HELPMEFIND PLANTS COMMERCIAL NON-COMMERCIAL RESOURCES EVENTS PEOPLE RATINGS
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What a pleasure to have this one. It has beautiful disease-free glossy foliage, holds well to the plant and never defoliates in hot weather. Not at all bothered by rain or bad weather. Buds stay full for an extended period of time. They don’t shatter for 5 days, so the bush can end up filled with half open and fully open blooms at the same time. It has a nice form and naturally spreads out yet with stiff, fat canes, so as to not overcrowd or cross branches. Stays relatively stout, never achieving over 4’ tall here, and they tend to grow extra large in Hawaii.
Wonderfully abundant in flowers, it surprises every year as it will spit out random flowers every blooming month for me, which is just about every month except January. Fragrance is a combination of damask, raspberry, and a hint of cinnamon, which is apropos for this particular color, imho.
I would highly recommend this for the novice gardener and the pro alike, especially if you’re like me and do not spray. Just keep it fed, and it will supply abundant fragrant richly red, well formed and well-fragranced blossoms throughout the growing seasons. There is absolutely nothing bad I could say about this 5 Star Winner! ...except that it’s a must-have if you love red and love easy!
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Thank you for your review on the Sweet Spirit. I am in 9b and just had a very humid and blazing hot Summer. Most of my roses didn't perform as well as they did. I am in search for some really heat tolerant roses whose color and fragrance don't fade in hot temperature and are relatively healthy and easy to care for. Based on your review, Sweet Spirit sounds like a good candidate, and I will get one this coming Fall.
Since you are located in 11b, do you have some recommendations of nice heat tolerant roses similar to Sweet Spirit? Thank you in advance for your opinion.
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#2 of 4 posted
7 FEB 22 by
kgs
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I have to say all the reports about Sweet Spirit being disease-free surprise me, because last year (my first with this plant) it had really bad rust--in a garden of close to 30 bushes where other roses either had no rust or in one or two cases had a tiny amount I was able to eradicate by removing leaves. (I had never seen rust in my garden before, and I wonder if Sweet Spirit became a vector.) I am giving it a second chance because I was not good about any preventative treatment the previous winter and spring (cleaning up leaves, dormant spray, copper spray, etc.). But this year I'm back to good habits, and I'm giving this bush extra attention. If Sweet Spirit turns into a rust bucket again, out it goes. It stayed small and my guess is the extent of disease played a role in that. I'm not disbelieving the folks who have had good luck with this rose--no two plants are ever identical, and who knows what mutations might be at work. It definitely is Sweet Spirit and the handful of blooms it produced once the rust went away were lovely.
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Try increasing the water to the plant. It is often VERY easy to induce roses to mildew and rust by water stressing them.
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The scent of this rose is heaven like! - that being said I'm on the fence of whether to keep this rose. It fries up so easily in a higher temperature. I'm in a 9b and this rose fries up in ball and fails to open up in May. A bummer. The other Kordes roses open fine in my garden.
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He’s better in part shade otherwise he gets fried.
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I have found this to be true here in Raleigh, NC (7b). She was so much happier when she wasn't getting afternoon sun in my treeless yard.
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I have not seen a rose that thrives in my 9b summer this well as a first year own root. Already 3 flushes of flowers and they smell amazing even under the blazing sun. They held up right and looked great in vase with a decent vase life. The vigor is also great. Responds well to every trim. Color, shape, stiffness and number of petals not compromised by our 110 degree summer. I think out of the 40+ roses I've planted, the only other rose that comes close to this all-rounder is Bolero. However, Bolero's bloom (upright form and size of flower) and vase life cannot compete with this rose.
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Two months later, I want to raise all of my previous ratings. First, fragrance - as powerful as a Damask - easily the most fragrant Floribunda I have grown in 35 years. The foliage is just perfect with no spray, and the repeat flowering is amazing - one of the most prolific Floribundas for repeat I have grown. This is destined to be an all time great rose, I think. Would make a great Standard (tree) as well.
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Hello. It seems you quite enjoy your LotP and I am wondering if you can describe this rose's disease resistance strength (BS, mildew or rust). I saw on Otto & Sons' nursery, this rose is rated as only 2/4 for Disease Resistance which might not be ideal for my humid spray-free 9b garden.
Thank you very much. - Bob
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#2 of 5 posted
24 MAY 21 by
 johnm99
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I have had a few of these now - all healthy, two that became stressed after being dug up in the summer, and moved while we moved house. They got dried out and left in shade, and then got spider mites and some blackspot. The other ones have done very well. I have 5 now, still a favourite.
My climate is 9b very temperate winters but cool summers, not very humid (west coast of Canada).
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Thanks for the quick reply. I wouldn't blame the plant for spider mites and BS after a move. I moved 2 of my 3 year old Austin roses earlier this year and they almost died and are no longer flowering this season.
I am really glad to hear the rest of your roses are doing very well. Can I ask did you raise them from potted plant, own-root band or bareroot?
Thanks - Bob
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#4 of 5 posted
25 MAY 21 by
johnm99
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I bought them all potted, bud graft. I have 5 now, various ages, all doing well except the one that I mistreated.
I prefer bare root, if you can get them from a place that doesn't hack off the roots and leave 3 or 4 inches... and I prefer bare root in the fall, but this is not likely possible where I live anymore. Potted grafted plants are fine. Many HT and FB don't do well from cuttings of course..plants from cuttings can take a long time..
I did hear Tom Carruth on a podcast describing his work, and then explaining how he did Life of the Party (Huntington's 100th) - because of that, I looked into the story of the Huntington Gardens, and we had planned to fly down there last year to stay for a few days....but then came COVID..... one day I would like to go there. It would be great to meet him, too! He speaks really well, and is so knowledgeable...
Sounds like you are in a hotter and more humid place - that is quite a different environment, but I think this plant has done well in trials in a number of climates. The fragrance is worth it.
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I am a fan for the fragrant roses too, will get one this fall. The vaccination should help us recover from COVID and hope your trip can be put on schedule soon.
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