I quickly popped them. The next year after that, there were about 12, and this year, a grand total of 2 blister bugs appeared. Each time, though, I didn't make the mistake of ignoring even two insects, and all bit the dust (my BBs are slow and stupid, trying to drop to the ground when on occasion I miss popping one). The moral of all this is: don't ignore them--eliminate them. And spray is not necessary. Just think of them as enemies of the garden and pop away. Diane

I hate the cutesy names. I refuse to buy a rose with a cutesy name.

Thank you, Mendocino Rose, Me too. I am glad to learn I am not alone in my distaste for cutesy naming.