EDH can grow up to 20ft, it's a very vigorous rose when it get's going and in such a narrow border, will need an awful lot of watering and feeding as the others have said. Also, if you want it to cover the whole front of the house, do you realize that you have to fix wires to the house as high as you want it to grow and train the rose on those? Hope you've got a long ladder! I've had to tie in mine today as it's thrown out another long cane. It's about 9ft high now. It is a beautiful rose with a wonderful fragrance. As I understood it, the flowers are more like a classic tea rose shape, not one with lots of petals.
Hi, I have EDH and EH. At the moment they are still both in bud. Ena H is an extremely full petaled Rose with a deep crimson colour, but the most obvious trait is the weak neck on every bud. EDH is for me a smaller headed rose, brighter crimson/scarlet red with strong stems. Ena smells more powerful, here’s a photo. I’m in Devon. Either way ,they are both lovely. Valerie
That's interesting @valerieroberts. My EDH has very floppy necks with the blooms so heavy, they face downwards - has always annoyed me. I was hoping the canes would strengthen with time. I wonder now if I've got Ena by mistake. @Fire, I'll see if I can find a photo later - it will be on the desktop computer which OH is working on at the moment.
@Fire, your roses are stunning! And yep I'm pretty convinced it's an Ena Harkness rose as mine have some of the same characteristically 'pointy' flower heads, with thick/large petals: They are absolutely beautiful though! So I can't complain, and I'm just glad that the rose will still grow tall enough to cover the house.
@Lizzie27 the soil extends underneath the concrete so hopefully the roots of the roses will grow downwards and outwards and have enough space to flourish. And yep, I've got a big ladder, I actually use strong "titan" tape to attach the canes to the wall, it just looks a lot neater in my opinion and is a lot easier. Having a mass of canes sounds like a good problem to have ha! I'm hopeful!
I'm only giving my ancient opinion on this thread because the two roses in question are even older than me! In my nursery training days Ena looked like this photo - deep voluptuous red, softening towards the centre as she opened, darkening behind and always hanging pronouncedly downwards - she was grown for her fabulous scent rather than the bloom, a very good grower could get the classic HT shape for the box classes but in the border most middles were like a smashed cabbage - and they rotted at the slightest hint of wet weather. Another noteable characteristic was the redness of new growth as above which developed white powdery mildew at the drop of a hat! This is what Etoile invariably reverted to within a few years of planting - very open and loose petals with exposed stamens but a super scent all the same.
Interesting that the OP said their plant threw pink flowers to start - I'm wondering whether the amazing infestation of aphids visible in the photo is responsible! Plants under stress often exhibit peculiar reactions. Another thing that comes to mind is - who was the supplier? I once visited a large wholesale market seller who had a quantity of good quality Rhododendrons on offer budded up but not showing colour. A prospective customer called out "what colour are they?" and the stallholder shouted back "what colour do you want?" Inappropriate labelling is prevalent in plants.
Posts
Also, if you want it to cover the whole front of the house, do you realize that you have to fix wires to the house as high as you want it to grow and train the rose on those? Hope you've got a long ladder!
I've had to tie in mine today as it's thrown out another long cane. It's about 9ft high now.
It is a beautiful rose with a wonderful fragrance. As I understood it, the flowers are more like a classic tea rose shape, not one with lots of petals.
moment they are still both in bud. Ena H is an extremely full petaled Rose with a deep crimson colour, but the most obvious trait is the weak neck on every bud. EDH is for me a smaller headed rose, brighter crimson/scarlet red with strong stems. Ena smells more
powerful, here’s a photo. I’m in Devon. Either way ,they are both lovely. Valerie
@Fire, I'll see if I can find a photo later - it will be on the desktop computer which OH is working on at the moment.
@Lizzie27 the soil extends underneath the concrete so hopefully the roots of the roses will grow downwards and outwards and have enough space to flourish. And yep, I've got a big ladder, I actually use strong "titan" tape to attach the canes to the wall, it just looks a lot neater in my opinion and is a lot easier. Having a mass of canes sounds like a good problem to have ha! I'm hopeful!
I'm only giving my ancient opinion on this thread because the two roses in question are even older than me!
In my nursery training days Ena looked like this photo - deep voluptuous red, softening towards the centre as she opened, darkening behind and always hanging pronouncedly downwards - she was grown for her fabulous scent rather than the bloom, a very good grower could get the classic HT shape for the box classes but in the border most middles were like a smashed cabbage - and they rotted at the slightest hint of wet weather.
Another noteable characteristic was the redness of new growth as above which developed white powdery mildew at the drop of a hat!
This is what Etoile invariably reverted to within a few years of planting - very open and loose petals with exposed stamens but a super scent all the same.
Interesting that the OP said their plant threw pink flowers to start - I'm wondering whether the amazing infestation of aphids visible in the photo is responsible! Plants under stress often exhibit peculiar reactions.
Another thing that comes to mind is - who was the supplier? I once visited a large wholesale market seller who had a quantity of good quality Rhododendrons on offer budded up but not showing colour. A prospective customer called out "what colour are they?" and the stallholder shouted back "what colour do you want?" Inappropriate labelling is prevalent in plants.