It's toooooo hot out there for so early in the season!

I'm afraid the heat is going to decimate my rose blooms before my party next weekend. I was hoping to have them around for a long while, since they had so many buds. But it looks like the heat will take care of that. So I'd better show them here so someone besides DH sees them!

My favorite - Fourth of July- which has so much variability in the blooms you'd think you had a graft of many different cultivars


Edited to add - As of today I can no longer view any posts here since I'm not a subscriber. Sorry if you're still looking for rose info Pagancat (or anyone else) d-mail me.

This message was edited Jun 7, 2007 8:12 AM

A lovely and prolific single - Darlow's Enigma

Alchemist is not as resistant to powdery mildew as was touted, but I still love its form.

And my other favorite - Greetings. The blooms start out almost purple on the edges and fade to soft pink before they're finished blooming. They usually have some yellow, too; but not much of that on this year's blooms.

Dortmund was marketed as the rose to use when you want to view it from a distance. Here's the close-up of blooms

And from a distance

Belle Amour

This one usually starts to bloom just when the Japanese Beetles begin to call, so I rarely get to see undamaged blooms. It's Teasing Georgia.

I'd love to see your beauties, too!

wow- so beautiful. I have two roses, el cheapo 1 and 2 from el H depot! not much to look at, but DD wanted them.

Beautiful roses, Mickgene. How are you doing?

Thanks, y'all.

sallyg, I too have roses for another, DH in this case. He'd wanted roses for years so I started researching ones that could do well in an organic garden. He prefers hybrid teas, which don't, but now that the blooms and scent are so abundant, the ones we have are winning him over.

hart, doin' pretty well, thanks. Wish I could make the swap next week, but we're having a b'day party for DM, out-of-town guests and all. I'd love to have a close-up of your chicken chalet sometime, though. DH and I have kicked around getting some company for our one lonely guinea for a couple of years now. But having never had poultry except for this guy (and his deceased wife) I'm intimidated.

Here's a little cutie, Perle d'Or, with the Clematis 'General Sikorski'

Come on out and see it in the flesh if you want. And meet the chickens. Chickens are probably easier than guineas. At least they're quieter from what I've heard. I've wanted to get some guineas for ages. Maybe next year. I've heard they're great for getting rid of the ticks.

I'll post some more pictures when I get a chance.

Wish you could make it to the swap. If there's anything on anyone's list you'd like, let me know and I'll save it for you. I'm sure I have plenty to swap in your stead.

Guineas are good for the ticks. I was finding them on the dogs even with Frontline until the guinea started 'free-ranging.' Now they hardly ever show up.

Here's 'Westerland' my favorite (how do you like all these favorites?

mickgene, gorgeous roses, I tranplanted 2 and they are looking a little crispy in this heat I don't think they are going to make it. I can't wait for the fall, I hate it so hot so early.

flowerjen, thanks. I'm a bit surprised that my roses haven't crisped up with the other things near them that are. I guess I just took so many more pains to create good soil for them that they're staying better hydrated than everything else (including me.)

we are frying here! some things are wilting like august.
mick- you're doing pretty well for only having roses cuz DH wants them!! I can't pick a favorite of yours either ~~~ : ~)

That's the problem I have here with the ticks, Mickgene. I've been using Advantix. Guess I just need to get me some guineas.

I think all your favorites are gorgeous. I used to have a tea rose, Dolly Parton, with appropriately huge blooms that were about the color of the Westerland. I loved the color of that rose.

I think it's apparent in my "favorites" picks that it's the variable colors that most appeal to me. That Westerland starts out such a pretty apricot color and then fades to the the soft orange and yellow shades in a gorgeous sunset. I was just reading about Dolly Parton the other day; guess I'll have to look her up in the PF.

sallyg, I kept adding more and more to try to grow ones we both liked and ended up with 50+ that are mostly ones I like. :) Oh well. Can't say I didn't try.

It's a beautiful rose. Doesn't change color but is such a pretty dark coral and the blooms are huge. It's also the only tea rose I've ever grown that never had any disease problems.

I've tried growing it here, though, and it's just too dry and alkaline. If I ever put in another nice deep raised bed for roses, I'll try again.

WOW! You have some gorgeous Roses in bloom! However, I know how you feel because the entire Mid-Atlantic area suffers from high Summertime temps, humidity, black spot and Japanese Beetles! This year I have sprayed my Roses & other garden plants with Messenger in the hopes of giving them "extra" immunity to fight off the fungal diseases. I have to be very diligant and spray them every 3 weeks with Messenger through out the growing season. Other DG gardeners swear by Messenger, so I hope to see abundant blooms with healthy looking foliage this year.

Shirley, I used Messenger last year but not diligently enough. I've already sprayed it twice this year and, so far, the foliage is looking quite healthy, even with the humidity we've had for a little while now. I'm not sure yet about the increase in bloom, though. But I plan to be diligent this year. I've been trying Messenger on everything, even the hostas and daylilies and some shrubs.

Good Girl!!!! Apparently, one needs to be very vigilant and use Messenger every 3 weeks. It's very important to keep up the spraying program because the hot weather & high humidity has just started to take hold in our area. We all know what our weather is like from June through September (GROAN)! It would be so nice not to see defoliated Rose bushes from blackspot. I've been spraying everything else in my garden too. I figure it couldn't hurt!