22,151 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
I was hoping someone would say five, four would be okay, I hope it doesn't stay as short as three where I want to plant it. My other solution would be to just pot it, but I really think this rose would look prettiest in the ground.
I'm sorry to hear that Sean McCann passed away. He once interviewed me by e-mail for his column in the American Rose. A very nice gentleman but I had some trouble explaining that my conditions for growing roses were not quite as hard as on the same latitude in Alaska.
I've never tried to breed roses even for fun. But a friend gave me a nice cross between a rugosa and a gallica she found in her garden. It's perhaps 'Louise Bugnet x L'Evêque and some some years it's the first rose to bloom in spring. Pink, of course. 
Thanks for sharing your lovely front deck outlook with us - next best to actually being there with a cup of tea or a contemplative glass of something...
Should you want any of your older roses ID'd at any time, we do quite like having a go at this on the Antique Roses forum. I always learn a lot that way. (Post photo of whole shrub plus clear close-ups of buds, flowers front and side view, canes/prickles, and complete leaf sets, along with info on scent, rebloom, and estimated year or decade planted.)
Thanks again for sharing your garden pictures.
Comtesse :¬)
Kublakan how do you do it!!? I find that the roses I purchase never look as good or bloom as large for me as they did when I bought them. I can't imagine getting one already dying as I'd be sure to kill it. Lol
I do admit that I've learned a lot in the past year and am having much more success but I still struggle with many of my roses. If it's not the black spot it's the chili thrips. Or the spider mites. Aye yay yai!
I'd vote for Sugar Moon just for her fragrance! She's divine but she can also get huge! Mine gets 8 feet tall and keeps going (I cut her by a third after each flush or she'd be even bigger). I'm not familiar with JFK, but I can tell you Kordes Perfecta is a perfecta Diva. Mine is stingy to bloom and slow growing. And a black spot magnet to boot. She's also not white at all. Maybe it was mislabeled? She's tipped with purple/pink. She does have some magnificent blooms when you get them. But they are few and far between.
I took all your photos and blew them up to examine carefully and that rose looks pretty healthy to me! If there's anything on those leaves it's not hurting it. It could just be dust and dirt. I would suggest a good hard spray of water from the hose to wash them off. I do this weekly on mine to keep the leaves clean. It's said to help prevent fungal infections by rinsing off the spores. I do it because I think a clean leaf is probably better able to produce food than a dirty one.
The new growth at the tops of the canes will always look a little different from the older growth and MANY varieties have reddish or purplish new growth that slowly turns green as it matures. Often times new growth will be a lighter shade of green that darkens with age and sometimes they will be green with a red edging. Every variety is different so watch your roses and learn what each one's new growth is like.
Rose hips take between 90 and 120 days to ripen and not all rose hips turn color when they ripen. Some varieties will remain green. You don't say if this rose only blooms once a season or repeats through the season but if it is a repeat blooming rose and you want to encourage the rose to bloom more often remove those hips and dead head the spent blooms as soon as they fade.
The canes don't look diseased to me either. They look like old canes that have gotten bark like. I really don't see anything fuzzy or fungal there. It just looks like old bark.
I do agree that you need to get rid of the stones. They're not helping things. In your zone you don't want anything that increases heat and sun reflection. A nice pine mulch will keep the root ball much cooler and moister and will not reflect more light up onto the top growth.
Thank you all for the outpour of support! I removed the stones and set mulch in their place during the weekend. I also deadheaded the rose hips and did some pruning to remove the silvery leaves. My most recent bloom has outlived the previous ones and more buds are appearing. I will look into purchasing fish fertilizer this week. I'm looking forward to seeing the plant fluorish during the summer months.
I have the Botanica roses and it is a great book. However, I find that these days my main source of info comes from this forum and Helpmefind site. Books are a wonderful source of info but the problem is you don't get to read how the same rose does in different areas especially in your local zone. The same rose may be wonderful across the pond but a source of scourge in your garden. The other book I have is 500 roses for the Canadian gardeners.
In March, I bought seventy 2-cu-ft bags of bark for a 4-inch layer of mulch to prevent weeds from growing in my garden. I want to apply the bark after I improve the soil and re-locate the roses. (Also, the bark bags are taking up valuable car-space in my garage).
Thank you on all accounts! I'll do a bit of hard trimming and see if they don't liven up a bit. I also gave my roses a banana for the potassium as a treat so i'm hoping once the weather perks up and taking all your suggestions and applying them to the bushes. I hope to see some wonderful improvements. Thank you again, for your kind words. :)
What Cynthia said. They don't look like they're dying, just look like old, somewhat neglected bushes.
I'd take out all dead wood--including trimming off those stumps of canes that have already been whacked--take off that dead stump part. Gentle fertilizing, as you've already done (bananas are good), keep them watered well so the fertilizer doesn't burn. Add more mulch before your hottest weather (but not on top of the canes).
And gradually, like one cane, once a year or so, I'd start removing those old woody canes. They're pretty crowded & if you let new basals grow up instead, the rose will be rejuvenating itself & be more productive of new growth & flowers.
I bet they'll be fine. Best wishes for your mother's recovery. Sounds like things have been rough.
All of my mail orders came in the last two weeks. It's been planting time. When I take my trip I like to start with Lowes in Dekalb. Then hit The Perennial Place in Naperville followed by Chalet Nursery. Now I can check an Ace Hardware as well. The goal is to return home with at least one plant that I have not grown before.
I have had My Eden( I have Two) for Three yrs I think ,last year I had to cut her down severely. One looks pretty dead and the other Alive . If I ever see L.D. Braithwaite definitely getting it I need another red DA. What are your view on Evelyn or Heritage
I haven't had any of them long enough to judge. They're all new this season. Jude isn't even here yet!
Haven't been to Vandermeer but a lady I met through the local iris society works there on weekends, so I definitely plan to go this year and say hello.