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Jean Marion
Discussion id : 133-740
most recent 18 JUL 22 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 15 JUL 22 by Garden Therapy
Hello!

I'm so excited to finally find a gardener from the Treasure Valley! I am an absolute novice gardener and I just recently moved to the area. I was wondering if you could please give me some advice on roses. I have a small sunny spot in my front yard and I'm looking for a small (preferably no larger than about 3-4 foot high) pink rose that blooms well in the heat. I have been scoping out the Julia Davis Rose Garden and I really love Tournament of Roses, Elle, and Sexy Rexy, but I'm a bit worried that they will get too big for my yard. I keep reading about how different climates affect how large roses grow. I have been drooling over your gorgeous photos and I was wondering if you have any recommendations?

Thank you so much!
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Reply #1 of 10 posted 15 JUL 22 by Jean Marion
Hi. Thanks for reaching out. Roses are a very fun hobby once you get the hang of it.

I have been gardening in the Treasure Valley since 1999. Back then Julia Davis Park was a site to behold; quite breathtaking. It is saddening to see what it has become in comparison now. We used to go there for date night, and one year with the kids to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. I'm glad their roses inspire you today. Many of their older roses that have since been removed, inspired me way back when I was getting started.

There used to be many nurseries in the Treasure Valley that sold roses. Now, most of them have closed. If you want to purchase roses, April is usually the time to buy them at the nurseries. The hobby of growing roses isn't as hot as it used to be and you may have trouble finding roses that you see and think are pretty for sale. Generally I find roses for sale, and then research them to see how worthy they are. It's hard to do it the other way around these days.

In regards to your questions, Tournament of Roses was the rose of the year when it came out. It is a stellar rose. I have it right up front next to the sidewalk. As a grandiflora (tall roses) mine is currently 5½' tall, however it would be taller in my yard if it didn't get so much shade. I love it because the blooms last a very long time, both on the bush and in the vase. For me, longevity (on the bush) is the #1 most important thing. What good is having a beautiful rose if it only lasts 2 days? That's my opinion anyway. I don't care that it is not fragrant. ToR acts like a typical grandiflora. Several blooms at the end of one long cane here and there. It reminds me a lot of Queen Elizabeth which is a little bit more of a bluish pink, but the blooms don't last as long.

Of the baby pink roses, Sexy Rexy is my #1 fave pink. It has one of the highest ratings of All of the roses. As a parent it is amazing. {‘Fabulous!’ a floriferous pristine white rose that was also rose of the year, had Sexy Rexy and the famous 'Iceberg' as its parents.} Sexy Rexy was a name that made fun of a rosarian named Rex. Since it is a floribunda, it is supposed to be a round bush full of roses that stays short. It has always been around 4' here. (Floribundas are my fave type of rose. For a colorful garden they work great.) Now my poor SR did not bloom this year. Unfortunately I planted it under a cute tree way back that is now a monster, and SR is in complete 95% shade.

IdahoRoseLady used to grow Elle. She was a member of the Idaho Rose Society, but they moved down to Arizona where it is too hot for roses. Whenever I saw the rose at her house, or at a public rose garden I was not impressed. Yes, it won rose of the year, and if you just look at one bloom for a half hour you would see a pretty bloom. I see a pink that is too light, petals that are too thin, a bloom that is too small and blooms on the bush that don't age well. Again, just my opinion. It has a lot of favorite votes due to the shape of the bloom when it first opens. Not something that impresses me anyway.

You mentioned heat. Roses are not overly fond of heat. We get a spring flush when they all bloom at once, and then some of the more hardy ones might put out some blooms during the summer when we are in the 90ºs, but basically we are waiting again for it to cool down for the autumn flush that happens around Sept. In order to keep roses alive during the heat of the summer, they must be watered often. If they do bloom, the flowers will be smaller. That is due to the sun and heat. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the rose. It is trying its hardest. Do not fertilize during the heat of the summer; it will make them work too hard.

You mentioned worrying about how tall the rose gets. Make sure to put it at least 3' away from your house. If you prune it down at the beginning of each spring, if the rose is meant to be shorter, it should stay short. I allow many of my roses to grow taller, simply because they are near a backyard fence and it doesn't matter there so much. I just don't prune them in the spring and they continue to grow larger around and taller.

