I planted Scarlet Meidiland in spring 1995 along with several other roses. The catalog had listed it as "shade tolerant," so I planted it in a shaded area in close proximity to two large white oak trees. Today as I write, it has grown in that spot and bloomed beautifully without fail all these years. In reading several reports about it, I have seen that there seem to be differing opinions and observations about its garden qualities, hardiness, and shade tolerance. I can only report what I've observed and experienced these 18 years. It is one of the most carefree roses I've grown, and it comes through bitter winter freezes without serious harm like the oaks that surround it. Early spring pruning of dead wood is about the only care it gets other than a spring feeding of a good rose fertilizer.

This year I noticed a strange anomaly in one of the bloom clusters: There are three pink blooms within the same group of scarlet red flowers on the same stem. I had never seen this before; and I wonder if maybe it could be due to a soil deficiency or some other imbalance in nutrients. I have submitted a picture showing this rarity. I welcome input concerning this type of abnormality. It's a first for me.

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