You’re making a big mistake, fellas.
You said you’d say that.
I’m not Tyler Durden!
You told us you’d say that, too.
All right, I am Tyler Durden. Listen to me, I’m giving you a direct order: we’re aborting this mission right now.
You said you would definitely say that.

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Prior to the introduction of China and Tea roses to Europe, roses grown there bloomed once per season; bear in mind that the climate for northern and central Europe is characterized by relatively short summers. Most roses would come out of dormancy, bloom, and go dormant again, all within a relatively short time span. While the China and Tea roses brought repeat bloom to Europe, they were not reliably cold hardy in northern reaches. Rose Autumn Damask, introduced into Europe almost two thousand years (yes, twenty centuries) before either China or Tea roses was in fact the first remontant rose introduced into Europe.

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Technorati Tags: roses, China

Blooming once in midseason, Gallica rose Tuscany is an old, old rose. Referenced as Velvet Rose by the herbalist Gerard in 1596, Tuscany bears semi-double flowers of dark, rich, red. Golden stamens complete the picture. A larger version, ‘Tuscany Superb’ (also known as ‘Superb Tuscan’ and ‘Superb Tuscany’) is often found in Old Rose nurseries.

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Blackswamp Girl wrote in a recent blog comment: I noticed that you have not yet reviewed Dortmund….Dortmund is going in my front yard where it can ramble all it wants over my otherwise boring front porch. We have a Lake Erie microclimate that allows us to grow climbers and ramblers to the top of our porch roofs here in my suburb–and our old houses from the early 1900s seem to provide good hosts for them–so it seems a damn shame not to take advantage of it! Well, Blackswamp Girl, you love grasses thus must be a person of character (admittedly, I have some strange methods for judging character). This (brief) review is for you.

Climbing rose Dortmund has many strong points: Bright red blooms are borne repeatedly throughout the entire season. Growth is vigorous. Foliage is dark green and disease resistant. Large hips are produced in fall. Excellent winter hardiness to Zone 4b. Dortmund is a spectacular rose. Dortmund is well-armed, so beware.

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Technorati Tags: rose

Seemingly on fire in the landscape, Grandiflora rose Candelabra is a bold statement in the garden.   Large, coral flowers smolder against the backdrop of healthy, dark green foliage.   Growth habit is upright to four feet or so. But…there is more to the story.  Introduced by Bear Creek Gardens and a 1999 All-America Rose Selection, it would seem that Grandiflora rose Candelabra would be a perennial favorite.  But where to buy this Grandiflora? Candelabra seems to be hard to find, almost impossible in fact.  How could this be? After all, it’s an ALL AMERICA ROSE SELECTION.  Hold on. Is Bear Creek Gardens still in business?  No, and this is not a happy statement.

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David Austin English rose Tradescant is a good choice for those who favor dark roses. Large clusters of ten to fifteen buds open to flat, fully double blooms of the deepest crimson; in fact, Tradescant would be a good rose for gardeners who are looking for a black rose (although all black roses are actually very dark red). Fragrance in Tradescant is strong, and reminiscent of many of the old roses. Foliage is light green and disease resistant on arching canes which may reach eight feet in southern gardens.

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Technorati Tags: Tradescant, black rose

Susan Harris over at Garden Rant did her usual exemplary job in an article on garden roses. Tons of information in the Rant’s direct style, of which I am a huge fan. Susan took the time to recommend roses that have a bit of shade tolerance. So…here’s a recommendation in homage to Susan’s article. Shrub rose Scarlet Meidiland is somewhat shade tolerant (all things being relative). It would be accurate to say that Scarlet Meidiland is more tolerant of shade than many of its brothers and sisters, but this should not be received as a recommendation to plant it in the middle of one’s fern garden. Oh, and it’s almost infallibly disease resistant.

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Bred by legendary breeder Griffin Buck, shrub rose Folksinger has soft buff yellow blooms that are soft and lovely. Folksinger might be the answer for those of us who appreciate a yellow rose or three. This is a rose for those who enjoy fragrance and toughness of character. Yellow roses tend to be blackspot ridden problem children. You might want to read about yellow roses and blackspot.

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Primarily offered in nurseries that specialize in old roses, Rugosa rose Frau Dagmar Hartopp (Frau Dagmar Hastrup) is an excellent choice for cold winter climates. Typical of Rugosa roses, Frau Dagmar Hartopp is cold hardy and disease resistant. Also typical of Rugosa roses are the deeply veined leaves (which should not be treated with chemicals).

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With rounded, somewhat grayish-green leaves and an upright habit of growth, rose Basye’s Blueberry is reminiscent of a blueberry shrub; further, its leaves age to an attractive red fall color which is similar to the spectacular fall display blueberry shrubs put on. Dr. Robert Basye, a retired mathematics professor at Texas A and M University, has bred roses for over sixty years; his endeavor has been to breed thornless roses of great disease resistance, especially to blackspot. His efforts have paid off with some wonderful roses, including Belinda’s Dream and Basye’s Purple Rose.

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