my picture of the lavender stage is terrible because I didn't take a photo till the last possible second.
But you'll get the idea of its colour.

double post.

I should mention its lovely bushy habit, beautiful foliage, and nice scent.

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by Ordphien on Tue, Jun 17, 14 at 16:08

Thank you for posting images that show the varying appearance of this rose. What have you seen or currently use that looks great with Koko Loco in terms of companion plants or even other roses?

I think I like this rose, but the coloring and it's range is definitely outside of my comfort zone or even coordinating experience.

Lynn

I'm wondering the same thing Lynn. It was stunning when I saw it this spring but was in a bed by itself. I'm thinking it needs Ebb Tide, Twilight Zone or Munstead Wood to set it off.

Great set of pics Ordphien.

My rose beds are purely roses.
There's mint below them. But I tried to get rid of that lol.

I was filling in my grandmother's old bed. Which had several clashing established hybrid teas.

Aside from the fact that I needed kokoloko to feel complete, I use it to transition colours. She planted several silvery lavender roses right in the middle.
So I use kokoloko to help transition into the peaches and yellows near the front of the bed.

If I'm perfectly honest kokoloko blends with other colours much better than one would think.

Ordphien,

Intellectually, I can understand what you are communicating, but I still cannot wrap my mind around its coloring paired with other plants etc. This one requires a visual. I had your image on my IPad and was walking around my yard trying to visualize it paired with something. Unfortunately most of my roses have completed a flush, so there was not much to use in that respect. The look of it with the blue Agapanthus in bloom or the purple flowered salvia did not appeal to me tremendously. I should have walked to the area where the Society Garlic is in bloom.....hmmm... This is a tough one. Should I acquire one, because I think I like it enough to, at this point it will be placed in a pot, alone, in a corner...

Lynn

This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Wed, Jun 18, 14 at 15:50

Iris_gal,

Did you see Koko Loco at a public or private garden?

Lynn

For color matches, Lynn, what I'd suggest is putting a few equally mutable roses and some that anchor the lavender and the russet, then plenty of white roses and filler (like alyssum) at the base to set off the unique colors. Other mutable roses that would pick up a similar color scheme might be Lavender Pinocchio or Nimbus or Macho Man or Cinco de Mayo (mine right now is a lovely russet blend). Then you could work in more stable lavenders like Poseidon or Neptune, and more stable russets like Beautiful Anne or Brown Velvet.

The other alternative that has worked for me is to stabilize my whole lavender bed with apricots and creams. I find that any of my "lavenders" can tend from grey to hot pink, and the apricots and creams tie them all together. In fact, I like the look of a true apricot (like Carding Mill or Anne Henderson) against these mutable roses, since it complements the lavender part well (being the opposite side of the color wheel) and echoes the russet part.

Just my two cents - try bringing that lovely photo to contrast against your apricots!

Cynthia

Hmm... mine was planted this spring so I don't have any full Bush shots to help.
If I may would you mind me editing some of the photos?
The colours on this bush mute themselves from a distance despite their richness.
If I edit my photos to appear more how they do from a bit back maybe that will help.

I personally wouldn't pair this rose with something so purple.
I find I like mine best with mauve, lavender, soft yellows oddly, and apricots.
A far as companion plants. Perhaps white. Something delicate and airy. Like white salvia.
I don't like this rose with purples, reds, oranges and other russets.

This rose looks particularly good with green too.
So my green toned white roses looks great with it.

But honestly. I would have this rose even if it didn't match anything.

Hmm... mine was planted this spring so I don't have any full Bush shots to help.
If I may would you mind me editing some of the photos?
The colours on this bush mute themselves from a distance despite their richness.
If I edit my photos to appear more how they do from a bit back maybe that will help.

I personally wouldn't pair this rose with something so purple.
I find I like mine best with mauve, lavender, soft yellows oddly, and apricots.
A far as companion plants. Perhaps white. Something delicate and airy. Like white salvia.
I don't like this rose with purples, reds, oranges and other russets.

This rose looks particularly good with green too.
So my green toned white roses looks great with it.

But honestly. I would have this rose even if it didn't match anything.

Ordphien,

Sure, an edit to reveal more of how it appears would be great and appreciated.

My front yard, that really lacks space, has varying shades of pinks, lavender, purple and white, with a splash of peachy- orange minimally placed for a little pop of vibrancy. I cannot visualize Koko Loco in this area. In fact, the only space I have would be in the area adjacent to Twilight Zone, in the bed with Bishop's Castle, Goodwin Creek Lavender, La Reine and Reine des Violettes.

My side yard area has pinks with a touch of lilac, lavender, pink and white only. I do not know how it would mix there but considered itâ¦.???

The back yard is like a box of crayons. It repeats some of medium pink , purple, and white that is in the other area (s) minus lavender, with the same peachy orange that is in the front, while adding Golden Celebration, Carding Mill, Joseph's Coat, Pink Peace, Sally Holmes, South Africa and deep dark reds. I was also thinking that a home for it in the midsts of my box of crayons could be possible.

Lynn

Lynn, I saw it in a municipal garden in full open stage. So I re-visualized that bed as I looked at rose pictures last night. My conclusion was that it would not be served by clear colors. Maybe milky. It's an antiquey looking color and beige/cream parchments, matte dead purple like Ebb Tide, antique bronze and the roses Nippstress named. Colors of my grandmother's heyday.

Some pictures that looked like possible companions.
Bronze Masterpiece
Caramel Antike
Charles Darwin
Cheshire ?
Ebb Tide
Jade
Jude The Obscure
Magic Lantern
Twilight Zone
Valencia ?

I would just like to add that I have my Koko Loco planted near Poseiden, and I really don't like it. They are a little too matchy for me, and look pretty much the same from several feet away. One will have to be moved, I think. In my former garden, I had KL planted next to climbing Dainty Bess, and I liked the look of that. A giant silverado sage bush lived on the other side of them both.

Iris_gal, I can definitely see why you were thinking Ebb Tide since you described the edges being a matte dead purple. It definitely seems like a blending that could work.

Brittle, Dainty Bess with Koko Loco is something I can visualize. The differing petal count etc. between the two seems to create visual interest too. I do not own many low petal roses, in fact, besides Ballerina and Sally Holmes, that is it, although I have found myself increasingly drawn to roses with lower petal counts.

Lynn

Love Brittie's 'Dainty Bess' combo with Koko. And Ordphien's white salvia.

I believe my mom has the Koko Loko I gave her in a front yard bed with Distant Drums, the Moore mini Sugar Plum, Crocus Rose, Hot Cocoa, Bishop's Castle, 'Wendy's Wish' Salvia, Fern-leafed Lavender, Sweet William, 'African Bride' Nigella hispanica, and Sharifa Asma. While the bed is immature, I think the colors look great! The buds are a very rich tan that opens to a wonderful full bloom that eventually fades to the lavender shown above. The series of photos from Ordphien really captures the different phases. It seems to be a fairly healthy tan rose from what I saw last year in garden centers and this year in the ground.

Jay

I forgot that Dragon's Blood is somewhere in that bed along with a low edge of Apricot Drifts. Russety-reds, mauve/tans, pinks, and cream are the rose colors of the bed with blue, white, apricot, and dark red/purple companions. I think of the Apricot Drifts as companions more so than as roses when juxtaposed with varieties like Crocus Rose. I too think Apricot looks great with the tan/mauve class on the whole. Apricot looks great with just about all of the colors in that bed I think.

Jay

ArbutusO, I must admit to being unfamiliar with and thus looking up a couple of the varieties of plants and roses in your mother's yard. Her bed (s) must look fabulous.

Lynn

Truth be told, I bet my mom is just as unfamiliar with some of them by name since I've done most of the physical planting for her and a good share of the designing. The Nigella is really a beautiful variety and the seed pods are very cool. I hope it seeds true as I'm planning on collecting them soon. It was something from Annie's Annuals I happened upon at a So Cal nursery. The salvia recently went in for Collinsia heterophylla also from Annie's that just didn't make it. The Collinsia would have been beautiful, but it didn't get watered quite enough when it was establishing itself.

Jay

This was interesting and it didn't quite come out right.
But these are the colours as how they appear from further back to me.
The one colour I see most often I have no pictures of.
Go figure.

This was interesting and it didn't quite come out right.
But these are the colours as how they appear from further back to me.
The one colour I see most often I have no pictures of.
Go figure.

{{!gwi}}

Ordphien,

Thank you. This rose is so unusual compared to the much of what I see. I find myself drawn to it. The comments on this thread, and your images have been helpful.

Lynn

I know that this thread is old but wanted to check back in and see how everybody was liking this rose?

I purchased another Koko Loco after seeing the blooms and plant health. I planted one next to Angel Face and the other next to Barbara Steisand, with White Pet Rose and Goodwin Creek Lavender.

Oh, that sounds so pretty! Does you KL have any scent? I've heard mixed reviews on that. Don't you have Reine des Violettes also?

I have not attempted to smell K.L. blooms...but should.... I brought 1 RdV with us when we moved. It died via the process and I did not replace it.

RdV

Oh RdV looks beautiful! If you don't mind me asking, did you think that she wasn't worth replacing? I have several new ones this fall but they haven't done much yet, though I have high hopes!

Our previous home sold 28 days prior to the home we were building was ready. We took 60 potted roses with us to temporary housing. I was so overwhelmed after we moved, RdV just slipped through the cracks. After finding this image, I must admit that purchasing another RdV is being seriously considered, but only if it can be grown as a shrub...

Can certainly understand that! I hope that she'll behave as a shrub for me. I was debating getting more but should probably wait and see how these do. Thanks for your thoughts!