Avalon,

Where are you looking to purchase these rose on Fortuniana rootstock?

I have two Bellaromas and I've never had much luck getting it to grow healthy. The flower is beautiful but the plant is very sickly. I don't think it appreciates our hot weather. The first Bella-Roma I purchase was own root. It survived in a pot for a while and finaly succumbed to a horrid attack of blackspot.

Adrian.

Avalon,

Where are you looking to purchase these rose on Fortuniana rootstock?

I have two Bellaromas and I've never had much luck getting it to grow healthy. The flower is beautiful but the plant is very sickly. I don't think it appreciates our hot weather. The first Bella-Roma I purchase was own root. It survived in a pot for a while and finaly succumbed to a horrid attack of blackspot.

Adrian.

Interesting to hear that others have problems w/ Bellaroma. I have had three Bellas:
#1: Merrgro sale purchase, didn't survive the winter
#2 Prepotted JP rose, was sickly and died
#3 Alive now but barely, and sickly looking, but also has a bad bout of Roundup damage.

I love the rose but GEEZ I have had rotten luck w/ it!

There are 3 Bellaromas in a nearby church garden that are spectacular (like all the other roses in this garden, that is cared for by rose experts.) Anyway, they are huge, and and have loads of huge healthy flowers, so I know this is a good rose, at least where I live. I bought one that did well in a pot the first year, but it got frost damage during spring freeze and thaw cycles. I planted it in the ground, and it shows signs of recovering, but it hasnt taken off just yet. I am hopeful!

Well, that's disappointing. I really like the pictures of Bellaroma, but it sounds like it wants chill hours, and I can't give it that.

Adrian, if I find a source for any of the roses in question on Fort, I'll post it and let you know.

re. BR: I'm in so. Ca. ( no chill time here) and had to SP it after 2 years. As the others have experienced....lovely looking and smelling, but sick acting :>(

I grow Summer of Love, Malibu, and Dream Come True.
All three of them have been good roses for me so far. Summer of Love and Malibu are just second year bushes for me. I got them as part of last years J&P Hybrid Tea Test Rose Panel. Both did quite nicely for me. Some people had trouble with bullnose blooms on Malibu, but my flowers opened with no problems. I wondered if it is the environment they are growing in. These two overwintered in my unheated garage in their respective pots and I transplanted them both into the garden early this Spring. They seem to like where they are as they are breaking dormancy well and really putting on new canes and lots of good foliage.
Dream Come True has the best bush of the three and maybe in my whole garden. It grows to a nice rounded full-foliaged shape without me having to prune it that way. And, the flowers are quite nice as well. I bought it already potted up from a nursery two years ago and transplanted it directly into the garden and it does well even over the winter with no added protection.
John

This is my 2nd year with Dream Come True. Last year I bought it in early fall, and it had been badly neglected at the nursery (many dead and burned canes). I had only one damaged flower. So far this year, it's in great shape and has grown into a beautiful upright bush with abundant foliage. Too early to speak of bloom because it has not formed many buds yet. As mentioned by John, Dream Come True is the best bush in the garden. I can't wait to see the large dramatic flowers.

I have pretty cold winters up in the Sierras and I doubt if there's any relation to chill factor. My BELL'AROMA is probably 6yrs old, and I think I've seen maybe 2 blooms so far. Not a very good grower or bloomer. The other 3 roses I got last yr, and none of them did a whole lot their first yr. SOL and MALIBU were test roses, and seem to remember SOL being the best of the bunch. Still no blooms on any of these yet this season, but I expect to see some soon.

Can't take any more Bella Roma bashing, esp. regarding its heat tolerance. In my central Texas garden (read "hotter than h___) Bella is one of my very best HT's. It is tall, upright, vigorous, and frequently covered in the MOST divinely fragrant blooms, located in a bed that gets full sun all day. It's not my favorite rose by any means, but it is a great performer. Yes, it gets BS but just an average amount for my area. I never planned to buy this rose til I walked past an open bloom on a bush at Calloways a few years ago. I was hooked.

In fairness: it is thrip prone, and the blooms fall off in a lump. But definitely a good rose to consider.

Margaret

I purchased an own root Dream Come True from Roses Unlimited this year and potted it up in about a two gallon size container less than two months ago. It is extremely healthy and needs to be potted up to a larger pot already. I haven't sprayed it at all. I think it's going to be a keeper.

Sandy

Hi Sandy- I'm glad to hear that DCT is doing well. It's good that at least one rose on my JP wish list will make it here.

Thanks to everyone who responded - it looks like Dream Come True is the healthiest of the 4 that I was considering, so DCT it is. I have to wait until I'm allowed more "rose money" 'cause I've been very bad this year - my last Vintage order was kinda excessive...

Avalon