Yours doesn't cut well? It doesn't last in the vase, you mean? I cut some this morning, and so far it is doing well. It's not drooping or losing petals. Check out my 'bouquet' thread for a couple pics.

Mine was bareroot this Spring...it's everything I hoped it would be!

athena, are you sure we have the same Ebb Tide, lol? This morning my "old" bloom on the spray had adropped a couple petals, but the new bloom was still fresh and firm, and the buds on the spray have started opening.

If I remember right your plant doesn't behave the same way in the gorund as mine, either.

(I have Intrigue, too. LOVE it! Second flush is ready to pop any day now.)

There are also alot of little tricks to improving the longevity of cut flowers. Pick roses as they are just starting to open for one. Pick in the early morning, use WARM water in the jar, almost hot. Some use a drop of bleach in the water, others drop a penny in. I knew a lady who put a bit of soda pop (coke or 7up, can't remember) in the water, saying the sugar helped.
Recutting stems and changing water every couple days helps too. Make sure no leaves are under the water or they will rot and shorten the life of the flowers. Some stuff to try anyway.
I have hears so many things about Ebb Tide, both good and so-so that I am debating wether or not I want to get it next year. Mine would be in a pot like all the others.

triple_b, I LOVE the flowers that are popping out of this plant. Of course, it hasn't been through Winter yet and I have no idea what it will look like when it's grown-up.

I'm on my 2nd year with Ebb Tide. It survived the winter fine with protection. Mine has a lovely lemony scent and it doesn't last long in a vase for me either. But it is a great addition to my garden with many beautiful purple blooms.

A good purple rose for cuttings is Melody Parfume. It is not as deep purple as Ebb Tide though. I would describe it as a "Barney" purple that fades to a pale lavendar. It has a wonderful scent too. Here, it is susceptible to black spot though:( For some reason, it seems that a lot of lavendar roses have BS problems? melanie

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your comments. I LOVE MY EBB TIDE - don't get me wrong. But it is just not what I ideally view a cut flower to be. it does not have very sturdy stem, and the massive flush of blooms - makes it seem like a waste to cut if only 1 or 2 are in bloom on a stem! Whoever said they do not have fragrance must have lost their sense of smell! They are DELICIOUS!

Anyway Athena, I am not a hard core organic gardener. I prefer not to use chemicals - and the other 50% is I am LAZY and do not have much time! So Ebb Tide has been like a low maintenace perennial thus far! Hmmmmmmmmm,

maybe I need to look for a color OTHER than purple that is very Dis Res and requires minimal attention.......

Maybe a complmentary PINK or WHITE?

Anyone?

Oh, I feel the same way Madsud. I don't like spraying chemicals and I'm really lazy. But I love my roses including the blackspotted mess that is Peace, so I spray the Bayer Disease Control every two or three weeks.

Greenhaven, I'm jealous your Ebb Tide lasts longer in a vase. Maybe it is because you cut a whole spray. I've been cutting the single blooms. I've got an Ikebana vase that I put the really short stemmed roses in. I'd take a picture so you can see what mine looks like as a bush, but it looks pretty bad right now as one of the big canes fell over a few weeks ago in the storm. It looks like a third of the bush is laying on the ground right now.

I don't know why, but my Ebb Tide has never had much of a scent. It might just be me though.

"I don't know why, but my Ebb Tide has never had much of a scent. It might just be me though. "
***********************

Well, there's one way to know...do you have other 'smelly' roses in your garden?

Maybe the vase longevity is because of the spray. I don't know why that would be. I did cut the main 'old' bloom off the spray today it was already a few days old when I cut it. The other buds are opening right up; one bloom is fully opened, and is not fading to that deep purple.

Nothing in the vase is lasting as long as my Rose de Rescht, however.

Madsud, now there (Rose de Rescht) is a tough, gorgeous, super-smelly rose for you. Mine survived three years all on it's own under a tree, with no winter protection. Also a very nice deep pink, might even be classified a 'mauve.' Funny, the blooms last longer in the vase then they do on the bush!

I can smell my other roses without problem. Jude the Obscure, Intrigue, Sunsprite, Moondance, etc... all have very nice scents. Actually, my Black Magic which is normally scentless even has bit of a scent this year. I think I need to ask some other people to smell Ebb Tide for me but unfortunately, most of my rose garden visitors came last week and I didn't think to ask them to smell that one.

Can you get Love Potion or Purple Passion? Both of them are very fragrant and hold well in a vase. Although my Purple Passion died after 6 years, it was a very good rose during that time. Most mauves have a tough time with the intense long heatwaves we get here in the desert unless they get some kind of afternoon shade. However my Melody Parfumee is still going strong after 7-8 years as is Love Potion.

A rose I was looking at for the coming year is International Herald Tribune, a shrub. Didn't think it had much of a scent, though. Maybe somebody else has it and can confirm.

I would recommend Rugosa roses. They are very hardy, are allergic to chemicals and generally are very fragrant. JBs love em too unfortunately. Usually, deep purple roses kinda suck for disease and bugs. I do enjoy my Outta The Blue,since I spray, I can't comment on disease resistance

Dont know about cutting but I love my Purple Heart. Wild Blue Yonder is nice too.