@micmarg ...maturity of the rose [they get better when older].. moisture at the roots - very important - and a soil with adequate potassium all help to banish droopy necks... in your location given your conditions, I would say it's high potash fertilizer that can help you most at the moment... a sprinkling of sulphate of potash around the base should help considerably for future blooms in late summer..
I haven't posted anything for a while because I don't have many roses at the moment and they all seem to be 'resting' apart from a little orange patio rose called 'Wildfire'. I love looking at everyone's photographs though and feel like I'm learning lots...
@Marlorena, can I ask about your Octavia Hill? How long has she been in her current position? I'm looking for a couple of pink roses, not too big, around the 3ft mark to order in the autumn and she looks very promising. I've also got Anthony, Chandos Beauty, Fragonard, Savoy Hotel and A Whiter Shade Of Pale on the list of possibles if anyone has experience of those! Thank you
Thank you @Marlorena . I've just ordered some from Amazon, delivery tomorrow. I'll give it a sprinkle and mulch with leaf mold of which I have a lot. The ferns you see pop up everywhere especially in the dry stone walls.I keep pulling them out but they are strong willed little things
@micmarg ...hope this works for you.. keep us posted on that..
@iaincd ..I love my Octavia Hill's.. I have 2.. they never grow more than 3 x 3 and bloom all summer.. they even thrive in a dryish site, the soil is poor and dry but I do amend from the top.. even so, it's a great rose.. not much scent though, so it's not a rose for fragrance.. a more popular rose would be Olivia Rose Austin, so you might like to consider that too.. but it may grow larger than 3 x 3.. but I only ever hear good things about it.. but I don't want to try it in my dry conditions here.. ..I also have Chandos Beauty.. this makes a good potted rose.. quite healthy variety, not much black spot, but I have found it slow to rebloom... several weeks gap in between..
'Scarborough Fair' is an Austin that thrives when temps hit the 90's and stay there.. it grows well in poor dry soil without amendments, when established... and needs little attention.. my best photos are from the hot dry June 2018... if you have a dry border, prairie style or somesuch, and would like a rose that may mix in with that, I recommend this variety for such a purpose.. ..I should have left my rose where it was instead of moving it to what I thought was better conditions as it did not take the move well at all.. so nice to see some blooms today..
...talking of Austins, at this time of year I like to check out my most healthiest roses.. most Austins of recent years have been pretty good, I might single out The Lark Ascending and Royal Jubilee amongst many that were exemplary... I've had dozens and dozens of them.. ..as of now all those I currently have, and importantly have grown for some time, are pretty good.. more affected by sawflies than disease issues.. but I would say my best are ... Vanessa Bell.. The Ancient Mariner.. and Desdemona.. Anne Boleyn, Tottering and Kew Gardens are 95% clean.. Bathsheba gets some.. Lady of Shalott gets some but hardly notices,.. Munstead Wood is not a clean rose for me at all..
I hear Olivia Rose Austin is amongst the best.. I think it's too soon to judge those I've only had for a year or so..
Vanessa Bell.. which has been flowering non stop since mid May.. Anne Boleyn, readying for another flush very soon.. The Ancient Mariner, just starting again..
Like everyone else I've had immense sawfly damage on roses this Spring and summer.. probably the worst I've ever had to deal with.. well, I don't really deal with it as I don't spray and only pick them off if I have the time.. Eustacia Vye is a rose I love when it blooms.. unfortunately the sawflies have seen to it that I've hardly had a decent bloom all year.. the damage has been constant .. this is where I think I need more than one rose in the hope that more blooms will be saved from destruction as I like to put some in a vase.. ..this is likely my best bloom on Eustacia all season.. I'm not hopeful about most of these buds... such a shame.. I think this rose will look better in autumn when it may be left alone.. for scent this is one of my favourite roses, and I put it above Jude the Obscure.. different type of scent altogether though..
