This is Dr Jamain - its first year of flowering. You can see clearly the array of colour from the same plant. I was hoping for the real red (lower) rather than the purple (above). I'm not sure if this is to do with sun levels. It's not to do with age of the individual flower. Most are opening purple and staying purple. Not bad aphids or blackspot yet this year on this plant, though BS is starting on some of the other roses in the garden.
A rose that could be a Niphtos. Divine scent. Inherited with the house. Healthy, happy, floriferous.
Barkarole with buds, the first of the year, almost black. Slightly sticky, probably aphid poo. I have washed the buds to encourage them to open.
A before and after of Etoile. > This is May 8th. the purple shoot on the left is 2-3 foot tall.
This is Etoile today (28th May). The purple shoot is over six ft tall and the other shoots doing well. Lots of deep watering is the answer, as usual, I think. I also pruned out the weediest canes and kept the six strongest. (I can't help meddling).
@Fire That's a lovely shoot. Impressive what a happy rose can do, isn't it?
Regarding the fragrance, I've had the first bloom on 'Our Beth' open (photos tomorrow) and I really like the fragrance. It's what I would expect from her parent, 'Louise Odier'.
@edhelka thank you for the 'Scented Garden' pictures a little while back. It looks fab! I already have 'Westerland' and 'Simple Gold'; I wonder a bit whether the three of them might be somewhat (too) close in terms of colour and bloom texture (i.e. ruffled) given that I don't have so many roses. However, it's a bit of an uninformed hunch (Westerland is not out yet, it's very slow to do so). SG is definitely on the must-check list regardless of that consideration.
Simple Gold (new this year)
It's in a group of three: (Simple Gold). It seems very healthy and enthusiastic. This was from Harkness Chelsea stock. The branches are weighed down by the flowers.
Midsummer Night's Dream (new this year)
Once more Albertine, with what is probably Warm Welcome in the background (identified by @Marlorena last year). Warm Welcome was re-homed from our neighbours, and plonked in a not-so-great spot a few years ago. I should maybe move it.
Warm Welcome has quite stiff upright branches, I don't think they lend themselves to winding around an obelisk (I believe that was discussed previously).
Albertine again. It was planted eight years ago and slowly makes it way up the birch. I rarely water it, but it probably has sent some good roots down. You can see how dry it has been here (Cambridgeshire). Apparently we're having the driest May since 1860 with only 6% of normal May rainfall. The dry weather has been great for the rose display, but it's still frightening. Right now Albertine is throwing out two or three new canes, and I'm elated they are growing in the direction of the birch. Previous years I've had to do a lot of bending and tying of canes, and Albertine has a justifiably fearsome thorny reputation. This reminds me that the thorns on Westerland are also quite monstrous.
I like the clash of these three roses, they give lots of colour before the bedding plants flower. I was planting between them yesterday and the rose fragrance was heady. Celebration, Blue for You and Flower Circus Red standard.
Posts
...that's a nice rose... I keep hearing good things about Ali Baba...
Simple Gold (new this year)
It's in a group of three: (Simple Gold). It seems very healthy and enthusiastic. This was from Harkness Chelsea stock. The branches are weighed down by the flowers.
Albertine again. It was planted eight years ago and slowly makes it way up the birch. I rarely water it, but it probably has sent some good roots down. You can see how dry it has been here (Cambridgeshire). Apparently we're having the driest May since 1860 with only 6% of normal May rainfall. The dry weather has been great for the rose display, but it's still frightening.
Right now Albertine is throwing out two or three new canes, and I'm elated they are growing in the direction of the birch. Previous years I've had to do a lot of bending and tying of canes, and Albertine has a justifiably fearsome thorny reputation.
This reminds me that the thorns on Westerland are also quite monstrous.
Celebration, Blue for You and Flower Circus Red standard.