Hi guys! I haven't been on here much lately. Been in a funk I think. It's been really hot, and I'm suffering from a really bad round of sciatica, and I just can't seem to get into doing anything. The pain is so constant in my right leg and I just can't get out and work in the garden... and it's really depressing me. I have soooo much I need to do, and I can barely get out to water just to keep the roses from dying. I checked the front section today, where my husband and I dug out about 5yrs worth of overgrowth of blackberries that engulfed the roses in the bed outside the fence. Lost several roses and it annihilated the yarrow which I couldn't get rid of yrs ago. (Yay!) Well, I hadn't really checked the sprinkler heads out there once we got it cleaned and replanted some other roses a couple of months ago (before the sciatica returned). OMG I couldn't believe it. I use these little tiny sprayer heads that go on stakes that are attached to drip hose with the 1/4" spaghetti tubing. All 7 of them were clogged up with debris and only one was attempting to spray, and 2 were just dribbling. The rest were dry! I can't believe how stupid I am to not have checked that a month ago at least. I had my husband plant a whole bunch of dianthus along the front of the bed to edge it with. They're all dead, and one of the roses, is looking pretty bad. On a good not tho, I did discover that one of the roses that survived was not the one I thought it was, which is great because it's very rare. I guess I lost DOUBLE DELIGHT instead. That's a rose I can't seem to keep growing. It was my 6th try at it! Anyway, the rose that survived is :

WEDDING SONG.... not a real great looking bloom, but I guess it's to be expected with the neglect thus far. Just glad it survived!


With the 100+ temps off and on lately, the roses have been frying pretty good! Thought this one looked interesting tho... all fried up!
SNOWFIRE


I got a handful of the Smooth series of roses last yr, which I need to get in the ground. But I really love this one:
SMOOTH BALLERINA - she has minor striping and very interesting stippling and veining as she ages. This is one day:


and this is the next day:


This is a rose I just adore. This plant I got as a packaged bareroot about 9yrs ago at Home Depot. I had one a few yrs before that had died. Originally got it from of all places Target back when they had a garden dept. Don't know much about it, except it's shown as a HT but kinda grows a little more like a FL. I tried to look up the patent as the label on the package listed it as 4832, but couldn't figure out where to look. Nothing on HMF. It's a wonderful rose. Haven't seen it anywhere since I got this one, and I don't know who the grower was.
DELIGHT



Anyway, the rest of these are just some rose shots from the last week....

BOULIE'S DREAM


CAROL AMLING


DORCAS


GINGER


HEAVEN ON EARTH


JAN STEEN


KISS ME


LIOLA


LOVESTRUCK


NEW ZEALAND


QUEEN NEFERTITI - a rose that nearly died in the septic system re-do a few yrs ago. Now she's waiting to be replanted...


RAINBOW SORBET


SHUG


SUPERSTITION


SURREAL


SWEET LOVE - this is one I got from Heirloom a few yrs ago and it took forever to bloom. Wish I would've gotten a pic yesterday, as the larger bloom had a darker edge on it. I'm sure it's fried today tho...

Oh, Beth, I love your rose parades! You always have roses I've never seen anywhere else. Superstition is luscious. Did you get it from Carlton? That was such an amazing source of little-known but fabulous roses. I'm so sorry about your continuing pain. I had decided to stop buying roses because I'm just too old to continue gardening, but if I see Surreal anywhere, it's coming home with me!

I urge everyone to enlarge these photos because the details are wonderful, especially the veining and stippling on Smooth Ballerina. There's also some beautiful veining on Lovestruck and Dorcas, which have always been two of my favorite roses.

I'm off to create entries for some of these roses that aren't already in our database. Yippeee! Nothing I like more than new additions.

Thanks Zuzu. Yep I did get SUPERSTITION from Carltons. I loved them!! I got so many gorgeous florist roses from them. Lost quite a few, but still have many. I really love the florist roses. I've been trying for yrs to root some from the florist shop at our local Safeway market. They're great because they order from a supplier that labels the bundles with the variety name, and they're only $9.99 a dozen. I haven't had much luck tho, and I saw an article on the other forums which kind of explained why they are so hard to get to root. Basically, most of the South American growers soak the cut stems in Roundup in order to stop the budeyes from sprouting in transit, because they would be considered a "growing" plant which would be restricted from entering the US. Sooo... that inhibits the rooting of the stems because they basically killed the plant tissue. I have managed to get 4 florist roses to root in the last 6yrs. Well, let's say... the fourth variety I "think" has rooted. The first one I got to root was VERSILIA, which has become a small plant that has bloomed a few times over the last few yrs. Still needs to get some size before it really blooms well. The others are CHERRY BRANDY and GELATO. Those rooted last yr. Safeway almost always has CB, but when I saw the two-toned pink stripey GELATO there I was in shock! They rarely get striped ones in. I managed to root ONE. I initially rooted 3 CHERRY BRANDYs, but one died a few months ago. None of these have produced blooms yet. When they do tho, I will definitely post them! The 4th one that I think and hope has rooted, actually two stems, is a gorgeous dusty grey/beigey-pink one called QUICKSAND. I won't know for a few months for sure if they did get rooted. But so far, so good!

Quicksand sounds wonderful and Cherry Brandy is the one my eye can't move away from when I see the bouquets at Safeway. I used to buy rose bouquets there regularly, but I'm rarely there now that Safeway delivers. There's nothing better than a delivery guy who carries all of the heavy stuff right into the kitchen and refuses to accept a tip.

What a great introduction to many new rose friends! Thanks, Beth!

Fabulous roses, as always!

Every time I see 'Queen Nefertiti' I'm reminded that I need to put her on next year's list. That 'Superstition' is lovely! And of course, unavailable It seems like there are several purples that aren't in commerce anymore, but for some reason 'Angel Face' persists everywhere.