I am starting this thread as a place to chart progress on my rose test garden. I've wanted a rose garden for years but not until 2020 did I actually become committed to making it happen. My new "office" has become my dining room table with a view of my back yard. There is nothing like being home 7 days a week and staring at the same place/space do get the creative juices flowing!! I'm going to give some climate background so you all can get a better picture of growing conditions. I will use additional posts in this thread to document the rose information and progress.

I live on an island in the Puget Sound/Salish Sea. We're situated in the Olympic rain shadow with an annual average of 20 inches of rain. While it used to be that the rain (as drizzle or mist aka mizzle) would span 9-10 months a year - the past decade the rain has been more concentrated (actual rain - less mizzle) with longer dry periods resulting in a need to do supplemental watering more often. Average humidity is 77%. With a predominate on-shore flow (sea breeze) we rarely feel "sticky" but do seem have a handful of miserably humid days on occasion. Temps are mild year round. 30(ish) degree nights and 40(ish) degree days Oct -April. 50(ish) degree nights and 60-mid 70(ish) days Apr-Sept. Not unusual to have a few low-mid 80s days Jul-Sept. The last few summers have had hotter days (low-mid 90s that have lasted longer and not cooled all that much at night). 3 years ago we purchased a portable air conditioner and it's becoming much more common place to see window units and even central air in homes here.

Now for micro-climates: I'm about two miles from the water - elevation 125 feet. The coastline, especially western beaches can get quite foggy but most of the time we're not or the fog burns off by mid morning. Our yard is 3-15 degrees warmer than the nearest NWS station. The NWS station is right on the water on the northwestern side of the island so it is always cooler and often times fogged in. Where the test garden is situated, it receives full sun-all day, from Oct-March and then over 6 hours of sun Mar-Sept. Some days way over 6 hours since our sunrise in June is 4am and sunset is 9:15pm. It is shaded around noon - 3pm. It's more sheltered from the wind due to a hedge on the west side. When we get a wind storm though, nothing is truly sheltered (30mph sustained - 60-70mph gusts). It has the best drainage in my yard. Pictures below are from Feb 2021 and today. The test garden is the fenced area with the arbor.

These are the roses that have been planted in the test garden - organized by year of purchase:
*bloom photo below

2021 (straight from purchase to garden)
Fragrant Cloud - HT - bare root (grafted)
Alfred Sisley - Shrub - potted (grafted)
Marie Pavie - Polyantha - potted (own root)

2020 (repotted to larger containers and remained in pots for 2020)
The Bishop - Centifollia (own root)
Guirlande d' Amour - Hybrid Musk (own root)
Tintinara - HT (own root)
White Licorice - HT (own root)*
La France - HT (own root)
Duc de Fitzjames - Centifollia (own root)
Cornelia - Hybrid Musk (own root)
Lemon Zest - Ground cover (own root)

2019 (repotted to larger containers and remained in pots for 2020)
2 Drop Dead Red - floribunda (grafted)*
Marie Callas/Miss All-American Beauty - HT (grafted)

2018 and older (in decorative pots on patio)
Pale Pink miniature/noid
Bi-color white & pink miniature/noid
Adobe Sunset - Floribunda
Bolero - Floribunda

Hi, Island, and welcome! I'll be interested to follow along with your progress reports!

It looks like you have some nice windbreaks on two sides of your garden at least. I'm at the bottom of the Pacific Northwest, zone 9, but we get cold NW winds. Yesterday there were wind gusts up to 40 mi. per hr., and I can see torn leaves on several of my rose trees and bushes where the wind ripped them. Tree roses Double Delight and Fragrant Cloud got it the worst, next Sedona, but most have no wind damage at all, like my DA's. Guess they are tougher. Maybe let us know how your roses fare with the winds.

seilMI said:Hi, Island, and welcome! I'll be interested to follow along with your progress reports!

Thank you. I'm hoping to get some individual photos this weekend, especially of the own root roses to cahrt their growth this season.

reh0622 said:It looks like you have some nice windbreaks on two sides of your garden at least. I'm at the bottom of the Pacific Northwest, zone 9, but we get cold NW winds. Yesterday there were wind gusts up to 40 mi. per hr., and I can see torn leaves on several of my rose trees and bushes where the wind ripped them. Tree roses Double Delight and Fragrant Cloud got it the worst, next Sedona, but most have no wind damage at all, like my DA's. Guess they are tougher. Maybe let us know how your roses fare with the winds.

It looks like Cornelia has some wind burn or maybe that is just how her older leaves look before she loses them Of course they were all under 9 inches of snow for a few days last month as well.

Edited to add tomorrows forecast (from the local weather guy): Euro model posts the south wind as being sustained 20-30mph with gusts 40-45.... then the west brining the same sustained wind speed and gusts 45-50 mph...on the unofficial scale of "Where'd my trashcan go?" This will certainly be a check down the street several houses worth scenario...

Some photos to document growth (from today)

Cornelia (you can see the old leaves or wind burned leaves)


Duc de Fitzjames


Tintinara (a couple of old leaves remaining)


The reason(s) there is a fence around the roses

I love your fancy rose plant labels!

I just plain love the dogs!!

reh0622 said:I love your fancy rose plant labels!

Thanks - they are from Etsy. Search "personalized plant tags". I hope they hold up well

pepper23 said:I just plain love the dogs!!

Right after they posed for this bit of "false advertising" they took advantage of a gap in the vegetable garden fencing to dig a giant muddy hole in the newly tilled dirt. They were covered in mud and enjoying every second of it The fencing has been replaced.

They were improving the dirt some more for you.

Lemon Zest is already spotting


I have removed the leaves. I can tolerate some black spot but I won't hesitate to shovel prune it defoliates from it.

Reh0622: We had gusts yesterday in the 40mph range and two rounds of hail (bb size). The second squall that came through knocked the temps from 47 to 37 degrees. Wind was howling when we went to bed. I just went out and checked the roses and they all look good. No leaves on the ground and I can't see any damage thankfully.

That's great!

Down a little and inland from you...have been wondering what David Austins would do well for us that they only sell in England...also wondering about some Kordes that are sold in EU that would do well here.

BS was on all of my roses (30ish) last year, but none defoliated. Really interested to see how your test garden goes.

Sandsock said:Down a little and inland from you...have been wondering what David Austins would do well for us that they only sell in England...also wondering about some Kordes that are sold in EU that would do well here.

BS was on all of my roses (30ish) last year, but none defoliated. Really interested to see how your test garden goes.

You probably have lower lows and higher highs than me - especially if you are closer to the foot hills. I saw on the news that Mount Rainier had over a 100 mph gust yesterday!

I love the looks of the DA roses. It seems that the DAs I see comments for, that we can get, suffer with more BS and PM than I want to work with. I really want to stay no spray or very minimal with neem oil being the strongest thing I need to use and then sparingly.

Two photo's from today:
Marie Pavie


La France


They're both such teeny little things

These are the last of the own root photos:
The Bishop


Guirlande d' Amour


White Licorice


Just for reference, the weather today was sunny with a low of 34 degrees and it's currently 54 degrees. Light frost overnight

Did some work in the test garden this weekend. Began edging and ran out of material and oomph at the same time I did get aged manure worked in and cleaned up the northern border. Moved some bricks and statue to give it a more "aged" look. Mornings continue to be in the mid-30s with afternoons in the mid to high 50s. Here's photo of the progress: