22,153 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

I shipped my Brother Cadfael to the west... I wanted to love it, but it just didn't do well for me. I think it wants a lot of heat, for longer than our growing period. It didn't fade, it just didn't bloom a lot, and stayed puny. Others may have different experiences.

The heat probably does cause Brother Cadfael to grow large (mine is huge), but I don't think it's helpful to the blooms. This year our awful heat wave began in June and is continuing (reached 113 out here one day). Brother has bloomed through all of it, but the blooms are totally toast, and the big show in June totally balled. So if you want a large plant, heat might be the answer, but the blooms are a different story. However, the blooms on my plant never fade, so I'm puzzled by your plant's fading blooms. Of course, it's a whole lot drier here (in fact, it's a desert) than in New Jersey, so comparisons aren't overly helpful, I guess. I think the newer Austins may grow faster than some of the older ones and bloom more steadily than the the older Austins. Be patient--Jude the Obscure is even slower to get going. Diane

There was a beautiful very tall white Rose of Sharon in town, in the open by a fence. Every time I drove by it in bloom, it would (almost) turn my head. Then one spring it was gone. No idea why, and the rest of the landscaping didn't change.
My location is more sheltered, with an evergreen line in back of and below this border location. So this is the current front runner!
And yes, my Darlow literally fell over with the torrential rain we had a few weeks ago - on top of the Cardinal de R below it on the slope, with enough force to break canes. I pruned the gallica hard, after I slipped a line around the Darlow, and used bungee cord to attach line to eye hook on side of house wall, hauling Darlow vertical again. Darlow none the worse for wear, nothing broken, still blooming. But clearly a hazard to his neighbors!

Altheas grow in almost all of our climates here. I've collected many colors and flower shapes because they are SO agreeable here, and they root without fail. Ironically, I did snap a photo of the white with burgundy center one at my friend's house in Torrance last week. In her more coastal climate, the flowers are HUGE, compared to here where it's hotter and drier. Hers flowers for many weeks longer than mine, too. Kim


There are several possible explanations. Notice the two other threads here concerning how heat causes the reduction in bloom size. If you feel increased heat isn't the issue, it may easily be that the soil it has grown in has finally depleted, reducing the available oxygen available to the roots, and perhaps the nutrients. Drainage suffers as soil breaks down. The plant could need repotting to correct the drainage, improve the water holding capabilities of the soil and improve the nutrition available to the plant from the soil. I'm sure there may be other possibilities, but these come to mind first. Kim


Wonderful advice from everyone, thank you!
Ken, i will check them out, Glowing Amber is well, glowing! And ofcourse I'm open to other ideas and suggestions and would love to hear what roses you all like, any type.
Racin- This weekend is at Olympia, WA on Saturday July 13th. I hope to see you there, my name is Sarah (and no I'm not french. drat.) I only brought 1 rose to my first show, so i encourage you to try if you want. Just bring your best one and have fun. This is a great easy to read article that encouraged me to try. And just think- you get to enter the novice class too.
http://spokanerosesociety.org/2013/06/bringing-roses-to-the-show/#comment-6054
Don't get me started on Raft Island-heaven!


No box store sells 25 gallon nursery containers. I am placing an order with HAVILAND soon since I need to expand my collection by several hundred specimen trees. Haviland is selling their nursery containers really cheap. I could get you for example 25 gallon Haviland for $5.50 each (pick up in my yard SC) if you need 100 of those. I am looking to group with someone to reduce costs per container. You could also place an order online with hydroponics.net. I bought their injected molded containers that are strong and their shipping charges are varied and reasonable.


Besides shrinking in size they can also shrink in petal count and change in color from high heat, drought or even too much rain. Cold can have similar effects too. I think every rose has it's own optimum temps and weather conditions. In some respects they are divas!

Picture of infected leaves.
Here is a link that might be useful: link for above



My Fairy has been wet for nine days and it is not showing those symptoms. Mad_gallica's suggestion that you may have a bad clone is sounding more and more likely. My plant has produced a large flush of nice little flowers every June for 30 years, then scattered bloom continuously into November.

While PH can more easily be altered to create a more alkaline base, I find the reverse impossible, at least for anything remotely long-term. I would probably be using a sequestered iron supplement to try to adjust the iron take-up in your rose (something such as Sequestrene)

Ian, thanks! I'll try it.
Jeri, I'm in California central coast. In the morning and afternoon we usually have dense fog, guess that's exacerbating the disease. But my roses are in well ventilated area and can receive bright full sun at noon. I'll try to apply some fungicide. I just fear if I keep pruning those rust leaves I will eventually lose all its leaves!


Yes.
Take a look at the buds - KO sepals are rather small and simple. Those sepals are much more serrated on their edges and many have 'leaf' like ends. In your last photo, the sepals are horrifically overgrown.
KO buds are seldom the least bit thorny on their stems; these fine dense thorns aren't on any non-RRV KOs that I've examined. Many sick KOs have the hyperthorniness on some of their stems below their recepticles.
I would expect your sick blooms to hold on to their petals; healthy KOs drop their petals cleanly.

It looks like your rose may have reverted to rootstock, and from the pic, I'd guess 'R. multiflora'. This happens if the top growth dies off, and then the roots send new shoots which will not be the same as the budded top growth you intended to see. You can't really do anything about it other than digging the plant up and replacing it.
:-)
~Christopher


Wow, thanks for the warm welcome everybody!
Reem, I love my job and I am, above all, happy to be employed. The deployments aren't the greatest, but there are a whole lot worse things I could be doing. Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks also to everyone for the complements on the mini. I have a few minis but that is by far my favorite now. It's such a good little plant already.
Jeri, I love OGR's and wish more of them were repeat bloomers, because I'm greedy. Because of my occupation I rent a home in the country so I'm apprehensive about planting anything that will get too huge and having to leave it behind if I move in 5 years. It's really a conundrum.
I love a lot of the Austins and have 4 total, but having gone to a local nursery and seen a good number of them IRL, I've become a lot pickier...especially since so many of them are either strange plants overall, and/or ate up with RMV!!! I have a Jubilee Celebration that shows mild signs of it but is a big grower and bloom machine, so who knows? I keep it in a big pot on the deck and prune it with its own clippers just to be safe.
I could go on and on but I'm afraid it will get too lengthy.
Thanks again everyone for the friendly welcome, I'm glad to be here.
-Kellyn




Dorothy P is not red enough. Red ramblers include Chevy Chase (maybe not hardy in z. 5), Crimson Rambler, and Excelsa. The latter two were very widely grown in their day and commonly survive.
Is there fringe on the stipules (flanges at base of the leaf stems)? Is there white at the base of the petals?
See photos at helpmefind.com.
Your rambler looks wonderful.
I don't think this is Chevy Chase, which is a real Screaming Meemie red. This is "blue-er." I sure could believe either Crimson Rambler or Excelsa, though.
Jeri
Here's Chevy Chase: