Hi Daisy: Last year we had temp. above 100 F, or 38 Celsius, plus 3-months drought which killed 2 of my decade-old trees. The ones that bloomed well in full sun, dry heat, rock-hard alkaline clay & hard-well water pH 8 and retain their great scents were: Meilland Firefighter (Hacienda) with at least 40 blooms per flush. Next is Romantica Liv Tyler, floribunda Honey Bouquet (really small), and Romantica floribunda Bolero.

My Austins either fried in partial shade (plus lost their scents), or shut down during dry heat. Musks like Annie and Marie Pavie also shut down. I checked on Neptune rose, saw someone commented that it fried in the heat .. so that person plants only Romanticas, Delbard, and Kordes instead.

My Kordes Deep Purple floribunda bloomed at 100 degrees, but lost its scent. Delbard is great ... Khalid in Parkistan at 113 F, or 45 Celsius, posted Delbard roses looking fantastic at such high heat. Romanticas are my favorites, since the scent is great even during 100 degrees. Below is Liv Tyler at above 90 F, or 32 Celsius ... that's when I had to water twice a day.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 12:20

I forget Romantica Sweet Promise, bloomed well in full sun at 100 degrees, no frying, no fading, and the scent is refreshing like apple blossoms. Blooms last long on the bush, and make great cut flowers. As own-roots Romanticas spread out, so they look more like a shrub, rather than skinny hybrid teas.

Below is Romantica Sweet Promise with 40+ buds, has a higher need for calcium and potassium for its thick petals and thick leaves. See link for French Delbard roses Perfume Collection with pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: French Delbard roses Perfume collection

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 13:07

Heritage and Jude the Obscure seem to enjoy my very hot, humid climate. We are in the full swing of summer and temps have been hovering around the upper 90s for weeks now. Thankfully we've had some summer showers that have refreshed the life out here on the Great Plains.

Daisyincrete,

May I ask where you were able to purchase Annie Laurie McDowell; if it was in the U.S.?

Lynn

Dry heat or wet/humid heat ? My star performers in dry heat would be dawgs in moist heat even tho' the temps were the same.

Smiles,
Lyn

Strawberryhill,

Everytime I see your Liv Tyler I forget why I have taken it off my rose list and it goes back on... What a beautiful rose. We both have alkaline soil that is amended, but my soil is sandy and I deal with more heat that is dry. What has the growth been like for you? Have you made any special adjustments? If growing Liv Tyler will only require a small 'push" in my growing conditions I will have to go for it.

Lynn

Hi Lynn (desertgarden): When I first bought Liv Tyler I grew in MiracleGro MC (blue bag) ... that has plenty of nitrogen already .... too much leaves. I was foolish and gave NPK 10-5-4, Liv Tyler was stingy the 1st year.

The 2nd year I use zero nitrogen, but give it soluble gypsum, potassium (sulfate of potash), and soluble phosphorus (via horse manure) .... at least 40+ blooms per flush. Liv Tyler is a bushy-shrub growth habit, less nitrogen, the better. It needs lots of calcium and potassium to make those thick petals. It hates acid, leaves became wilted when I gave it sulfur.

I would mix a bag of potting soil with your sand for better moisture retention. If you use MG moisture control, then add gypsum to the planting hole. For fertilizer, use zero nitrogen, horse manure is great. If you want more blooms, use soluble NPK 10-52-10, plus extra potassium and calcium. I put extra potassium via sulfate of potash, it worked, except for salt index of 43, won't recommend that, since the below approach is much better.

The chopped-up banana peels soaked in water does wonder, banana peels has NPK 0-3-42, I added unsulphured blackstrap molasses (mixed with a bit of vinegar) and let it soak overnight. Molasses is high in potassium, calcium, iron, plus all trace elements. Then I add soluble gypsum to balance out the high potassium.

I pinched off 5 buds from Stephen Big Purple, and it grew another 5 buds (bought as a band mid-April). Last month I gave up on Duchess de Rohan, thinking that it's a once-bloomer, now I saw buds (bought from RU end of June).

Below is a bouquet of roses that bloomed at 100 degrees heat: Firefighter (red) .. one bloom perfumes the entire room. Honey Bouquet (yellow) ... the hotter it gets, the more it smells like honey and musk. Pink is Liv Tyler. Bolero is white ...it's my best scent, and most drought-tolerant (planted next to a tree). Versigny is orange.

See link below for info. regarding banana-molasses-vinegar added to my tap water, pH 8, to stimulate growth:

Here is a link that might be useful: Soluble molasses and banana peels for roses

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 12:00

it's doubtful that anyone here is interested in hybrid teas, but, by sheer chance, I happened upon one that performs very well in my torrid garden: 'Marijke Koopman' (all the more surprising to me because MK is the creation of an English hybridizer).

MK has had considerable success as an exhibition rose. In my garden, however, it produces blooms that are NEVER noteworthy -- but it produces them exuberantly all season long, and from the base of the plant to its tip.

Early on, I concluded that MK is a rose best viewed from a distance, so that's where she now resides -- three splashes of constant colour way back there by the potting shed.

Windeaux,

I grew Marijke Koopman years ago. It was able to take afternoon heat during the summers here in Las Vegas and actually thrived.

Strawberryhill, thank you for providing information regarding all of your beautiful roses. There are some hybrid teas that I continue to grow that are quite beautiful, similar to other members on this forum. I tend to use them now for specific locations and may have a perfect spot for Liv Tyler:)
Btw. The soil here overall tends to be high in gypsum/calcium. It seems that everything else important is absent (NPK ETC.)

I continue to be open; which in large part initiated my gravitatation toward the growth, fragrance, and form that I rarely find in the hybrid teas, which OGR's and Austin's seem to have an abundance of.

Lynn

This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 1:40

Hi Lynn: Below is a bush shot of Liv Tyler, the dark-green bush behind the light green one. Picture taken in late fall, after a light frost. It's very bushy more like a tall floribunda. Liv Tyler bush is upright, compact, and better-shaped than all my Austins.

Evelyn does well in extreme dry heat, but the bush is messy, takes twice the space. Evelyn's scent is great in hot temp.

I agree with you that granular gypsum doesn't work with my limestone clay, pH 7.7. I put that stuff around my new roses, no result. But when I put soluble gypsum bought from Kelp4Less, which dissolved easily in my tap water, pH 8 .... roses put forth new growth and buds. I suspect that the soluble from Kelp4Less has more % of sulfur, which releases calcium for immediate uptake by plants.

Everything works better in SOLUBLE form in my rock-hard alkaline clay. I put organics like bone meal, alfalfa meal, etc... they all gunk up on top, can't pass through my heavy clay. One study showed granular phosphorus mobility is a 1, it moved only 1 inch down when applied on top of loamy soil. In my case of heavy clay, none!

That's why I use soluble MG Bloom Booster NPK 10-52-10 with good results, many buds from my new roses bought end of June. My limestone clay is tested less available in phosphorus, potassium, and barely adequate in calcium. Never mind that I'm next to a limestone quarry. In my alkaline clay, phosphorus is bound up with calcium and magnesium. Potassium is also tied up.

Many of my roses have weathered our extreme dry heat well (since June 28, it's been 98-113 almost everyday until today at 95; then back up to 99 tomorrow). As far as Austins go, I think Golden Celebration has been the best, but my babies are looking good: Munstead Wood, in the ground a week before the heat struck, and been blooming steadily since; Princess Alexandra of Kent a year old and going like a house afire. I think these two, in particular will be winners for me in the heat. Others have shut down except for a few blooms here and there. I have to say, though, that the winner of the heat sweepstakes this year, as always, are my stalwarts, my two Julias (Child). Here is a bloom from July 27 at 102 degrees. Diane

Wow! Diane, I thought it's Golden Celebration. So beautiful. What a lovely yellow color. That's the best pic. of Julia Child, VERY PRETTY.

Thanks so much for the comments on my Julias, strawb. They are actually much wider than GC and just as tall. Here's a pic of the two rose bushes, one on each side of the sidewalk, also in July. This was just before they broke out in a total spring type flush, and are now completely covered in blooms. Diane

Thank you, Diane, for bush-shot of Julia Child. Yours are nicer than the rose park ... I saw Julia Child during cold fall, and also after 100 degrees heat. She looked best during the heat wave.

I take back what I wrote about Kordes rose, Deep Purple floribunda. I wrote that it lost its scent during 100 F, or 38 Celsius heat, true, but I didn't fertilize back then. Recently I gave it soluble NPK 10-52-10 with trace elements, the scent is so STRONG that one bloom made my kitchen spicy clove. But when I stuck my nose into the bloom, it's great old-rose and clove, much better than its wafting scent.

Below is a bouquet of blue "Rose of Sharon", yellow "Golden Celebration", purple "Deep Purple", and pink "Francis Blaise". Deep Purple gets more blue if I give it horse manure (which I haven't). Francis Blaise is my most heavy bloomer in dry heat, besides Bolero.

Francis Blaise's scent is green apple when it's hot, and changes to myrrh when it's cold. Deep Purple bloom lasts 5 days in the vase, and 2 weeks on the bush. Beautiful floribunda, compact, almost thornless ... I wish I have another one!

Beautiful bouquet of my favorite colors, strawb. My entire garden is based on purple, lavender, yellow, and pink, with touches of blue and white and red with purple tones. I wasn't aware of Kordes rose Deep Purple. I love it and will check it out. Does it do well in the heat? As to the color of Golden Celebration (also excellent in the heat) versus Julia, here is a GC pic. GC is a soft yellow gold tone. This photo was taken July 15 in the heat. Diane

Hi Diane: That's a nice shade for Golden Cel. When I moved my Golden Cel. to partial shade, it becomes more yellow. Diane, after seeing your gorgeous pics. of Twilight Zone, I put that on my pre-order from Roses Unlimited.

Kordes Deep Purple was my best perfomer in last year drought at 100's ... the blooms didn't fry, fade, and lasted forever on the bush. I'm thinking about getting Kordes' Valencia, which has the reputation of long-lasting on the bush .. but I don't know about its thorns.

Deep Purple is very compact 1.5' x 1' in my zone 5a, so that would be 2.5' x 2' in a warmer climate. It prefers sandy/loamy soil, that's why dug it up, to fix my heavy clay. Deep Purple is almost thornless.

I also have Old Port floribunda, almost thornless ... but the color is too gaudy, and less scent. I killed my Heirloom hybrid tea, too gaudy & thorny, blooms didn't last in hot sun. It was in a pine-fines potting soil, recently I learn that pine is high in manganese, which makes the bloom darker

Lynn (desertgarden): You are right about your soil is already high in calcium (free chalk). When I put soluble gypsum (calcium sulfate) ... the growth was great, but it bleached out my blooms! Pink blooms become almost white, which reminds me of what Lynn said about Angel Face and others being very faded in Lynn's soil.

I'll repost the link on how to shift color to blue via aluminum sulfate. Below is Kordes Deep Purple floribunda last year with its 1st blooms ... less petals back then, very BS-resistant:

Here is a link that might be useful: How to change bloom's color

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 18:15

The Weeks rose White Licorice has done well in the heat and retains its scent. It is spicy+Myrrh not sweet or Damask. A good sweet damask type that likes my dry heat is Radox Bouquet. I took Strawberrys advice on Firefighter and agree that it is very good as well. One DA rose that has nice scent and blooms through the summer for me is The Shepherdess but I don't remember if the petals cook in the hottest weather. Getting any DA to repeat in summer is a win for me.

Hi Kitty: One rose that repeats way-better than any Austins is Francis Blaise. The disease-resistant is even better than Kordes, not a speck of BS. It's on Pat Henry's favorite list at Roses Unlimited.

It's the best myrrh-rose that anyone could ask for: compact, zero octopus-cane, constant-blooming like a floribunda, heat tolerant (bloomed at 100 degrees), good vase life. It's 2' x 2' in my zone 5a, which is 3' x 3' in a warmer zone. Below is Francis Blaise, non-stop blooming, many-petals:

Heres a bloom of Francis Blaise, which smells wonderful even when it's hot and dry:

Since I'm so impressed with Francis Blaise, I checked on other Guillot's performance: Paul Bocuse, Madame Paule Massad, and Versigny (I have it). Here are some comments:

On Madame Paule Massad, from Ingrid W. in HMF: "The plant currently has 19 clusters of buds with many opening blooms, and the foliage is immaculate, even though the roses around it are suffering from rust, blackspot and powdery mildew after this rainy and weird winter and spring weather in So. Cal. The fragrance is delightful."

On Paul Bocuse, from Jeri Jennings: "AH! I should have mentioned Paul Bocuse.... PB has earned his spot here by rarely being out of bloom, and always being disease-free here. (Mind, I have no clue as to blackspot.) If I still exhibited roses, I'd want to grow several of Paul Bocuse. Jeri"

I take Versigny over Crown Princess Mag. anytime. Versigny scent is pure heaven ... the petals are thick, and last long in the vase. This orange bloomed at 100 degrees last summer, the foliage is always clean, compact bush but a bit thorny:

Well! First I was away from my computer for a few days, then my computer stopped working and had to go into the shop to be mended. After what seems like forever, I have finally got it back.
You all have come up with some really good ideas and photos to help.
Straw, I love the look of the Delbard roses and the Guillot roses and the Romantica roses. I have been visiting their web sites. So many to choose from.
I love your Liv Tyler and Francis Blaise.
Nanodoll, Your Julia Child is exceptional. It definitely has the wow factor. I shall have to look out for that one.
Kittymoonbeam, I don't know if I will be able to find Weeks roses in Europe, but I can certainly find Radox Bouquet.
Lynn, my Annie Laurie McDowell is coming from Bierkreek in the Netherlands.
Lyn, The summer here in the Mediterranean is dry heat.
Ingrid, I keep wondering about La France and Bishops Castle. What is their rebloom like?.
I wanted to say a lot more about the roses you all have suggested, but now that I have got my computer back, the local internet service keeps breaking down. I have started to write this reply four times and have lost it each time.
Fingers crossed for this one.
Daisy

