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strawchicago

Bouquets of no-spray roses

strawchicago z5
10 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago

Roses can be beautiful in a no-spray garden. I have rock-hard alkaline clay (pH 7.7) ... at first I fixed with peat moss, that glued up. Now I break up clay clumps with coarse sand or pelletized gypsum for bottom of planting hole. Here are my bouquets:

Below dark red rose is Stephen Big Purple. Dark mauve rose is Old Port floribunda. Yellow rose is Honey Bouquet floribunda.


Dark pink is Evelyn Austin rose, color deepened with molasses fertilizer.


Below are Bolero rose (white) and Sonial Rykiel (pink) .. color got deepened by watering 1 tablespoon molasses/vinegar per 2 gallons of water at pH 9. I get pale pink from that rose for the past 2 years until now.


Below big pink is Pink Peace rose, and the little spray of tiny blooms are "Annie L. McDowell" thornless rose, scent of lavender and lilac. Both perfume the entire room.


Below orange is Versigny rose, heavenly floral fruit. Yellow rose is Golden Celebration, smells like cup-cakes. Pink rose is Evelyn with floral peach scent:


Below Lavender rose is Deep Purple floribunda. Yellow is Honey bouquet. Light pinks are Francis Blaise. Deeper pink is Pink Peace.


Below big orange rose is "Sweet Promise hybrid tea", almost thornless, smells like apple blossoms. Evelyn rose is pink in the middle, Frederic Mistral rose is upper right.


Below bouquet has pink peace on lowest left, Liv Tyler medium pink, with W.S. 2000 upper red, and Frederic Mistral is light pink upper right. White is Bolero.


Below left pinkish purple is Wise Portia. Upper pink is Sonia Rykiel. Middle big pink is Liv Tyler. White is Bolero. Orange is Versigny. Yellows are Honey Bouquet. Red is Firefighter.

Would love to see your bouquets of roses, thank you.

Comments (305)

  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Mas: You'll like Honey Bouquet: small & compact at 1' x 1' and constant bloomer, even at 100 F. The scent is pure-honey: sweet and delicious. About Face is twice taller as own-root. I really miss Pink Chiffon .. better myrrh scent than any Austin roses (St. Cecilia, Scepter d'Isle, Mary Magadalene, Tess of d'Ubervilles). Pink Chiffon is a floribunda like Honey Bouquet so both are small & compact & constant-blooming & last long in the vase.

    Radio Times is a wide & thorny bush like 2 tall x 3 feet wide, lasts the most 3 days in the vase, but the scent is magnificent (sweeter than Madame Isaac Pereire). Below are blooms of 1st-year own-root Radio Times (now in its 10th-year) ... so vigorous that it produced LARGE BLOOMS even as 1st-year-own-root, white in the middle is Mary Magdalene (frankincense):

    Below is close-up of Honey Bouquet, with NON-FADING yellow and lasts 5 days in the vase, amazing honey scent:


  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    Straw - that must be why I have never got any fragrance from Honey Perfume that I tried at three different houses...I'm always baffled when people say the fragrance is great. So, because it's grafted...that made the difference on that rose. Interesting! And own root roses have better fragrance than grafted? Darn...now I wonder what they really smell like...strength-wise. :) Thanks...Parade Day is an incredible bloomer...but for me, only 2 flushes...but they last and last through rain/hail/wind...and the fragrance is quite strong and sharp! Your bouquet is telling me that I need more apricot colored roses!!! Your bouquet has such lovely roses and the overall effect is incredible!!! The colors are fabulous together!

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Carol: Thanks for the info. on Parade Day (on my wish list). Using peat moss potting soil like MG-potting soil UP the moisture thus UP potassium mobility and UP the scent. Own-roots smell amazing in Roses Unlimited's pots with lots of vermiculite (holds potassium & nutrients best).

    Sometimes it takes 1 year before the scent kicks in. My Christopher Marlowe had zero scent in its 1st year, slight scent in 2nd year, and fantastic scent in 3rd year as own-root. Bio char (half-burnt wood) has high pH of 8.5 plus many trace elements and it shifts Sweet M. scent to myrrh and nectarine. The myrrh scent is strong with alkaline pH & same with fruity scent. Dee-lish is very strong strawberry-guava with Bio char. Some bouquets with Christopher Marlow (carnation, lemon, and musk blended together, clean, crisp and unique scent). Note how my black gumbo clay cracks into large chunks below:


    Christopher is the dark pink in below bouquet. Light pink in middle is Comte de Chambord. Uppermost pinks are Radio Times. Red blooms are Barcelona.


  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Straw, I love your bouquets. They really are glowing and your color combinations are so subtle they make each type glow in harmony. Really like that Christopher Marlow (above?). They looks like the tops of giant cupcakes. I have to try and find that one

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Brendan B cs_zone5B: My most favorite bouquet is YOURS of wildflowers posted in Organic Rose forum. I like it so much that I re-post YOUR BOUQUET below. How are your 2 cute dogs (below pics) doing? Is the brown puppy still wrecking your sleep? Your sheep dog is even cuter than the stuffed animal next to it. Brendan wrote: "Here are some pictures of the dogs and some wildflowers I picked":





    I LOVE BRENDAN'S BOUQUET OF WILFLOWERS above, so natural and airy !!

  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    Straw, aw thanks so much! Wildflowers are fun, I love growing them. They’re easy for me here always come back (even if in the wrong place) so there’s always some to pick.

    My dogs are good. The little girl is getting bigger and keeping me up at night which I don’t love. Luckily she’s cute so she gets a pass. She loves my older dog and he likes her a lot too, so I’m happy they get along :) (plus she’s good at staying out of gardens which is nice!)

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  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    Straw - strawberry-guava!!! Oh, I would LOVE to smell that!! Your Christopher Marlowe is fabulous!! You are really, really good at describing fragrances! I'm not so good at that...I get baffled easily about fragrances. :) Ooooh!!! my favorite rose in your bouquet is Radio Times!! :)


    Brendan - I'm SO glad that Teresa reposted your pictures!! Cute, adorable dogs!! And she's so right...that wildflower bouquet is exquisite!!! Every time I stare at it, something new pops up! Beautiful!

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  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    Thanks Rose :) Can't wait to try more bouquets with roses next season (if mine survive winter ;)

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Brendan: I adore your deep colored roses (fertilized with Neptune). I'm looking forward to your bouquets. Some bouquets picked this week at 34 F, Oct. 15 to Oct. 20:

    Aloha has firm petals that last long in the vase: Pink is Evelyn, yellow is About Face, dark pink is Aloha:



  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    B cs - I really hope your roses do well over winter! The first winter is the hardest for them.


    Teresa - I love your pastel roses...my favorite is your Aloha! :)

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  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    Straw, Thanks! Your roses look pretty bold in that photo above, looks great. I love the touch of lavender under the aloha and about face, it makes all the other colors pop nicely. Same with that light lemony cream yellow on the left. Starts to help all the colors sing. I can't wait to (hopefully) have more flowers next year to try bouquets with. Will be interesting to see the variety in colors I get with all of the new roses coming in the spring too. The big hill garden I'm working on now is designed based on color (and height). At first I was going to do a mixed, high contrast grouping for the hill, but then I decided to order a lot of roses in similar color families. I'm hoping that having so many "similar" colors going from light to dark will actually accentuate the uniqueness of each color, like when you put together a bouquet of pinks. You actually notice the unique color of each type because the contrasts are more subtle and the warm and cool undertones of each pink become more obvious. We'll see how it all turns out! I'm a bit picky and weird about colors hah.


    Rosecanadian - I hope so too. At first I was going to wrap them all in burlap and do all of this other stuff...but I've decided to go for more minimal winter care. Things are slow right now with covid, but once things return to normal, I know I won't have as much time to overly care for my plants every fall/winter. Hopefully they all come back. Very few got bigger than 4 ft their first summer here, so if I lose some, it won't feel like such a big hit.

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Brendan: Best winter-survival for both grafted-on-Dr.Huey and own-roots is when they are buried at least 4 inch. below ground, with dry bark mulch for wet winter, and thin layer of leaves for dry winter. It will be 33 F this Friday Oct. 23 and down to 29 F below freezing this Mon. Oct 26. Some bouquets of roses picked yesterday Oct. 21, in my zone 5: Upper yellow is Prairie Harvest (fresh wonderful scent), left red is W.S. 2000 (3" bloom with violet & old rose scent), big red is The Dark Lady (4.5" bloom with light old rose scent), left lowest beige is Double Delight (not enough sun so it turns beige).


  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    @strawchicago z5 Straw, how beautiful! That red is so rich and deep, and I love that light yellow....really lemony. Even the lighter one Double Delight is nice, it's a tad lighter than Prairie so it highlights the difference between them which I like :) My Pilgrim has a very light yellow to it but it's saturated just enough compared to it's outer white petals, that it creates a really pastel glow to it which I like. I like it better than my yellow Julia Child. Her flowers are more all-over yellow which is nice, but I enjoy shifts in color too.


    Great to know about the winter protection. I am going to try our formula this week with the wood chips, manure, leaves and hay. Do you think it would be good to add one last layer of woodchip (very fine not chunky) to the rose beds before the manure/leaves/alfalfahay? I have so much left over, but if that wouldn't be smart under manure layer, I will leave it out.

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Brendan: Agree with manure first (phosphorus moves down only 1" in hard-clay), leaves next (to retain moisture, has calcium to balance out phosphorus in manure), alfalfa hay (doesn't turn canes black like wet leaves, plus alfalfa has growth hormone & nitrogen).

    Woodchips is OK on top FOR LESS HARDY OR SHORT ROSES.

    I find that short roses like floribundas (Life of the Party is a floribunda) don't survive my zone 5 well. Short roses tend to have short root, so they need A THICK LAYER of winter-protection on top. Austin climbers don't need THICK LAYER, but Austins are waterhog, so leaves is a must to retain moisture. Leaves retain moisture best, next is hay and wood-chips.

    The advantage of topping grafted-roses with manure through winter is: manure is high in phosphorus which encourages OWN-ROOTS to form ABOVE Dr.-Huey-rootstock. Aloha has 5 blooms/buds now, pic. taken 10/20:



  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    Wow @strawchicago z5 I love those shots. The color range in the second shot is especially beautiful, I love all the subtle pinks, purples, yellows and oranges! So pretty, especially with the light blue tablecloth underneath that makes all the warm tones in the flowers pop even more.


    Great to know about the dr. huey rootstock and short roots. I'll hold back on adding anymore of the tree bark wood mulch I have left over from spring and just do the manure/leaves/hay then. Was just hoping to do something with it so it doesn't sit in the pile outside all winter. Maybe I will top off the mulch on my new trees with it.

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  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    @strawchicago z5 -Quick question Straw: Is own-roots what I am aiming for even with my grafted roses? I thought grafted roses were better in cold zones, or more hardier and more vigorous? Just want to make sure I'm only encouraging own root to form if that's actually best in the end. I buried my grafts at least 5-6 inches when I planted all of these in the Spring

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  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    Brendan - I can't wait to see your pictures next year!! I know your roses will be young...but it will be so much fun to see how you placed them and the overall effect of them. :) That's true...respecting your zone will help you to have less rose-angst. :)


    Teresa - that's what happened to my DD too! I grew it for one season...and it was mostly white...sometimes had a bit of red edging. I thought...meh. Man, I still love your Dark Lady the best...it's really wonderful!!

    GASP and SWOON!!!! That last bouquet is a heart stopper!!!

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  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago

    @rosecanadian - I can't wait to see pictures of my roses next year too ;) After all of this insane digging I've been doing the past week (48 or so giant holes), I better have some good flowers to show for it ha! I removed a boulder the other day that has to be a good 4-5 ft round. Will make a good bench somewhere. I ordered all bare roots for the spring, so hopefully they'll have a little bit of a head start with age. The Austin rep I spoke with told me that the potted roses I got at my local nursery this year were all probably 8 months old or so, and that bare roots will be a bit older. Didn't even realize that when I got the ones this year. Fingers crossed for next spring. Hopefully I'll have more colors (and flowers) to build bouquets like Straws and everyone's I see on the forum.

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Brendan: Answer to your above question: Yes, grafted-roses bloom more & healthier & last long if they grow own-roots ABOVE the grafted-junction. Re-post from another thread: "I see that with my neighbors in our alkaline clay. These neighbors have full-sun and their roses give tons of blooms (more blooms than leaves) for the 1st year as GRAFTED ON Dr. Huey, then a drastic decline in 2nd year (zone 5a winter-kill). Then neighbors get rid of their roses in 3rd year.

    Saw a neighbor's Angel Face (grafted-on-Dr.Huey) with over 100 blooms in 1st year ... the next year it came down with rust, and gone by 3rd year. More blooms = more depletion of nutrients = more disease-prone. I constantly have to add fresh soil & compost to maintain the health of my decade-old roses. My focus is no longer high phosphorus for more blooms, but high potassium for better health and longevity.

    The exception: IF THEY GROW THEIR own-roots above Dr.Huey like the 15-year-old Knock-outs that I dug up: 4 grew their own-roots and lost Dr.Huey completely (blooming power is same over a decade), 2 grew their own-roots above Dr.Huey (blooming power is more as they got older)." StrawChicago. Below is Evelyn with Stephen Big Purple in Oct. The purple alyssum lives until Nov. when temp. goes below 30 F.


  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    B - that is one HUGE boulder!! And you dug 48 holes!! You deserve fabulous roses after all of that work!!


    Teresa - GASP!!! What a gorgeous combination!!! And those are HUGE SBP blooms!!!

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  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Straw, those blooms are so big and bold, I love them. Great job. Makes sense about grafted vs. own root. I'd prefer healthier plants with fewer, bolder blooms too. Especially since we already have to worry about winter die back. Would like the roses to look their best as bushes/plants when they are growing. I also don't want to have to be digging them all up in 3-5 years to replace them once their graft is shot.

    I love how your Evelyn has a cooler tint to it's pink tones in the colder weather. Really nice contrast to the warmer more apricot/orange pinks it has in the summer. I love your alyssum too. I'm planning on getting a bunch of that in the spring to plant around my new rose beds.

    RoseCanadian - Too much digging! But it gives me a good break from the news and everything else in the world right now. Today I have to work on widening each hole and making sure they're as big as I can get them for when all the bare roots arrive in the spring time.

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  • Stephanie, 9b inland SoCal
    3 years ago

    Stephen Big Purple is fabulous!

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  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    B - you're STILL not finished digging?? LOL You're doing a great job for your roses!!

  • BirdsLoveRosesSoCalCoast
    3 years ago

    Straw - I was always told (or read) that the bud union should be above ground in (my area). I assumed that burying it was for cold weather only. But, I never thought about this, if the bud union is planted sufficiently below ground then roots will grow from above the bud union? Effectively making the rose own-root ?

    Should I be doing this? I suppose, too, that the deeper it is buried, the less suckering from Dr. Huey root stock? I don't have too much suckering, but some do.

    I'm wondering if I should try this on new plantings...

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    BirdsLoveRosesSoCalCoast If there's a layer of clay below your sand, then it's AN ADVANTAGE to bury bud-union deeper than ground level. Clay is more fertile than sand, and roots can access the minerals in the deep layer of clay.

    If it's SAND ALL THE WAY DOWN, then burying deep would sink the roses, esp. in high-rain area like Florida.

    Folks root roses in sand, and branches above the bud-union easily grow own-roots above Dr.Huey if the soil above is moist.

    Khalid in Pakistan with hot climate and sandy/loamysoil buried all his grafted-roses at least 4" below soil for a fuller-bush with own-roots growing on the side-branches.

  • Bc _zone10b
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    @rosecanadian - Just about done digging now :) Think I found a few dinosaur bones at this point. I want the holes to be really big so I can add some nicer compost to it all next year. Also trying to build little flattened terraces for each hole since it's on a hill. Will be interesting to see how the hill looks at the end of next summer, I'm excited.