..in case anyone is still interested in 'Aquarell' /'Perfect Harmony'.. photos of this rose I've been showing repeatedly.. I have to report that it has developed some black spot, quite a bit, and I've defoliated some of it.. and it's not just leaf senescence, but younger leaves too.. I've already removed the worst.. but this is not something I worry about too much, it depends how much coverage it has.. when they've gone all yellow, they come off. ..it's still pumping out huge blooms though..
Thank you @Marlorena for the info. My soil is also dry by default (and also rather poor though I do bulk it up) so Octavia Hill sounds even more appealing! I've seen some photos of Olivia Rose Austin on here and a friend has recently bought one and loves it, so that might be an option too.
@Marlorena thank you for the info on Charles Austin. I did go back and get it this afternoon and we'll see how it gets on where I've planted it. Really good to know that Royal Jubilee does so well for you, another on my wish list after seeing here. I think it was "Mr. Vine Eye" that recently posted a photo of his. Good to know about Aquarell too, so probably a no for me given our climate unfortunately. If anything is likely to get black spot it will be here.
@micmarg you have an amazing GJ. I don't think I've seen so many blooms on one. Is this it's second flush?
Posts
...maturity of the rose [they get better when older].. moisture at the roots - very important - and a soil with adequate potassium all help to banish droopy necks... in your location given your conditions, I would say it's high potash fertilizer that can help you most at the moment... a sprinkling of sulphate of potash around the base should help considerably for future blooms in late summer..
@Marlorena, can I ask about your Octavia Hill? How long has she been in her current position? I'm looking for a couple of pink roses, not too big, around the 3ft mark to order in the autumn and she looks very promising. I've also got Anthony, Chandos Beauty, Fragonard, Savoy Hotel and A Whiter Shade Of Pale on the list of possibles if anyone has experience of those! Thank you
...hope this works for you.. keep us posted on that..
@iaincd
..I love my Octavia Hill's.. I have 2.. they never grow more than 3 x 3 and bloom all summer.. they even thrive in a dryish site, the soil is poor and dry but I do amend from the top.. even so, it's a great rose.. not much scent though, so it's not a rose for fragrance.. a more popular rose would be Olivia Rose Austin, so you might like to consider that too.. but it may grow larger than 3 x 3.. but I only ever hear good things about it.. but I don't want to try it in my dry conditions here..
..I also have Chandos Beauty.. this makes a good potted rose.. quite healthy variety, not much black spot, but I have found it slow to rebloom... several weeks gap in between..
..my 2 Octavia Hill's..
..I should have left my rose where it was instead of moving it to what I thought was better conditions as it did not take the move well at all.. so nice to see some blooms today..
..as of now all those I currently have, and importantly have grown for some time, are pretty good.. more affected by sawflies than disease issues.. but I would say my best are ... Vanessa Bell.. The Ancient Mariner.. and Desdemona.. Anne Boleyn, Tottering and Kew Gardens are 95% clean.. Bathsheba gets some.. Lady of Shalott gets some but hardly notices,.. Munstead Wood is not a clean rose for me at all..
I hear Olivia Rose Austin is amongst the best.. I think it's too soon to judge those I've only had for a year or so..
Vanessa Bell.. which has been flowering non stop since mid May..
Anne Boleyn, readying for another flush very soon..
The Ancient Mariner, just starting again..
Eustacia Vye is a rose I love when it blooms.. unfortunately the sawflies have seen to it that I've hardly had a decent bloom all year.. the damage has been constant .. this is where I think I need more than one rose in the hope that more blooms will be saved from destruction as I like to put some in a vase..
..this is likely my best bloom on Eustacia all season..
I'm not hopeful about most of these buds... such a shame.. I think this rose will look better in autumn when it may be left alone.. for scent this is one of my favourite roses, and I put it above Jude the Obscure.. different type of scent altogether though..
I've already removed the worst.. but this is not something I worry about too much, it depends how much coverage it has.. when they've gone all yellow, they come off.
..it's still pumping out huge blooms though..
@micmarg you have an amazing GJ. I don't think I've seen so many blooms on one. Is this it's second flush?