22,152 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

that description of RRD kind of worries me. I have seen some sepals that are long and sometimes leaf-like. So, is that a very bad thing to see? :(
I am so new with roses & still ignorant... and don't want to have to sp the ones I have babied!

You are definitely freaking out--for no reason! That is very healthy growth, as far as I can see.

If it is attractive, it probably is not RRD. RRD is ugly, weird, bad-looking--witches' broom, distorted, gross, ugly, ugly, ugly!

Nothing in your pic even remotely looks like that, does it! In fact, the red growth in your pic is downright pretty!

Kate

The local nursery recommends mounding some top soil through the middle of the plant. Wait until the ground freezes (probably after Thanksgiving). The idea is to keep it cold. Freeze thaw cycles are what kill it. Also get your bag of topsoil now and store above the ground in the garage so it is not frozen when you try to use it.

Barry, I cant comment on winter hardiness as I am from east Texas, about 2 hours from Houston. As I dont hear much about Sophy's Rose, I thought you might like to know what a good rose it is. It is very healthy for me [I have 2 of them] and blooming constantly. Frank, an expert rosarian who worked for Chamblees Roses in Tyler, Tx before he passed away, was one of my rose mentors. I always remember him saying that Sophy's Rose was the best of the Austins. Hope you enjoy your two - I got Lady of Shallot this year - she is growing well though I havent let her bloom much - wanting her to grow roots. Good luck!
Judith

Uhh ... you may have to hunt, but there are some varieties that should be fairly easy to find - because I found them. ;-)

I've had Rock-n-Roll for 2 years now, but I'm not convinced it's worth the investment. The bush seems great, but the flowers are awfully tiny and pop very quickly.

Some of the others:
Tropical Sunset - a true Grandiflora, this thing could compete with QE. It regularly sends up shoots to 10 feet with wonderful exhibition quality orange-yellow-striped blooms. The orange will eventually fade to a partial pink, but it takes a long while. Flower size is good, but it's definitely a Grandiflora.

Cabana - a legitimate Hybrid Tea, the flowers are almost 50-50 pink and white, with wonderful exhibition form. They tend to be on the small side and unfortunately often bloom in multiples, but other than that, the bush is extremely vigorous, and a little lower height than Tropical Sunset.

Scentimental - people in the last few years complain that this bush produces flowers that blow quickly. That may be true, but the vigor (at least in my garden) is unparalleled. It sends up shoots 2-3 feet away from the center drip ring and likes to stay at about 5 feet tall (too large for a floribunda, almost). Flowers are red and white striped with reasonable fragrance. I think the fragrance kick is a bit muted on mine, but it's amazing just to watch this thing grow and bloom.

George Burns - take Scentimental, cut the height and vigor by about 25% and add some yellow highlights to the center of the red and white blooms and that defines George Burns. Oh - add some of the most vicious and plentiful thorns and that will give you the idea of this rose. I can't have Scentimental or George Burns alone without each other.

Tigress - a small improvement over Purple Tiger, but not by much. Blooms are exquisite, dark pink - almost purple - stripes on a frilly white bloom. Bush is tall, lanky, and very disease-susceptible. It's touchy to grow, but can be reasonably productive with care. It reminds me very much of Lagerfield in habit and blooms (except for the coloring).

Thanks for the info ken-n.ga.mts. Glad to learn Palatine is a good source. Ordered from them this year, very impressed. Thanks rosetom, appreciate your opinions on the different varieties. I'm not picky about whether it's a HT, grandiflora or floribunda,

Thank you all for your responses.

I'm in zone 4a as per zone map. Last year I got my first rose bush which was Oklahoma(not a zone 4 rose). Over the winter it died back to nearly the crown, but it survived and is doing great this year.
I have two Austins which are doing great from this spring. But Blanc Double de Coubert, and Fimbriata don't last, I intend to replace them next spring with some of your suggestions. The pic is Oklahoma second year.

PJPII is a good choice for a lasting white and the fragrance and repeat bloom are excellent.

The slow growth as an immature, own root plant is characteristic of several Kordesii types. Shadow Dancer is much faster to take off as a budded plant, as is Rosarium Uetersen. I know RVR isn't listed as a source, but this photo is almost seeming as if it could be Leonardo da Vinci, too. Take a look at both Rosarium Uetersen and Leonardo and compare photos from cooler areas with what you see in your garden. RVR does sell Rosarium Uetersen. Of course, it's possibly some other Kordesii type climber, too. RVR does also sell Bantry Bay and Coral Dawn, which might be potential identities. Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Leonardo da Vinci

Hmmm, Bantry Bay looks suspiciously alike.

Andreark,

Crimson bouquet was almost in constant bloom here in Las Vegas and was a very clean plant.

Lynn

I'm green with envy! I wish there was a nursey like that near me!!

I'll add that I don't think Golden Showers will be disease resistant in your area. It is not here.

magneato, you referred to being taken by the orange-yellow colors of Polka. Autumn Sunset is quite pretty too and can exhibit a blend of apricot, soft gold and soft orange in hot climates. You are not in a very cold climate and Autumn Sunset should be able to take the heat there; it does in Las Vegas. Could be worth taking a peek at on-line.

