Vintage Order in: Looks pretty good.
Last fall when Vintage was having one sale after another, I broke down and bought a few roses: Lili Marlene, Parfait, Rose Parade, Cardinal Hume, Courvoisier, Centenaire de Lourdes, Marie Pavie, Old Timer, Amatsu Otome, Looping, Mary Guthrie, Primavere, City of York, Crepuscule, Angel Face CL., Chatillon Rose, Henry Nevard, Morgengruss, Geisha, Nouveau Monde, Ole CL.
Some of these are ones I fell in love with long ago at Roseraie de L'Hay - Courvoisier, Looping, and Primavere. Others I bought as dependable roses - Marie Pavie, Chatillon Rose, City of York, Cardinal Hume. Still others I bought simply because they sounded interesting, were rare, and were on sale - Nouveau Monde, Geisha, Old Timer (HT), Amatsu Otone(HT).
Most of the roses arrived as big, healthy plants just about to bloom. Many of the bands are knee-high and well branched. The gallons are easily 18 inches across. One Lili Marlene must have at least 21 buds. Mostly the foliage is lush and healthy, but there is a touch of some fungal disease on a few of the leaves, and a token yellow leaf here or there. The two hybrid tea roses, though, are a mere eight inches tall and not yet branched.
Overall, I am wowed by the quality of this shipment. Not sure I'll ever again get so many unusual roses so well developed for such a good price ( $13.50 for most of the bands.)
Big FREEZE coming 4AM Friday morning (22F). Here's hoping that this order will augment the roses now leafing out in my garden, not replace them!
