21,401 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

Mini roses can come in a variety of sizes. The "mini" refers to the miniature bloom, not necessarily the size of the bush.
I have multiple Sweet Dianas (a mini) that grows about 2 feet tall. I also have multiples of another mini called Green Ice--it sprawls and never gets more than 1 to 1.5 feet tall--mostly spreads outward rather than growing upward. Both Sweet Diana and Green Ice have small blooms (the "mini" part).
I've also heard of some minis that have grown much, much taller--though I believe that is not real common in the world of minis. I think you can also get minis that are climbers, though maybe not more than 5-6 ft.
You will just have to read the description of any mini you are interested in in order to determine how tall the bushes will get. And then plan on them getting taller than that--as roses often do in the warmer regions.
Kate

I've never heard of the term mini floribunda. The ARS recognized class is Miniflora, all one word. Your Mornin' Sunshine is not on HMF but I did find it at Otto & Sons nursery and it looks like it was introduced in 2014 by Certified Roses. Certified classes it as a floribunda but one that has blooms on the smaller size. They say blooms are 2 x 2 inches. They don't list a plant size but say it has a "spreading habit".
As Kate said, mini and miniflora only applies to the size of the bloom and the leaves, not the size of the plant. I have the mini Softee and it gets over 3 feet tall and wide all the time. There are mini climbers, like Jeanne Lajoie, can get 10 or 12 feet tall. If you are looking for compact plant size you need to look for that trait and not rely on the bloom size to indicate the plant size.

Ugh, I'm glad I'm not the only pruning ditherer. The books say 'when the buds swell' and ALSO 'after the last frost' and the two are not comparable. The buds on mine start swelling (those that go dormant) pretty much as soon as we're past the longest night, but last frost date is ususally late March. By which point, the roses have got three months growth on them.
I try to hold out till they actually start leafing out proper, and pray we don't get a late cold front, but it's difficult - Eglantyne had a tiny bud forming this morning, I was somewhat staggered.

Oh Cynthia... I just found out my EDGAR DEGAS died. Nobody here in the US or even Canada carry it anymore. I was sooo upset when I realized it was gone. I have sooo many more stripeys that I didn't show here. Some didn't bloom last yr so I didn't have recent pics. Some I just forgot and really didn't want to overload the thread!! LOL
TIGER TAIL is an old J&P floribunda that apparently wasn't a very good rose in general, so they dumped it. It was intro'd along with PURPLE TIGER and another stripey FL that also got dumped early on. I don't quite remember the name but it was a white and orange stripe. Oh wait, maybe it was called ORANGE SPLASH or something like that. I never did purchase that one. I think the problem with TIGER TAIL was the fact that the blooms are really quite small for a floribunda. They average about 2". Now BUTTERFLY is a florist rose that I got from someone I can't really mention, as I don't want him to be inundated by people asking for roses. I also got my SIMSALABIM from him.
If I had time, I'd try to root some of these obscure roses. But I just don't have the time right now.

Thanks again Beth for talking about Showdow Dancer and Soaring Spirit. I am thinking I am going to get Flamingo Dancer. I am a sucker for a pink rose! Burling states it gets bigger than SD and there is quite a bit of space to cover on that arch.

39ð F here in Spokane, Washington USA. Feels like like 32ð F. Wind is 10mph coming from WSW. Overcast sky. Snowed overnight. Looks beautiful. Drinking tea and feeling cozy inside this a.m. It's nice that our days are getting longer. Have a good day. :)


The Huntington has one on a big arch. The color is rich and pictures never can show the beauty or intensity of it. I get drawn to it every time I see it. It's a beautiful rose and I have not seen anything like it in bush form. Big thick tall canes.

I completely forgot about this post. The last time I checked with them it was like they completely forgot they had told me they would propagate it again since so many of us wanted it. I was really disappointed. Please let us know what they tell you!! Judy

My Peach Silks, grown from tiny bands years ago from Heirloom, are on an arbor - they grow well, bloom throughout the year and are pretty much disease free. I have 2 on this arbor - the other 2 were grown from bands and are in big pots - I plan to put them in the ground in early spring or before. I find they bloom most of the year in spite of the fact that I don't fertilize them much. They are healthy and I think anyone would be pleased to have this lovely rose.
Judith



Vibert
Austin
Kordes
and of course not only being from IOWA:
Dr. Griffith J. Buck
Here is a link that might be useful: The Buck Rose Web Site

I think its out of whack because when I started the garden the soil had been covered for at least a decade with thick plastic sheets, weed barriers and stone. When I uncovered it after buying my home, it was very very very dense clay with some odd pockets of soft, dry sand.
So being a novice garden, I started a flower garden without amending the soil at all, and used a lot of things like miracle grow and Bayer products to help the plants eek out a horrible existence.
Over the last few years I have been tilling leaf compost into the garden and using only the epsoma products for both flowers and roses. I do, however, still use a Bayer fungicide.
Either way the Ph in my soil is still high, as it is in my well water in general. If I don't remediate this in my house with a water conditioner system, it pretty much destroys my pipes.
In my garden, my roses suffer magnesium and iron deficiencies. I fix this with twice a summer applications of a liquid iron chleate and epsoms salts.
What I am hoping is to get Ph level down through other means, but have yet to really take a crack at this.
So that's my story.
Cheers

???????
Soil pH should have a high correlation with groundwater pH. So the soil pH is correct according to its own logic. It is going to take active work to lower it, because that is going to be an artificial construction - commonly known as sulfur. Basically, unless your pH is over 8, the problem isn't with the soil, but with what you think it should be. Adding organic matter will get is somewhat closer to 7, but not a lot.
Basically, I've been there, done that. There are roses that much prefer an acidic soil that I don't grow. I also don't grow blueberries, azaleas, or any rose of multiflora heritage. If it likes a pH over 7, it grows like a weed.


I have mine on a trellis. It was originally in a pot, but the root grew through the bottom into the ground. She REALLY wanted to live in the dirt!
I usually prune in late late winter and I'm not shy about cutting her back; she can take it. I try to keep her upright for maximum blooming.
Good luck with yours!


It may not have been anything you did or didn't do. As you said, roses do not like to be inside. Try putting a saucer of water next to them, not under them, to raise the humidity around them. And get some additional light. And fluorescent lamp will do. Don't fertilize them any more now until the start to leaf out again. No guarantee on any of this but it could help.
If you get more like this next season try sinking the pots into the soil for the winter. They may do better just going dormant outside.

Check with K&M Nursery's web site. He carries several climbers that are grafted onto fortuniana rootstock that should grow well in zone 8. I think he still carries "Fourth of July". Don Jaun is also a GREAT climber on fortuniana rootstock.

Heirloom has Fourth of July on its own root available and they are having a sale right now.
Has anyone grown either Shadow Dancer or Soaring Spirits? How do they do in heat? How is the rebloom. They both are so pretty, I can't decide between the two.

Believe it or not, I'm not a member of Facebook, but I used your link and saw your stunning photos of Ascot. What a gorgeous, healthy looking rose. I wish my photographer (granddaughter) could get that deep red on her photos. It's been difficult to get, but you nailed it. Clare's photos are wonderful so I'm not complaining. Red has just been the hardest color to photograph accurately.
Anyway, beautiful photos and of SDLM, too. Diane

Diane, you're so right -- red is a bear to capture. Our facebook pictures of Ascot luckily nailed its rich, saturated blue-red. But for another lovely and even deeper burgundy, Tradescant, the color in my photos isn't even close. Too bad -- that color is amazing.
I want to thank you for inspiring me to consider Ascot. It really has one of the most beautiful blooms I've ever seen, and will be a rose well worth keeping once we get it blooming the way yours does.




Marian, gorgeous garden!!!
Mustbnuts and Marian, both of your gardens are very beautiful and flawless. I am sure many people have said that before.
Thank you for sharing all your pics, it definitely open up a lot of possibilities for the rest of us.