    @strawchicago z5 - Great info on bud unions. Hopefully mine will grow their own roots over time since I planted so deep.

  • rosecanadian
    3 years ago

    B - well, as long as you don't dig down until you get to the really hot mantle, you'll be okay. :) I'm excited to see your picture too!!


    Straw - wow! Great info!!

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  • BirdsLoveRosesSoCalCoast
    3 years ago

    Thanks Straw! I do have clay full of rocks below the sand. Years ago, in many areas of the yard, we dug out about 2 feet of the clay and replaced it with the sand. It sounds almost blasphemous, going against the recommended, but I'm a bit of a rebel...I think I'll give it a try this winter with some new bare roots.

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    I find that dense clay at bottom works better for dry climate since it holds water (like in a pot), but dense clay at bottom doesn't work for heavy rain climate like mine. I take out the dense clay at bottom since I need fast drainage for 16 hours of rain, or heavy rain that fills a 30 gallon-rain-barrel in less than 15 min.

    Also Governor Rosellini (bought from Roses Unlimited) last year barely had a scent. I UP its pH this year, and hope that the scent improves. The fruity scent is more intense with higher pH, versus the old rose scent is more intense with acidic pH like with acidic rain.

  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Document here the result of fertilizing with SOLUBLE MasterBlend NPK 4-18-38 (high in trace elements) .. I get more blooms on Dee-lish in partial shade (4 hrs. of sun), plus blooms are larger with high potassium:


    The best quality bloom of Dee-lish comes with fertilizing with chicken manure NPK 2-4-3 rather than with Espoma tone (Plant Tone or Rose tone, both contain a % of CHEMICAL nitrogen which made Dee-lish too fall). Chicken manure has 8% calcium plus high in boron, zinc, and copper which helps with firm petals. The worst quality bloom was fertilizing with MG-SOLUBLE for roses NPK 18-24-16, resulting in weak necks & thin stems and blooms don't last long in the vase.


  • rosecanadian
    2 years ago

    Straw - your Dee-Lish bush is AMAZING!! The potassium really helped with creating strong canes!! Everything about your Dee-Lish screams healthy and fabulous!! Love your roses...especially Taichovsky!!!


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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year

    Tchaikovsky is now over a foot tall with many buds on 6/7/22 as 9th-year own-root in my zone 5a. Below pic. is from last year 2021:

  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Sad that ORGANIC fertilizer Lilly Miller NPK 10-5-4 being discontinued since summer 2021. So I have to use chemical granules FOR THE FIRST TIME in decades, and I'm disappointed with the quality of blooms.

    Since chemical granules are fast release, I get more blooms in spring, but they blow fast in less than a week. Compare that to ORGANIC fertilizer, slower-release, so blooms are opened one at a time, for a longer period.

    I prefer CONTINUOUS release of blooms via ORGANIC fertilizers over fast & more blooms but lower-quality blooms through FAST release chemical fertilizer.

    Note the decline in the quality of blooms via chemical fertilizers, pics. taken 6/7/22. More blooms, but blooms are smaller and the formation is not as pretty as with organic fertilizer. Top yellow is Crown Princess M., middle pink is La Reine, upper dark red is W.S. 2000, light red is Tradescant, white is Bolero, yellow is Golden Celebration, lowest red is The Dark Lady.


    Comte de Chambord is the light pink, middle red is Tradescant, small pink is Radio Times (twice more blooms with chemical fertilizer, but blooms are smaller):


    Sonia Rykiel blooms are still big, but the quality is NOT as good as with slow-release organic fertilizers (horse manure and chicken manure):


  • rosecanadian
    last year

    Straw - thank you so much for the rose pictures and the great information!! I'm bloom starved here. :) :) This was a delight!

    Just so I know...Comte de Chambord prefers slight acidity, right? :)

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Comte de Chambord blooms best with acidic rain water (pH 5 to 6 if neutralized by hard clay). One time I topped Comte with a wad of horse manure (pH 8), and Comte broke out in "Damask crud" which is large black stains both from the salt and the high pH of horse manure.

