Now, if they can just make it through these last few freezing nights, we might (after years of waiting), finally see some blooms!

This plant has really struggled to become established and attain some kind of good health. Every summer its leaves are chewed to shreds by bugs, but it looks like its vigor is finally going to win out.

First blooms after a long wait are so exciting!



Edited to note that this rose was not Agatha Incarnata after all.

For those w/o Zuzu/Sue/Steve's encyclopediaic knowledge of roses:

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...

(had to look it up to see if it was worth the 1000 mile trip to go steal it)

Probably not...it's a once-bloomer. I'm excited anyway. I had to get the mower out and smooth out that path in anticipation of the great event! I hope it's a smelly bloom. Seems to me that's why I chose it, but I forget, it's been so long ago.

Hmmm, how does a pink rose start out with a salmon/yellow bud (???)




I guess we'll just have to wait and see...


I wish that I could find more information on this rose! Frustrating...

Not Agatha.









I've heard a lot about Hortico's mix-ups in the past; this one is my first experience. I believe they sent me Maigold instead of Agatha. I'm okay with it, however, at least I am if it's hardy enough, and after three years here I guess it stands a pretty good chance. The scent is wonderful, and I love yellow!

Well, as long as you're happy with it. I'd be ticked off, though!!

I would react as Toni would by being irritated. Except for the bloom color, class, fragrance, form, plant habit, and foliage texture they got it right!

It's a very pretty rose. And the fact that it is fragrant should help. Thanks for the photo.

BTW I find it interesting that gardens in zone 5b have blossoms before my own in zone 7b. I guess our nights here are still cooler (46F). I have been noticing tiny buds on more and more of the roses. Now if I can only keep the deer from deadheading the whole garden the night before the first rose opens ...

Steve - no, my nights are still decidedly chilly & I had a very light frost on Monday. But I have gazillions of buds all OVER the place. When my yard explodes in about 7 days, that's exactly what's gonna happen, an explosion!!

Steve, lately we've been alternating between frost, and 80 plus degree days (60's at night), not much in between. I have three roses blooming now, but (I think) they're all noted for being early to start. Eighty in the shade again here today and humid as heck...for the third day in a row. The blooms on the *new* rose don't even look good for a whole day, I guess it's just too hot for it.

Hmmm.

Our days here have been in the seventies and eighties, nights low forties. No humidity. Even the roses that were evergreen this winter have bean-sized buds on them. Those that had to produce new foliage have not started to bud. Roses planted this spring are between just starting to make leaves and just starting to grow new canes. Real flowers among the newly planted roses must be something like six weeks out, I think. It's certainly not for lack of warm days. It's been in the seventies since March. Sometimes it reaches the low eighties. It's not for lack of sunshine, we've had maybe five cloudy days per month since February. Frosts ceased in mid April. Watering has been generous and it has been daily except for the one day when it rained and we got half an inch of precipitation. Maybe half a pound of Mills Magic apiece in March wasn't enough? Thing is, they look very happy and are growing like I've not seen them grow here. So maybe it's just a matter of patience.

Or perhaps I need to poke them with a stick, metaphorically speaking, of course. On Mythbusters they played heavy metal music for plants and found that they grew better. They like it better than classical or jazz. Not sure this would please the neighbors, though. Or me, for that matter.

It's because of the bass, I think.

I read that they're actually responding to the minute vibrations produced by the music. I roll my seedling trays out for the day on a wobbly wagon and those that make the most trips do seem to grow faster, and sturdier.

Ahh, that's what I need: to grow my whole garden in a chuck wagon. Or to live much closer to an earthquake zone!

Not me. I'm used to tornado scares, but an earthquake (even a small one) would freak me out, I think.

Well, imagine all that I'm learning in this thread! It's no wonder the plants that get tipped over do so much better.

The seedlings I start on top of the dryer do better--maybe it was the vibration and not the heat, after all!