This is a fabulous, no-care rose. I planted mine in 1995 (am uploading a picture taken 4 Apr 2015). I never spray it. Whereas it may g...Read Moreet a bit of blackspot now and then, it simply drops those leaves and puts out new ones. I feed it twice a year with organic fertilizer.
One of the first roses to bloom in the early spring, it is covered with blossoms of varying shades of pink through red depending on the a...Read Morege of the flower. When the buds first open they are two tone, light in the center and darker at the edges. A visual feast of a rose that you will truly enjoy in your garden.
This rose seems almost multi-colored because it is a "china" rose which means it fades from lighter (pink) to darker (crimson) during Spr...Read Moreing and Fall. In the hot summers where I live (near San Antonio) it blooms an all crimson color.
It also blooms PROFUSELY!!!! When my gardener neighbor first saw the Archduke Charles blooming as a small new bush about 1.5' tall in my yard, it had like 20 roses on it! He was amazed and said he'd never seen a rose look that fabulous. He wanted to know what we were feeding it! Truth be told: the rose speaks for itself!!! It's important to note that it has very few thorns!
Antiqueroses.com had an interesting fact Texas buffs would like: "Known as the 'San Marcos Rose' to the Texas Rose Rustlers before it was properly identified, it was found growing all over the Central Texas area around old homesteads and in San Marcos in numerous locations. One group of Archduke Charles bushes were found under mounds of honeysuckle by the Burton's when they renovated the old Episcopal rectory built in the mid-1800's for their Benchmark Insurance office. Extremely shade, alkaline, and drought tolerant, it is a very handsome addition to any garden."
Updated 4/10/09 because I just can't stop thinking about this rose, having moved yet again I had to leave mine behind and seek to find more. A beautiful description I read online for this rose:
Quoting:Prior to 1837
Thomas Rivers called this rose "changeable as the chameleon". The full, very shapely flowers open with crimson outer petals and neat pink centers, then darken to solid crimson. The heat of the sun speeds the process: what appears to be a bi-color hedge in spring and fall will be all red roses in mid-summer. The neat, erect bush and constant bloom help make this one of our most popular varieties.
This is a fabulous, no-care rose. I planted mine in 1995 (am uploading a picture taken 4 Apr 2015). I never spray it. Whereas it may g...Read More
One of the first roses to bloom in the early spring, it is covered with blossoms of varying shades of pink through red depending on the a...Read More
This rose seems almost multi-colored because it is a "china" rose which means it fades from lighter (pink) to darker (crimson) during Spr...Read More