    Duchess de Rohan did the same with alkaline horse manure and dry & hot weather, leaves got ugly large brown patches, but both Comte and Duchess have best leaves and better repeat with acidic rain water. Comte's blooms can fry in high heat, thus best in partial shade (morning sun only):


    Below Duchess de Rohan retains its fabulous scent forever with its button hole blooms. Leaves are most healthy with acidic rain water, but gets "Damask crud" or brown patches on leaves if not enough rain-water during hot & dry.


  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    last year

    Ill try to remember to take some pics of Cesk Praci Cest. Its a fantatic rose for a large area, espeicially suited for tree climbing. Lttle fragrance unfortunately, but exceedingly charming in form and presentation. Im hoping for some rebloom this year, although theres little about this rose so I dont know if this is in her genetics.

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley You are blessed with many rare and exotic roses, I can't find any info. in HMF on Cesk Praci Cest. And I love your Star of the Republic pictures (Graham Thomas as the parent).

    I like any roses with Graham Thomas since they can take tons of rain here. Versigny, Sweet M., Dee-lish, Princess Charlene de Monaco, and Moonlight Romantica all have Graham Thomas as the parent.

    Moonlight Romantica is the biggest water-hog among the bunch, but the scent is just as wonderful as Golden Celebration. Below is Moonlight Romantica. Note the large leaves, it likes my soaking wet & dense clay:


    Moonlight Romantica lasts longer in the vase than Golden Celebration. Below bouquet has Rouge Royal as reds, light pinks are Aloha, top lavender/white is Lagerfeld, white is Mary Magdalene, middle pink is Savannah, blue is Poseidon, light yellow is Moonlight Romantica:


  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    last year
    last modified: last year

    You can't find any info Straw, because I am an idiot! LOL! I forgot an E at the end of Ceske praci Cest. Very few grow this and its extremely hardy.... Tiny, but sharp thorns. Wonderful, charming rose perfect for a tree as it attaches by itself easily after just a little coaxing. Did I say that already?😃 also tip hardy to +4F so far and apparently not affected by freeze-thaw issues. Currently growing on a northern wall. Im hoping to get Versigny this year.

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  • rosecanadian
    last year

    Straw - oh so beautiful...RdR and CdC!!! OGRs are appealing to me more and more. Beautiful bouquet...love those Aloha blooms!!


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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Carol: thank you for your kind words. You are the reason for my posting. Augusta Luis is my best rose purchase this year since the leaves are scratchy underneath, which means rabbits won't eat it.

    I have been off from the internet for 3 weeks (since 4th of July) since I'm too busy with my garden & lots of veggies to pick, plus rooting roses. Thank God not much Japanese beetles this year, so I picked a bouquet of French Romantica roses, which lasts longer (up to 5 days) than Austin roses. Below blue are Poseidon (continuous bloomer even in high heat above 90 F), dark pink is Dee-lish, salmon is Sweet Mademoiselle, light pink is Princess Charlene de Monaco, and yellow is Moonlight Romantica:


    Below is James Galway in its 2nd flush, blooms are larger on this August 4, 2022:


    Augusta Luis (right bi-color) lasts 5+ days in the vase, much longer than red Munstead Wood on left, and upper pink Evelyn:


    Antique Rose Emporium's Prairieville Prince (upper pink) lasts long the vase with myrrh scent. Most powerful scents are dark-pink Yolande d'Aargon and red Firefighter (both can perfume the entire room with just one bloom):


  • rosecanadian
    last year

    I've missed you! I'm glad you're back. :) :) And it's good to know you were busy and weren't having problems. :)


    What beautiful bouquets!!! My faves are your Sweet Mademoiselle (oh my!!) and your Moonlight Romantica!! James Galway is wonderful for you!! I guess I'm a sucker for the big blooms because your Prairieville Prince is incredible to me! Although your Yolande may be the most scrumptious!! I really enjoyed that...thank you!!

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  • Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
    last year

    This year, the two bouquets I've made that really impressed me were a vase of just Twilight Glow, and a recent vase of Strawberry Hill with Laguna. You know how, if you cut lots of flowers for the house, some bouquets are pretty and some are so amazing that you just stop and swoon ever them whenever you pass by? So for me, these two were swoon-worthy. Strawberry Hill lasts just a few days, but is fragrant and opens up into large, blousey peony-like blooms that fade to shell pink, while Laguna lasts longer and is much more saturated and densely petal-packed, also smaller. Twilight Glow was endless ruffles and a gorgeous color.


