My favorite rose today is Buck's Honey Sweet. I love the blended shades of coral on the blooms and the form of the plant. Mine is an own root rose from Chamblees. It survived two moves in a year and two severe polar vortex winters!
My favorite new roses are a grafted Ingrid Bergman hybrid tea and Bolero floribunda on its own roots. Both are from big box stores. They haven't weathered a winter with me, yet.
I love roses with very full quartered blooms like many antique roses, Austin roses , Kordes roses and Romantica roses.
For a bargain, I like mini roses from the grocery store. Many are winter hardy. It cheers me up to buy a cute new rose for less than the price of a new tube of lipstick. My favorite mini is a red and white striped one. I am squeezing them in my new gardens at the front of the borders.
Most of my existing roses are having their first flush of blooms now! That is over a month later than usual. Early in the season I had troubles with caterpillars and assorted wormy things. I also have an ongoing struggle protecting my gardens from the local deer. All of the blooms are smaller than usual. I expect that to change as they grow stronger root systems in their new locations and as I feed them with RoseTone and other natural products.