I used to purchase my new roses from www.heirloomroses.com. I have been to their place in Oregon and they really know their stuff. Of what they have available right now, in the pink category, I do see that they have Sexy Rexy. I would 100% recommend it for its color, height, and how much it blooms. (Takes a couple of years to reach full size though.) Now earlier this year I discovered that they are selling their 'in-stock' roses on Amazon. Although they are a higher price on Amazon, when you take into consideration the free shipping (with Prime), the roses are $10 less. Just an option if you have Prime.

Good luck in finding the perfect rose for your spot. If you find a rose to purchase, and aren't sure about what it is like, feel free to contact me. I have had many roses over the years, photographed many more, and have friends that have experienced growing others that I don't have. Yup, apparently I still like yapping about roses. :-)
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Reply #2 of 10 posted 15 JUL 22 by Garden Therapy
Oh my goodness, thank you for all this information! There is a Sexy Rexy at the rose park but it is just tiny and I did not know if it was mature or if it had been planted yesterday! I really appreciate your insight. I've moved Sexy Rexy to the top of my list now.

Thank you again for taking the time to type out your helpful comment!
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Reply #3 of 10 posted 16 JUL 22 by MADActuary
I'll second the choice of Sexy Rexy. I'd suggest getting three and planting them in a triangle about 16 to 18 inches apart. See the pic I posted of Sexy in Photos - it produces quite a display on a well-behaved 3 foot plant.
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Reply #4 of 10 posted 16 JUL 22 by Jean Marion
I like how you post pictures of the full bushes. Not many people do that here. Your Sexy Rexy bush is gorgeous! Your blooms are larger than mine, they must get much more sun. Nice to know SR does well in zone 5b.
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Reply #5 of 10 posted 16 JUL 22 by Garden Therapy
Just stunning! Thank you for the inspiration!
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Reply #6 of 10 posted 17 JUL 22 by Garden Therapy
Thanks for all of your help! Do you know if the rose Bonica gets tall in our area?
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Reply #7 of 10 posted 17 JUL 22 by Jean Marion
Bonica used to be the star of Julia Davis Park. Spread in a large border hedge from one side of the park to the other with an archway to enter the rose garden in between. You can see that picture I posted here with her in full bloom that shows what Bonica can look like when planted en masse. Another Rose of the Year winner when she came out.

I also posted a pic of her with the miniatures Lavender Crystal and What a Peach to show the size of the individual blooms. They were small. Her value is as a shrub rose covered in blooms. Each bloom smallish, but all together on the bush, quite a show.

I purchased her soon after seeing that display at the park. The rose bushes had most likely been there for more than 2 decades when I took that picture. I didn't realize that it would take many years for my bush to become that full. She remained the size of a miniature for me. (Around 2')

I had another baby pink miniature Baby Grand, in which the blooms lasted for a longer period of time and I thought they were more attractive. So I kept BG and Bonica went bye bye.

When I saw that all of the Bonica hedges had been ripped out of JD Park, I was heartbroken. Such a beautiful display only to be seen in pictures again.

Should you purchase Bonica? If you want a 2' - 5' hedge or grouping, she would be good. As a standalone rose, I would go with something with larger blooms that possibly last longer on the bush.
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Reply #8 of 10 posted 18 JUL 22 by Garden Therapy
Your pictures are so pretty! It's too bad about the hedge at the park. Thanks for answering!
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Reply #9 of 10 posted 18 JUL 22 by Jean Marion
Just wanted to mention in regards to Tournament of Roses. I'm not sure how tall it is down in Boise. I haven't been to the park for several years. I mentioned that my ToR is 5½' tall in the shade. I realized that it is that tall because I do not prune it in the spring. It is in the center surrounded by shorter roses. Kind of like the star of the show. So anyway, with regular annual pruning, it might very well be around 4' tall each year.
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Reply #10 of 10 posted 18 JUL 22 by Garden Therapy
Thanks for explaining. Goodness, there are so many pretty options! I'm going to have to find more space for these roses!
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Discussion id : 58-508
most recent 12 NOV 11 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 11 NOV 11
* This post deleted by user *
Reply #1 of 3 posted 11 NOV 11 by Jean Marion
Hi,

My soil is alkaline about 8.1 ph. It is a mixture of clay, sand and silt. My house was built on what used to be working crop fields.The top section is pretty nice. About 2 feet down is solid clay. I try to get rid of that when planting large plants.