Lynn

Thank you, Kate

That's a beauty-perfect bloom. Mary

Here's my three-foot wide bed, this time on the west side of the house, and most of them stay fairly tall and narrow. In this shot are Illusion, Sunrise Sunset, About Face, and nonblooming yet Estelle, Distant Drums, Hot Cocoa, Hot Chocolate, and the bed also has roses like Molinieux, Pat Austin, Precious Dream, Sammy, Grey Dawn, and several others that slip my mind.

My "poster child" for tall narrow roses is Queen of Sweden, who tends to be 6 feet tall and 2 feet wide, but a runner up is Jeanne LaJoie, the miniature climber who stays very narrow because she runs up a shepherd's hook in the back yard. Plenty of nice choices for that spot, so look at some of the more narrow Austins and shrubs or find a way to restrain a climber would be my suggestion.

Cynthia

Thank you so much, going to read up about all of these.

Excellent point about the zone, I'll bear that in mind.

Shepherd's hook - there's an idea, or an obelisk. I didn't want to install trellises but hadn't thought about freestanding supports.

How about tall & skinny & purple (or lavender) & zone 4? I've always had trouble with purple roses, which seem to hate the afternoon sun.

Wow- thank you both so much for the detailed information on both techniques.

I will try both, the next show is in Sept here. I have been disbudding Folklore and Red Intuition, but not the others or the floribundas. I can't wait to see the different outcomes! Maybe an exacto knife would be better than using my fumbly fingers, which is what i've been doing.

I don't ask too many questions of fellow exhibitors as i don't wish to pester or ofcourse, seem stupid. So, thank you to all on this forum who reply with wisdom and patience.

frenchcuffs, there should be someone at the show who can help you with prep or other info. nickl helps new exhibitors at our show. ;-)

Some plants are usually single bloom per stem, some want to have sprays/candelabras. There is a lot of finger pruning that goes on, and as Nick said, the earlier the better. Good luck!

Lady Kim,

My Rhapsody in Blue...

I do love the scent. I like to put it near the front door.

I'm going to ring the garden centre and demand to know what purple varieties they sold last year. I'll let you know what they say and we can whittle down the mystery.

M

That's gorgeous, M! I would grow Rhapsody in Blue here, except, it wants to be a climber in the heat; it's susceptible to black spot and until it gets well established, it stops flowering when it gets hot. Though not as awful as where many here are, it gets HOT here and remains so for far too long to have a thorny, green mountain of a plant depriving me of flowers. Kim

Graham Thomas!

Graham Thomas,
In much better shape but still showing signs of stress and plenty of blackspot. I'm not too worried about the blackspot, I seen plants resist better once they had a chance to settle down.
I'd like to hear what you guys think about the frame work?
Do I need to cut anything back, if so where? Should I thin the ( super skinny ) canes? They both look awfully wispy whereas the graft is the biggest I seen so far.. don't sa much since I'm brandnew but wow, what a gnarly knot that is.
Advice is to sink the graft a few inches under ground, whats your take on it? I rather be rid of Huey if it's able to root its own base but then perhaps, not the most hardy in my zone5?
Ok , community I have high hopes of being showered in your collected knowledge!
I wanna hear everything, 1, 2 ,3 ... Dish!

Heartbreaking to lose an old big wonderful rose, Michaelg.

I was fonder of Mme P than any rose in the garden. Totally carefree and so lovely in bloom. I planted her as a band around 1985.

Hmm...it seems that the site for his nursery- Cottage Garden Roses-doesn't work, or at least not via HMF. I'll try using Google to get to it.
Yes, indeed, the idea of his repeat-flowering ramblers is very exciting. I checked out the Landhaus Ettenbuhl site,which does have some pictures ,but alas! I don't read German,so can't understand the descriptions! I think I may go ahead and try contacting Mr. Scarman himself via the John Scarman's Welt der Rosen site.I see that Belle Epoque carries his roses, and will probably order through them, but there's not a whole lot of info provided. Some of them I can see I definitely would like to include in my garden: for example, Mrs. Billy Crick,Dancing Girl,Diggy's Rambler,Scarman's Himalayan Musk (these last two only once-flowering). But there are several pink climbers ,and more details would be very helpful in making a selection: a more precise idea of the exact shade of pink,flower size, habit, etc.The thing is, as my garden progresses, I'm getting more and more picky about these things, since I tend to want a rose for a particular situation,to be paired up with one that's already there, etc.It seems a bit rude to pick a man's brain too much about his own roses, but I may have to do that . What a shame I can't read German! regards, bart

Bart - you should be able to set the translation icon going - usually, there will be a little union jack to click on which will (amusingly) do a direct translation from the German. I seem to recall there was an icon somewhere near the top of the page on the right.......

Go ahead and pick brains - it is my observation that most gardeners, growers and breeders like nothing more than to expound, at length and detail, about every aspect of their passion. Being picky is an ideal way of channeling more pertinent information (I for one, rarely respond to vague requests for a 'pink climber' or such stuff but the minute things get specific....)

You might have already said (and I am sure it was nothing to do with Simpsons) where your name (Bart) came from........apols, if you did, for the useless memory (which gets daily worse) but still curious............

I take it that you already have Mr.Scarmans useful book? Another handy one is 'Wild and Old Garden Roses' by a Gordon Edwards.........