Brother Jerome, I love Safrano. It was one of my very first roses, from Mr. Moore's Sequoia Nursery. It came in a 3 inch pot, and I almost fainted when I saw it. I grew is out and it lives in the wind and the fog in Mill Valley, has produced a seedling within itself (a once-blooming, semi-double cream climber, btw), and it never fails to have blooms. I found that in my conditions, I essentially leave it alone. It isn't as large as it will be in your garden, with all that sun and heat. I've seen an old plant in San Rafael that is about 6 feet tall. The buds and blooms appear out of nowhere. Terrific rose. Be patient with it.

Oh yes, I love Safrano. It was one of my first teas and really got me interested in the class. Safrano is one of the first roses to bloom and is never without them throughout the season. The blooms look like fine pearls to me. Like Cass said, be patient with it but the wait is well worth it.

Jerome, I love my Safrano! First, because it is healthy, healthy, healthy; second, because it blooms all year and last, but not least, the new foliage in the spring is a beautiful burgundy. Thank goodness I listened to Jeri a couple of years ago warning that teas can be a little slow in "getting going". The wait was worth it. Oh, BTW my safrano is approx 6x6 and was grown from a cutting 4 years ago.
molly

In the south Safrano is an excellent landscape rose -- nice bushy form with lots of small branches, no disco arms, plenty of foliage, new foliage is a dramatic plum color, quick rebloom, exceptional BS resistance. The individual blooms are on the smallish side, semi-double: nice but not va-va-voom in the Cochet way. Winter die back is an issue.

I like Safrano and one that compares to it, but hits the ground running faster and but has a similar growth habit is Faith Whittlesey.

All of what you said has made me happy. I am going to do a mapquest search on San Rafael, because I am visiting a friend in Sausalito either in May or August...and I want to go see S. Juan Bautista, and where is that Heritage Cemetery place you are all always talking about?

I am in a rush now, so don't have time to personally thank all of you for your responses. What lovely people on this forum. Glad I ordered Safrano. And really excited about Blush Noisette too.

More later.

J

J, I went to buy a clematis and came home with Reve d'Or. How do you grow yours? I've read it can be a free standing bush as well as a climber. Would you be able to post any pictures of yours?

I don't have a Safrano, more's the pity. I love WRS also. Carolfm's pictures suckered me into that one ...

Jerome, Sausalito is 5 minutes from our workweek place in Mill Valley, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Rafael is 10 minutes further north. Hope you can come in May. The roses are glorious in May. The Sacramento Old City Cemetery is 150 miles east, in Sacramento. Let me know if you're coming and maybe we can do some rosing. Vintage Gardens has open gardens every weekend in May. It is not to be missed.

Dear duchesse...I plan to grow Reve as a big big freestanding thing. I will give it a little support if needed, but I am not putting it on a structure or a fence. Thing is...mine are very small and not growing much except for the one down over the grotto. The other two, in the bed by the dining hall are not growing, and are about 6" tall. A picture of that, with a "little monster" geranium next to, dwarfing it, would be too ridiculous. Just hope that they grow and I'll post pictures later.

Cass, I would love to come in May, but I have the choir concert (for which I need to practice some Brahms and Rachmaninoff accompaniments that I am not ready for) and graduation to worry about. It would have to be after the 28th, unless I can get out of that.

I like northern California very much. I'll keep in touch by e-mail.

Jerome