I have put Mills Magic Mix mixed in with the mulch for quite a while. I also like Bayer 2 in 1 in the early spring. I have gone as far as putting alfalfa tea on all of the plants, but decided it just wasn't worth the smell and effort.

I water the roses more than usual. Especially on days over 95º. Sometimes twice a day.

I have probably at one time or another had about 500 roses in the garden. Through the process of elimination (winter death, black spot, mildew, short bloom, etc...) I have pared the garden down to about 150 roses. Most of which I am very happy with. I learned a lot from our local rose garden as to where to start and what I liked, and then research on friends gardens and finally just buying what ever I liked and shovel pruning many each year that I wasn't thrilled with.

Thanks very much for the compliment! and Good luck in building your garden. (It takes several years...)

Jean Marion
decobug
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Reply #2 of 3 posted 11 NOV 11 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
Thank you for the info. I'm glad that roses do OK in alkaline soi - mine tested at 7.7 - I found that Austin roses like my alkaline clay with limestone - limestone is known as a fungicide.
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Reply #3 of 3 posted 11 NOV 11 by Jean Marion
Limestone sounds like one of the good guys :)

Out of all of my Austins, the only one I can put in a vase and have it not fall apart is William Shakespeare 2000. Wonderful smell and all around good plant.

My other Austins (Abraham Darby, Lichfield Angel, Lilian Austin, Molineux, Prospero) smell nice but fall apart quickly once in the house.

I have several roses that I cut to bring in because they last a long time in the vase, but most of them have no fragrance. I find if I can put in 1 or 2 with fragrance then it doesn't matter if the other ones have fragrance or not.

I actually rarely cut roses to bring inside. My garden is basically for the purpose of having the house exterior look nice. So I generally pick roses that are highly floriferous and don't grow too tall.

I only have 11 hybrid teas, try to stick with the ones that don't grow too tall and have long lasting blooms. Of those the only ones I would consider bringing inside are: (Chicago Peace, Fragrant Cloud, Gina Lollobrigida, Ingrid Bergman, Neptune, and Yves Piaget).

My fragrant ones I would consider bringing inside: (Rose de Rescht, America, Belinda's Dream, Cotillion, Shocking Blue), however they don't last as long as say (Tournament of Roses or Lavaglut), both of which have no fragrance but last forever in the vase.

Jean
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Reply #4 of 3 posted 12 NOV 11 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
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Discussion id : 9-655
most recent 25 JUL 05 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 25 JUL 05 by Desiree
I like the fact that even though you don't grow all of the roses you take pictures of, you still want to share some of the beautiful roses that are within camera's reach with us. I am starting a book on striped roses. There is very little literature on this kink of rose. Perhaps you could be of some assistance. I live near the Portland international rose test gardens and have access to many of the nurseries here in the north west. I would like to include private gardens as well since I believe they would have more difficult to find varieties.

I just wanted to let you know I appreciate your contribution to HMF.

Desiree
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Reply #1 of 1 posted 25 JUL 05 by Jean Marion
I envy your location... :)

My favorite striped rose 'Tropical Sunset' I had to get rid of due to powdery mildew.

I only know of a couple of private gardens in this area. Mostly members of the Idaho Rose Society. As far as I can remember, most don't have striped roses...

Let me know if you need further info... Jean
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Discussion id : 9-556
most recent 11 JUL 05 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 11 JUL 05 by Mike Gleason
Decobug,
Is that your Apache Tears? If not, where did you potograph it?

Thanks
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Reply #1 of 1 posted 11 JUL 05 by Jean Marion
Hi Mike,

I do not grow Apache Tears. Most of the pictures I take are at public rose gardens or nurseries. This particular rose is grown at the rose garden in San Jose California. (SJHRG) There are many rosarians that live near there that could possibly get you cuttings.
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