Which lavender mini from John's?

16 years ago

OK, I keep posting questions about selections at John's Miniature Roses, so maybe I should just ask everyone's opinion about every rose John's carries. lol

I already have Vista, and I love the color and sometimes-great form; downsides are very short stems and a tendency to bloom only in clusters. I like to be able to cut roses for bud vases. Less annoying but still a negative to me is a relatively long wait between flushes.

So I see Lavender Crystal, Lavender(Kordana) and Lavender Sunblaze. Last year's catalog also has Lavender Jewel, though I'll have to call and ask; it's not on their current web listing. So what are the differences in color, form, quantity of bloom, and overall growth and health? L. Crystal is supposedly very fragrant. Anyone able to vouch for that? Oh, and there's Incognito, too, which is different, being a blend with yellow. Please, I want to hear your comments. Thanks.

Mike (the indecisive)

p.s. I'm not ordering until fall, so I have lots of time to change my mind. :)

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Comments (8)

diane_nj 6b/7a
16 years ago
Well, I have two Incognito plants, and I am partial to it. I show it regularly, and you can get nice long single bloom per stem or nice sprays. I do have ti treat it resularly with fungicides. It is my favorite mini.
lesdvs9
16 years ago
Lavender Crystal makes a great cut rose but if you have heat this will brown outside in temps I believe in definitely the 90's and higher. I don't pay a lot of attention to lower ones because I enjoy anything less than that and so do the rest of my roses:) I really like this rose anyways, it has always been one of my repeat favorites regardless and I have bought it for every home.

I don't shop John's sorry.
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dan_keil_cr Keil
15 years ago
If you like mini floras get Dr. John Dikeman. I also have Memphis Blues but it doesn't have very many petals.
Jean Marion (z6a Idaho)
15 years ago
I do not see Lavender Crystal, Lavender(Kordana) and Lavender Sunblaze or Lavender Jewel on there list of available roses on the website?

I had Lavender Crystal and it was one of my favorite roses... Until it got PM and had to go...

My current favorite lavender mini's are Violet Mist and Always a Lady.

Lavender miniatures that I don't have anymore are:

Diamond Anniversary
Lavender Crystal
Lavender Delight
Moonlight and Roses
Vista
Wistful
Winsome
mike_in_new_orleans
Original Author
15 years ago
Good to hear that Always a Lady is a fav., since I just recently got that one. Too soon to have an opinion.
I have Vista and Winsome. Both good and very different from each other. Vista has bright, clear lavender color, good form that, unfortunately, doesn't hold for long in our humid heat. The plant is healthy, low and spreading, stems tend toward short, and bloom production is average for me.
Winsome is very healthy, a big bushy mini that blooms in distinct flushes, but when it's on, it covers itself in countless well-formed blooms with respectible staying power. My only gripe is the color. Personal preference. It often almost maroon, depending on the weather; a bit more reddish than I'd like. I prefer plum or lavender.

I'm puzzled by the changeable catalog listings at John's. It's the only place left that I know of to get Apricot Twist, which I'd really like. So I'm trying to figure what my actual choices are for 2 other minis to complete an order from there. I wonder if John's stops operating as a distinct mailorder supplier if Heirloom will continue to offer some of the varieties.
mexicanhat
15 years ago
I'm coming in way late on this one, but Violet Mist is really nice in my garden. It gets tall and bushy, and blooms a LOT. Not that it matters for z9, but here it's very hardy (I don't protect). It's a GREAT mini.
jodik_gw
15 years ago
I'm coming in even later... but... I have Incognito, and I love it! It's so beautiful! I have several other minis, but nothing in lavender... yet!

Beyond a bit of mulch, I don't protect my roses, either... and I love the fact that John's and Heirloom's roses are all own-root, and that they carry a nice listing of hardy roses.
lilgreenfrog
15 years ago
Hey, you asked about fragrance of Lavender Crystal, and yes, it has a very nice smell (to my nose). I grow incognito, and it will just cover itself in blooms. However, this is not at all a lavender color; its a mauve pink, and for me, the yellow reverse is really only present on the buds. In my opinion the buds are one of the neatest parts of the plant, as they are such neat little pinwheel things when they start to unfurl.

Best,
Lara