Glad you're back on the Forum, Daisy. I hope there are no more computer troubles for you.
I thought of a few more roses that I think have been good performers in our dry heat. You mentioned the Romanticas, and I like the way Frederic Mistral (very large rose) has been blooming away during our protracted extreme heat. The bloom color is very light pink, but it doesn't fade for me as much as I would expect. Princess Alexandra of Kent has been exceptional in growth and blooms, but is only a year old. I agree with you that Munstead Wood has lots of potential (mine is a baby). I can't remember if I posted that Golden Celebration has been another stalwart during the heat. It seems to do well for most everyone. Lastly, I'm still really loving my two Ascots, but they are very large. And I adore their fellow Tantau rose which is exquisite in bloom, blooming beautifully, and growing rapidly. It's a baby, too. Here's a photo of Frederic all mixed up with Jude the Obscure, very large, also, and a good bloomer. Diane

I love Diane's shot of those two together, and your Fred has many petals, very pretty. My Fred bloom is sloppy in the heat above 80, it's a 2nd year own-root, plus I moved it recently, might get better.

Evelyn is my favorite now, because her beauty takes my breath away. The scent is strong, even in dry heat at 100 degrees. Pictures taken today, August 7, in 86 degrees heat with 70% humidity:

Another bloom of Evelyn taken today at 86 degrees heat. I get continuous cut-flowers from Evelyn, since they open gradually, rather than all at once.

I am interested in buying Tchaikovski, a Romantica that Pat Henry in RU recommended ... she put "I smell fragrance" next to it ... Thanks in advance for any info. on Tchaikovski.

Evelyn is best as own-root, more compact. Bolero Floribunda, a Romantica, astound me with its compact bush beauty, and the blooms are great in the vase. It's very drought tolerant, planted next to tree, not a speck of disease. Scent is just as good as Frederic Mistral. Bolero is a child of Sharifa Asma.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Wed, Aug 7, 13 at 15:47

I love the photos you post of Evelyn, strawb, and I agree she is one of the most beautiful roses around. I now have four and one hasn't bloomed since spring, except for a coupleof blooms, and the other three just bloom sporadically, here and there. It's all because of tree shade and root competition. Do you have any suggestions for helping my Evelyns bloom a little more. I know it's a pretty much hopeless, unless I want to move them, but I don't have the room. Thanks for any help you can give. Sorry for going off topic. Diane

Hi Diane: I hope the info. helps .. best wishes to you.

I winter-protected Evelyn by dumping 2 bags of top soil, and she rooted all over ... the base became wider, more blooms. Since your Evelyn is next to a tree, dumping soil on top would help its branches to grow own-roots. A bit a sulfur mixed in helps, if you don't have rain (pH of rain is 5.6, slightly acid helps with rooting).

My Bolero is next to 2 trees. It's my most heavy bloomer. mulched with cocoa mulch, pH 5.6, NPK 3-1-4, with all trace elements. I watered it with soluble gypsum after it's done with a flush. Better than last year's horse manure.

My Evelyn gets horse manure, cocoa mulch and soluble gypsum, plus sulfate of potash (after a flush). Sufate of potash applied during a flush browns petals... ugly!

My peach and cherry trees were stingy for 5 years, then I used ACID-Lilly-Miller NPK 10-5-4 with instant phosphorus and chicken manure .... so much fruits ... HomeDepot sells Lilly Miller.

The Lilly-Miller for roses NPK is 5-8-4, 40% is chicken manure, no bone meal, but instant phosphorus, plus all trace elements. It's a good sub. for cocoa mulch/horse manure. Bone meal doesn't work if the pH is above neutral.

I tested Jobes 100% organic NPK 2-7-3 with ingredients similar to Rose Tone (feather meal, cottonmeal, bone meal, etc). Terrible result! Deep Purple sat there did nothing for 2.5 months. Then I gave it soluble gypsum plus sulfate of potash, and it sprouted new leaves, plus 6 buds. Soluble Gypsum sold for $8 for 5 lbs. at Kelp4Less, also sell soluble sulfate of potash, free shipping.

One approach: Lilly Miller for roses NPK 5-8-4 (with all trace elements) in cool/wet spring only, and soluble MiracleGro Bloom Booster NPK 10-52-10 (with all trace elements) at 1/2 dose for hot weather, plus soluble gypsum, and a tiny bit of sulfate of potash after a flush.

My fruit trees were stingy with 10-10-10 chemical fertilizer, so it must be the trace elements in the chicken manure of Lilly Miller, plus sulfur. See below link:

***** Below is extra reference info. *******

In fruit-development, and calcium & trace elements are recommended http://virtualorchard.net/win/99reports/99fruitreport60.html
More info. from the apple-site: "Boron aids calcium movement into fruit. