Every year in my garden one or two plants, or plant species, do really well, better than in previous years, better than neighbouring plants. So far this year, my peppers and zinnias are not looking great at all – cool temperatures in June, too many voracious insects…the list goes on. What is doing well, unexpectedly, is my patch of Prickly Pear Cactus – blooming profusely right now – and my roses.
I have four roses, purchased and planted in May, 2018. I had read that Kordes, the great German rose company (nursery? breeder?) bred roses that rivaled the British grower David Austin in looks, but had better disease resistance and may be hardier in my fickle southeastern Ontario, Canada garden. The tradeoff is, unfortunately, fragrance. Although three of the four have a distinctive smell, it’s not very strong. Oh well. At least I’ve seldom seen black spot on the leaves! Here they are:
Three of these are ‘floribunda’ and one is a ‘grandiflora.’ The difference is mainly in the height, with grandiflora, as its name suggests, growing up to six feet high, and floribundas just half that. They’re all having their best year ever, each with multiple blooms and only one (the yellow Friesia) being attacked by what I think are budworms.
Happy Floral Friday!
Thanks for sharing details about your roses. We have quite a few Canadian roses, mostly from the Explorer Series, but other series too. Really healthy, and able to withstand cold winters. Unfortunately, of all the roses bred in those Canadian trials, only a few are offered for sale here, so we have some duplicates. I have quite a few David Austin roses as well. You’re correct about the fragrance – it and a reblooming capacity were my main criteria when choosing which roses to start off with. There have been some hits and misses, but overall I can recommend these; Lady of Shalott, Gentle Hermoine, Royal Jubilee, Lady Emma Hamilton – these are excellent on so many levels. Hopefully, if you’re inclined you might take a chance on one of them and add it, or one of those hardy Canadian series roses, to your garden!
Thank you for these recommendations! I especially love Lady Emma Hamilton!
I love the yellow one! 😃
It’s my second favourite!
Both the Iceberg and Friesia are splendid; I couldn’t choose easily, that’s for sure. The good news is that you don’t have to choose — you have them all, and they’re gorgeous.
That makes me feel rich – ‘I have them all’ – What a wonderful way to start the day!
A lovely selection. I think I have Friesia – it does seem to be a healthy one and nice and fragrant too.
Thanks! It’s always nice when something does well with little effort my me!!