Rose suggestions for new EarthkindTM rose trial

16 years ago

Hi Everyone,

Dr. Steve George, initiator of the EarthkindTM program, is gathering information on healthy, hardy/low maintenance roses to trial in an upcoming EarthkindTM trial. He asked me for suggestions and I would love to get more feedback. These roses will first be trialed at a site in Texas and then the better performing ones elsewhere as well. The roses will be planted in replicated beds with 3" of compost, mulched, and watered the first year or so as they become established. There will be no pesticides used or fertilizer besides the initial compost and replenished mulch as it decomposes. More can be learned about the program at: http://earthkindroses.tamu.edu/ The goal is to take rose cultivars that are gaining pretty good reputations for easy care typical of the home gardener and trialing them in a replicated manner across sites in this defined manner to recommend the best performers with data backing it up. A regional effort is building to identify roses that would do best in different regions.

I had the joy to partner with Dr. George at the U of MN begining this past year to begin a Northern Collection of 20 cultivars to trial here in the North. Here are the roses in that trial (they are also planted in Texas as well and it won't be necessary to include them in this new trial- some are also already Earthkind winners for the South). These 20 cultivars being tested in zones 3-5 are;

Alexander Mackenzie, Carefree Beauty, Frontenac, George Vancouver, John Cabot, John Davis, Morden Blush, Polar Joy, Prairie Joy, Sunrise Sunset, Quadra, Ramblin Red, Seafoam, William Baffin, Brite Eyes, Summerwind, Yellow Submarine, Sven, Lena, Ole

This new planting will for sure include the lastest in the Knockout Series. Here are some additional ones I was thinking of recommending. I would love to get your feedback and suggestions for additional roses- especially recommendations for those in the Drift Series or perhaps the landscape roses just being offered in the US from Kordes. I'll pass your comments along to Dr. George. Thank you!

Carefree Marvel, Carefree Celebration, Carefree Delight, Surrey (aka Sommerwind by Kordes), Oso Easy Strawberry Crush, Oso Easy Paprika, Oso Easy Peachy Cream, Oso Easy Fragrant Spreader, Island Dancer, Golden Eye, Carefree Sunshine, My Hero, Heritage, Home Run, Red Cascade, White Dawn, Astrid Lingren, Baby Love, Winnipeg Parks, Martha's Vinyard, Frau Dagmar Hartopp, Moje Hammarberg, Marie Bugnet, Macy's Pride, Robin Hood, Morning Magic, Winners Circle, Belle Poitevine

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Comments (11)

mike_rivers
16 years ago
Among the cultivars to test in zone 3-5, insist that 'Pink Pet' aka 'Caldwell Pink', be included. I believe this rose is already included in the Earthkind Series but its remarkable cold-hardiness has not been widely recognized.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
16 years ago
There aren't nearly enough Explorers on this list. Captain Samuel Holland, Jens Munk and Henry Hudson should all be included. The Explorer rugosas are more hybrid so less fussy than true rugosas.

If Darlow's Enigma isn't on some list, it absolutely should be.

The only 'landscaping' rose that I've heard good things about locally is Alba Meidilland.

Right now a rose I'm becoming quite impressed with is Karl Forster.

