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mike_in_new_orleans

Pale pinks for scorching summer?

OK, I'm getting irritated. We're having a "little" heat wave that's likely to last until, oh I don't know....October! Same story every year. My Overnight Scentsation and Minnie Pearl are blooming a fair amount but all the blooms are little, with withered petal edges. Not very attractive. I think about getting rid of them about this time each year, then late fall and winter come around and they put out gorgeous exhibition blooms again.

But I want classic hybrid tea-style blooms in summer! All 5 months of it! Please, somebody tell me which soft pink minis and mini-floras can produce beautiful flowers in the dog days of summer!

Mike,

New Orleans

Comments (3)

  • drasaid
    17 years ago

    in New Orleans. I hope yours are in pots, because that's the solution. You move them INTO THE SHADE. Yes, it is anathema, but it works-there is so much sun in New Orleans in the summer and it is so dang hot roses seem to cook.
    I had been given an Iced Tea and a Suntan Beauty and a Blue Mist; in the sun they all turned pink and blew gaskets at one day or so. In the shade they were their proper colors and they lasted. As soon as fall comes in, you put them back in the sun. I don't know if this will work in areas other than New Orleans but it worked for me there. Good luck!

  • mike_in_new_orleans
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks for the tip! Actually, all my roses are in pots, and I wondered if that was making it harder for the plants to stay fully hydrated. But I water every day, occasionally morning AND evening. Maybe the pots can be an advantage too. My backyard has no roses as it is dappled shade most of the day, but my neighbor from virginia was just commenting on how the New Orleans sun seems so much more intense that she sunburns more than twice as fast here. Maybe dappled shade here will be roughly equivalent to 3/4 direct sun most places. Worth a try, anyway. I had previously had roses in direct shade for all but 3-4 hours of sun per day depending on the season (at another home a few years ago), and they grew leggier with fewer blooms. But maybe the combination of dappled shade and only using it part of the year will make a positive difference.
    But I have still noticed some of my roses don't seem to mind the sauna at all. Linville, a white mini-flora, Winsome, a magenta mini, orange blend Hot Tamale, and red Miss Flippins are still doing quite well. Salute's dark red flowers are not lasting as long in this heat but still look good for a wile. Same for lavender Vista and yellow Bees Knees. But my pinks and my striped rose Pinstripe are all faded and runty of bloom. Do any medium to light pinks actually thrive in the heat?

  • speilman03
    17 years ago

    I think putting the roses in the dappled shade could work. I am from virginia but currently live in Arizona. During the summer, when the sun is more intense, I have to grow all of my vegetables in dappled shade (veg that I would normally grow in full sun in Virginia). I have a few huge miniature roses growing at my house. The previous owners of the roses had them planted under some dwarf almonds, so that was probably dappled shade in the summer. When they were given to me I put them on the south side of the house, so they get full sun for the first part of the day and then are in mostly shade by the end of the day during the summer. Because they are in the ground I simply deep water them on the weakends and then give them a second smaller watering during the week. We have started having 100 degree days and they are still doing fine. They arn't blooming too much, but they were only just transplanted a few months ago. They are still growing new leaves though. Hope this helps.

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