    Day 1

    Day 3



    Day 1

    Day 4


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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Magpie: just saw your bouquets, they are so pretty with many petals. Thanks.

    Carol: I take pics. of my bouquets to entertain you. Below is a bouquet taken this early August. Left upper left is Firefighter (more petals after I worked in dolomitic lime). Right red is Munstead Wood. Lavender is James Galway, bright orange is Summer Sun, and right lowest pink is Sonia Rykiel (top 5 scents among my 150+ fragrant own-root roses).

    Firefighter is #1 for strong scent, one bloom can perfume the entire room. Lowest pink is Prairieville Prince from Antique Roses Emporium (last twice longer than Austins):



  • rosecanadian
    last year

    Magpie - Your Day 4 picture of Twilight Glow is incredible!! I would swoon over those too! :) :) Good job, Magpie!


    Lovely, Straw!! So your Firefighter is doing really well (finally, like my Augusta Luise...finally) in the air pots! :) Thank you for showing pictures...you're so right...I really love seeing them!! :) :) My faves are that scrumptious James Galway and your big, bold Firefighter! Oh my, that James Galway!!! It's a pretty tall rose, right?

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    James Galway gets over 20 feet tall in late fall as 7th-year-own-root in my zone 5a.

    James' Blooms has amazing carnation scent when aged in the vase. It lasts 5+ days in the vase.

    Below bouquet was taken mid-July, showing pink Comte de Chambord, and bright-red L.D. Braithwaite at center (lasts long in the vase, but not much scent). Left yellow is Golden Celebration (form is bad in hot & dry). Dark reds are W.S. 2000, it's a continuous bloomer as 12th-year-own-root.

    Lavender Crush is good for the vase, it used to be deep ugly purple, I don't like the color so I dug out the top 1 foot of clay and mixed pelletized lime to soften the color, and it has been 100% healthy with zero blackspots, plus the color is lighter & prettier:

    Below pic. showing Lavender Crush with zero blackspots as 7th-year grafted-on-Dr.Huey. Pic. taken this August 11, 2022. It's over 5 feet tall and blooms at the top:



  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    last year

    @strawchicago z5, what sort of repeat do you get with James Galway? Is yours in part shade? I would love to see a bush shot of yours as Ive considered it for a friends He-shed for a while now. Is it truly low-thornn? Thanks for any advice you can share on this rose. I cant get over how great your Lavender Crush looks. Both of mine at two different places are duds. I need to give them a little TLC, I guess.

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    James Galway has a massive spring flush, and a lesser 2nd flush, and much less in 3rd flush on top of super-tall canes.

    Below is James in spring flush in 4 hours of morning sun, mine is 7th-year own-root:


    Below is James Galway's 2nd flush: less blooms but blooms are much larger:

    James does give 3rd flush, but it's on SUPER TALL canes, and I can't take pic. of it.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    last year

    Very beautiful. Thank you. Are his canes at all flexible? Do you think if I could train them horizontally that he would put out some blooming laterals?

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  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year

    His canes are stiff and doesn't put out laterals even when I don't support him and he flops down. His growth is always a few stiff & tall canes like a column, and it's the same growth habit that Pakistan rosarians post in their zone 9b (bloom on top).

  • strawchicago z5
    Original Author
    last year

    Best bloomers in September are Mary Magdalene, W.S. 2000, Well Being, Munstead Wood, About Face, Dee-lish, Sweet M., Tchaikosky, Savannah, and Princess Charlene de Monaco. Below Munstead Wood blooms are huge in Sept. almost 4" across. Yellow is Well-Being, white is Mary Magdalene, and pink is Evelyn:


    Below late August bouquet: lots of Princess Charlene de Monaco, yellow Moonlight Romantica, big pink is Savannah (very nice scent), and gaudy orange is Solitude (scent is mild fruity):