Some sort of attention really should be paid to once bloomers.
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Dollsandroses, I see on HelpMeFind that Julia is very highly rated by members. America has been a rose I noticed a long time ago and have always liked it, I will look into those two, thanks. Maureen, thanks for sharing the results of your own research. There is a lot of information out there and it certainly takes time to sort through it all, so I appreciate it. It is helpful to get a reality check. You don't want to be chasing after something that doesn't exist. Yes, I guess I would love to have something that keeps blooming until frost but I realize that there really isn't one rose that has all those qualities, but I figured it never hurts to ask. [g] I haven't spent much time over at Antiques but I plan to. I've heard of Quadra and I have seen photos Mme Plantier that I really like. Marchesa Bochella such a pretty name. I will check these out, thanks. York Rose, I think I'm going to have to do more research on the climber. I didn't realize New Dawn had a silvery sheen, never having seen it in person, Thanks. Rugosas, I would love if I were by the beach, but in my small garden, I have found shrubs that sucker to be difficult for me to deal with. I vacationed in a beach community as a child and loved the beach roses! I have had my eye on that Stanwell Perpetual and I didn't realize it repeats...I am going to have to take a good look at that, thanks, I would have zoomed past that one. It would seem the New Dawn has it's fans and then those who describe it as a monster...lol. I've heard that before lesmc. I'm still trying to make up my mind about it. Interesting that there might be different plants out there behaving differently. Consensus on the mild fragrance though. veilchen, I wish I had a wild corner on my property where I could fit some rugosas and just let them go. I have been reading lots of raves about New Dawn so it's good to hear the other side of it to get a clear picture. Thanks. You said 'mine is very vigorous'....did you mean you have the 'Teasing Georgia'? So it would seem that giving up the repeat bloom might allow me to have the rest of what I want. Maybe I can find something that repeats that I could compromise on the other traits to keep something in bloom. I like the albas. Good to know FParmentier is vigorous as well as pretty. Thanks for all the specific information, I'll keep editing my list. :-)
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It gets plenty hot here in the summer, over 100 degrees f. is not uncommon, and rugosas seem to like it just fine. I'm pretty miserly with the water too. Only one of my rugosas is a poor performer, Mme Georges Bruant, and not surprisingly she has a tea parent, the real Mlle de Sombreuil (Mme Georges Bruant was produced in 1887 before Mlle de Sombreuil became confused in commerce). She takes after the tea part of her heritage in wanting lots of water and badly mildewing. So I think it depends on the rugosa. Those that are mostly rugosa, or that favor their rugosa genes, like leaner, sandier soils and are pretty drought tolerant. The ones that are crosses with less drought tolerant roses may perform more like the other rose(s) in the cross even if they have the outward appearance of a rugosa. Melissa
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You have my sympathies with RRD! Been there. (Actually, more accurately: being there right now...) #1. I recently had to find the answer to question #1 for myself. The answer I received indicated that 99.99% of the time, one year is long enough to wait for replanting in the same spot as far as coming down with RRD again goes, because if the infected rose is going to regenerate from its infected roots, it will almost surely do so within a year. If it does regenerate from its infected roots, of course, any mites in the area would have the capability of passing the infection to the newly planted rose. You don't necessarily have to wait a year, but you are taking a greater risk if you don't wait that long. I'm going to wait a year. #2. I'm not sure about the answer to #2, except that I know the answer is unrelated to Rose Rosette Disease. The potential reason to avoid using the same hole would be a concern for Rose Replant Disease, which sometimes (or maybe even frequently) does occur in England. I don't know whether it happens on this continent or not, or if it does happen whether it happens frequently enough to worry about. If it were actually sometimes a problem here too, two years would be long enough to wait on replanting in the very same hole. But along a fence, you probably could just easily move the new hole over a bit anyway, right? #3. My Cornelia Hybrid Musk, before succumbing to RRD, liked to throw out extremly long canes that were beautifully flexible and had a zillion little stems with buds on them. So I think Cornelia would be nice on a fence, and it's as beautiful a rose as you can imagine. It's also likely to have fewer disease issues than Golden Showers for most people. (However, it appears that you were quite lucky with Golden Showers there, so maybe you might want to think "Don't fix what ain't broke!") Lots of Hybrid Musks might work. Some: Wilhelm, Prosperity, Bubble Bath, Lavender Lassie. Some other possibilities (that I don't have experience with, but have seen recommended by others): Felix Leclerc, Soaring Spirits, Goldfinch, Rosarium Uetersen (Seminole Wind), Abraham Darby. I do have (a new) Climbing Iceberg and that might work well for you, even though it can get blackspot. New Dawn is supposed to be easy to grow, though it does have more thorns than some other choices. Mortimer Sackler ought to work well, as long as you don't count on too much distance (lovely, fragrant, low thorns, healthy). I'll enclose the link to Help Me Find's website so you can search on whatever varieties you might be interested in. Best wishes, Mary Here is a link that might be useful: HelpMeFind rose search
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Laura, Thanks for the info on 'Crescendo' and S&W. I've often ordered from that supplier & have always been pleased with their product. They are, however, "middle men" and purchase all their roses from wholesalers like Weeks and the now defunct J&P. Viewing the small, leafed-out plants visible in the photo I linked to above, and considering the fact that S&W is offering the rose only as a container grown plant, I'm led to strongly suspect that J&P was planning to market this rose only as one of its 'New Generation' (own-root) series, & that's probably what S&W is offering. IMHO, if true, that's not good news. I've been underwhelmed with other 'New Generation' plants -- 'Pope John Paul II' and 'Sedona', for example, are two very promising roses that would probably perform much better if grafted. PJPII recently became available on Fortuniana. I'll wager that on that rootstock it will be vastly superior to the wimpy 'New Generation' plants that I'm coaxing along. Unfortunately, Fortuniana is not an option for me.
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anntn6b
16 years ago
A quick huzza for Karl Forster which seems to be a totally healthy grower in my (considerably warmer than Mad Gallica's) garden.
Also Alba Meidiland (being sure that it is Alba and not White Meidiland, a different rose)
The Gift belongs somewhere here.
sc_gardener
16 years ago
For the record, here in IL, winnipeg parks was not the healthiest rose I had. Nice rose though.

