Viewing comments posted by Newyorkrita

Porkchop is an introduction from Wild Boar Farms on the West Coast. Listed as a yellow tomato, it truly seems to be yellow. Mine never turned more orange, no matter how long I waited. Looks like a standard beefsteak type, except for that coloring, of course. When ripe they are pure yellow, but as they ripen and turn from green to yellow the tomatoes have green striping. Very unusual looking at that stage, but not yet fully ripe until the stripes disappear.

Black and Brown Boar is one of the Wild Boar Farms varieties. I have been wanting to try some of the Wild Boar Farms plants since I first learned of them a few years ago. Black and Brown Boar is an early maturing variety. Complex flavor on really lovely tomatoes with swirls of green and red. They taste divine, but if I had to fault them I would say they don't have a long hang time before they get mushy on the vine. So pick the fruits early, as soon as they ripen. The flavor will already be there.

I found this stunner of an Emperor Class tulip at Brent and Becky's bulbs. I've never seen it offered anywhere else. Of course I had to have some. The blooms are just so striking and cheerful. A lovely bloom, mostly yellow but with black and red base. It sure does light up the garden.

Best part is that tulips of this class return here each year, so I expect that I will be enjoying 'Hit Parade' for many years to come.

Rita on the North Shore of Long Island, NY.

Not a fan of Zephirine Drouhin. I know a lot of people love it. I tried it and was underwhelmed by the blah, pink, nothing-special blooms. And it only bloomed once in the spring to boot. I know that Zephirine Drouhin reblooms for some people, but that was not the case for me. If a rose is going to bloom only once a year, it had better be a stunner or it is out of my garden. Not a stunner to me and was dug up and tossed years ago.

I do like hot colors and I love orange. Wildfire is a stunning orange-blend hybrid tea rose that I grow in my Southside rose garden. The flowers are smaller but they pack a big punch. You can't miss this one. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island, NY garden, Wildfire needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

Well Being is a lovely Harkness rose. I love the frilly blooms and old rose form. It does very well in my garden and is not very prone to disease.

A stunning blend of colors on this lovely floribunda. I grow mine in my front yard rose bed that I call Floribundaville. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island, NY garden, Tuscan Sun needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

Trumpeter is a short shrub and will always remain short for me. This one is the perfect choice to tuck in a tight spot where a larger shrub would not fit or work out. The vivid and striking orange blooms always get my attention. A very nice floribunda rose. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island, NY garden, Trumpeter needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

One of the very first hybrid teas that I ever planted in my rose garden, and I still have it and love it today. Intense, hotly colored, orange blooms with typical HT form. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island, NY garden, Tropicana needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

Very beautiful red hybrid tea Romantica rose. An old garden rose look-alike. I planted mine to replace an Austin rose that I had tossed and Traviata was planted in that spot. I love the old rose form, but want modern old rose look-alikes. Traviata is exactly like that. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island, NY garden, Traviata needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

I like Tamora because she stays a smaller shrub and does not try to grow overly large. Lovely, soft-looking, full blooms. One of my few Austin roses. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island, NY garden, Tamora needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

A difficult to find and quite pretty red floribunda. I grow mine in my front yard bed I call Floribundaville. I do spray with a systemic fungicide to keep mine disease-free here in my humid hot summers.

Stunning. A beautiful, dark red, high-centered hybrid tea. Just as all of my roses here in my humid Long Island NY garden, Taboo needs to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide to remain disease free.

No wonder Sunsprite is such a popular rose to grow. It has been around for over 35 years. Nurseries around here usually carry it in spring. A very cheerful yellow bloom that is sure to attract attention. I have my Sunsprites growing in the very front row of my front yard rose garden that I call Floribundaville so everyone passing by can easily see them. Such cheerful and bright lemon-yellow blooms and plenty of them. I do spray Sunsprite with a systemic fungicide to keep it disease-free here in my humid hot summers.

This is a Sunsprite look-alike. I have one planted next to a row of Sunsprites and I cannot tell the difference.

One of the Clements introductions that I grow here in my front yard rose garden. Beautiful old garden rose form and scent. The pinkish color is quite beautiful also. Like most Clements roses, Star of the Nile, is very disease resistant even here in my hot humid summer. No faults at all, the perfect rose. A real winner in my garden. I just love this rose.

I bought mine directly from Heirloom roses as a small band and simply planted it directly where I wanted it to grow.

An old white or off-white climbing rose. Dates back to the late 1800s. A nice rose for that spot in which you need to keep something in bounds, as Sombreuil does not grow too large. The blooms are thick and have an old rose form. Very pretty. I sprayed mine with a systemic fungicide here in my humid Long Island garden but I am not sure that it really needed to be sprayed.

A really lovely David Austin rose. I grew mine for only a short time as it ended up showing RMV really badly, so I dug it up and tossed it. I meant to get another but never did. Still, a simply stunning flower.

A hybrid musk rose, Secret Garden Musk Climber is usually covered in small white single flowers all season long. I have two of these. One grows rather wild in back of the garage and the other I have planted along the house by the side of my patio. This one I prune to keep it growing where I want it to go. I really think it is a lovely rose.

Scarlet Velvet is a very pretty Clements rose, I bought mine as the typical small band rose from Heirloom Roses. It has a very pretty dark red bloom.