I’m so glad to have a day off today to catch the tail end of this warm weather.. the roses are smelling much more fragrant this morning and I couldn’t resist a cheeky glass of vinho verde.
Queen of Sweden
Roald Dhal
Desdemona - by far the best performing rose on my balcony
Scptr’d Isle
Boscobel - fresh bloom, unenhanced - to me Boscobel has the sweetest scent of all my roses but it is short lived.. the minute the bloom starts to fade the scent would disappear with it
I’m having a break from the sun now as it’s getting very hot..
@celcius_kkw I love your photos. Desdemona is very pretty. Does it stay like that in wet weather or does it ball or get botrytis spots or other problems?
I used to want her a lot. Then I got into the "I don't want another Austin" phase and now I am warming towards her again.
@Omori, In answer ro your earlier question, what is your ‘must have’ rose’ I don’t think I have found it yet as my list of requirements is so long I don’t think it exists! To find a rose that can tolerate my climate without sickening and defoliating - heavy rainstorms, high summer heat, humidity - and still have an attractive form, be floriferous and have at least some scent, is a really tall order. Julia Child actually ticks all of the boxes, except the scent is not strong - but yellow is not my favourite colour. Damn, I really wish it was!
PS - we are currently experiencing a mega heavy rainstorm which will doubtless cause flash flooding. Just as well most roses are between flushes!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
@edhelka Thank you.. The blooms from my Desdemona last year survived rain pretty well.. and in terms of disease resistance it also has the least amount of black spot thus far among my roses. We have rain forecasted for Wednesday and over this weekend.. it would be interesting to see the significantly higher number of blooms on desdemona do this year. The two most floriferous DAs I have are Desdemona and Roald Dhal - but Roald Dhal has suffered greatly with blackspots this year (rather ironic.. as DA brands it highly disease resistant in their catalogue)
Newbie here. I am so enjoying all this information, advice and above all pictures. Thank you. As someone that only had 2 roses in my garden until adding 2 DA climbers last year and 1 Tea rose I am a complete rose novice. But I may have added 8 more this year, so far.
My old (as in 35yrs old) red rose was from Mattocks in South Oxfordshire. The red one is St Boniface, I can't recall the yellow one.
Posts
Yes my Boscobel is looking like that.
Actually my Benjamin Britten is looking like Marlorena's Boscobel so nevermind, I have something coral and deep colour.
Desdemona - by far the best performing rose on my balcony
- Super Trooper
- Nostalgia
- Pink Perfection
- Chandos Beauty
- Alan Titchmarsh