My vote: "Valentine" - this is hands down the workhouse rose, I have done no spray for the last 2 years. It is hardy and blooms non-stop. No mildew - which in my area for a dark red will usually be a problem. And no blackspot - not a big problem here anyway.

Glad to see "carefree beauty" on there - as that is my 2nd easiest rose.
sc_gardener
16 years ago
Oh yeah, others: Floradora - shrugs off disease, like the chamblees site says. Not the greatest of rebloom, but very healthy and hardy.
Ma perkins
White ma perkins
dan_keil_cr Keil
16 years ago
How about Rosa rugosa Alba and Rosa rugosa Rubra. I live in Illinois. I never have any thing on my leaves and I don't do any thing for them in the winter cause they are winter hardy
barbarag_happy
16 years ago
Kordes shrubs Erfurt, Sparrieshoop, Westerland, Toscana Vigorosa, Lions-Rose, Petticoat, and Pink Bassino. Clements Morning Has Broken. Lyda Rose. Some of these have the European ADR designation which is a hopeful sign that they might meet Earthkind standards.
barbarag_happy
16 years ago
Mike, thanks a MILLION for feedback on the hardiness of Caldwell Pink (aka Pink Pet). I'm sending it to my sister in Ohio soon as the weather breaks. I won't tell her about the fall color, I'll let that be a surprise come October...
donnaz5
16 years ago
I'd like to see some more climbers on the list..among my favorites are 'Pinata', 'Autumn Sunset', and new to me last spring..'Cl. Candyland'..just flew out of the ground and bloomed like crazy, strong disease free canes.
ceterum
16 years ago
I agree with Donna re climbers. in the north their hardines should be considered; in the south their resistance to blackspot. In the second category (climbers for the south) Crepuscule, Jaune Desprez, Prosperity, Colette, Papi Delbard and Laguna worth testing.

In the shrub rose category I recommend for testing Belle Epoque (Fryer), Floral fairy tale (Kordes), Folksinger (if it isn't already included), Irish Hope. In my garden these roses have either zero blackspor or minimal but Certaubly are better then Duchesse de Brabant.

As always, YMMV.
david_zlesak
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you everyone for your great suggestions. I'll pass them along to Dr. George. Hopefully the Earthkind trials and efforts will help to highlight more and more great roses through replicated trials and data that do well for people without extrodinary care.

Sincerely,
David

Rose suggestions for new EarthkindTM rose trial

Comments (11)

mike_rivers

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

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Rose suggestions for new EarthkindTM rose trial

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