Not in your zone, but this group at the Huntington looked super!

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Sure, whatever.

Lawdy Miss Clawdy--that is one heck of a rose! Party time! LOL

Kate

I can see how you thought the flowers were similar to CP. The shape is very similar. Nice picture hoovb! Lucky you being there at just the right time to get it.

It looked like a rose you would get from the florist. I need to do some more research on how well it will do in my zone. I still have a little of my birthday money left but second rose bed is full. If it works out, I'll find a place.

I LOVE my Marti Gras. So many colors in the blooms, and at times they look almost translucient. Gorgeous!

Love my Mardi Gras. I bought one bareroot from Jackson and Perkins late last summer and it made it through our Michigan winter (it did have winter die back) but it is alive and has new growth. The colors seem to be always changing. Can't find a picture now but it is a beauty.

Andrea

Mine does great here in Zone 5 without winter protection. I adore the bright, festive colors in the summer sun. 'Mardi Gras' has been in the ground for 4 years now and is a strong, robust grower. Even with temps down to zero this year, only had to do minimal spring pruning. It's about 4' tall now.

Mardi Gras is a lovely bright spot in my garden. Not as prolific a bloomer as hoov's though! It winters well for me and has fair disease resistance. It's a little brighter and more orange than the pink of Chicago Peace I think.

Thanks guys, this has been very helpful. This rose must not be very popular in my area, the only person who I could find close to my zone was in Colorado. However, she had a mild winter so wasn't sure how it would do during a "normal" winter. Looks like Mardi Gras is moving in.

I was invited to dinner last Sunday at a friend's home. She grows a few roses - the star of the show was Mardi Gras. It got the same care as the others, but it was bigger, healthier and had more flowers than any of the others. Wonder if this is a quality of this rose? Made me want to go right out and buy one.

Ah - found some photos:

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Went to Lowe's on Sunday and almost had a heart attack as I could not find Mardi Gras. After five minutes of panic searching, I found several on a cart near the mulch. I grabbed one and then found out at the register, that they were a $1 off. I planted it today along with Gold Glow.

hi Mori!
I'm a bit south of you, but my Mardi Gras sails through the wicked Kansas weather without any problems!
I put it next to Cinco de Mayo and Easy Does It and they make a nice combination.
I'm happy to see you bought it.
The Lowes near me got in a good assortment for mother's day, but sadly, many of them were mislabeled! About half had "Queen Elizabeth" tags, but they were red or orange. They looked real healthy, though. Even the minis said Queen Elizabeth. ;-)

No Queen Elizabeth but they have Playboy and several others whose names I can't right now. I think I even saw one labeled Dick Clark but that could have been at Westlake Ace.

ooh..the Westlake Ace stores had wonderful, wonderful mini roses this weekend. I bought 8 different ones in 4" pots for 3.99 each. I don't think their names are accurate, though, because I'm not having much luck looking them up. I really want to know their eventual size so I don't lose them in a petunia or something!
Sutherlands in Olathe had Drift roses on sale for 8.98. Several of those followed me home too.
I'm saving the ad to use at the Lowes here since they have Sweet Drift, which is a pretty pink and white blend.

Its strange, I think only Lowe's carried a few minis, now they are everywhere, except HD. At Westlake, I usually wait for there 75% sale.

"So, I was hanging out at Lowes.."

That wording has tickled me every time I check the forum. I imagine skulking about in a tee shirt with a pack of cigs rolled up the sleeve, shifty eyes roving over the rose tables, furtive digging through the sale plant racks, snatching a body-bag that has signs of life, digging through pockets to rake up enough change to support yet another *fix* to a hopeless habit...

This post was edited by bluegirl on Tue, May 14, 13 at 23:41

Let me put it this way. The ones that work out in the garden center know who I am.

And I know what days their plant trucks arrive.

I just started a Mardi Gras this season. I hope it'll do half as well as yours! I've gotten a few pretty, small blooms (which I pinched off to encourage it) and so far, so good. It's getting a nice-sized bud now, which I think I'll leave.

And I want to go hang out at your Lowe's!

Well I'm so hopeless that just reading about hanging out at Lowes made me hop in the car to see what our store has on clearance. aaack!
I came home with 9 new plants, spent $13.
They had the 3 gallon Weigela marked down to $3! We're getting a bonus cool wave with rain this week, so I don't feel so bad buying them. For some ridiculous reason, the roses are back up to full price.
I had not been in there for at least 2 weeks, surprised they didn't call and say they missed me! ;-)

Well, I haven't missed a week but I've to buy stuff like dirt and manure since I have tear up all my garden beds. So far there hasn't been a lot on the discount rack. I swear people are cleaning it out before I get there. Not that I have much spending money just got two slow growing maple trees for $55.

So, I was hangin' at Lowe's yesterday...

and there I found Royalty, Olympiad, JFK, Gold Medal, Heirloom, Sundowner and a couple of others. I ended up buying Gold Medal, Heirloom, JFK and the best deal was Oregold on clearance at four dollars. I got my rose fix for the week and was all smiles when I left!

I gave my Heirloom to my Mother-in-law. Is it a goodie??

The Lowe's here, is practically bare.

I was once yelled at for approaching a truck before it had been inventoried and unloaded at a garden center. I am one step away from sleeping in the car the night before a delivery or a SALE!

My Mardi Gras overwinters fine here, and I have gotten lots of pretty blooms this year. I grow in-container; I'd imagine since she does well in there in my zone, she'd be OK in yours as well.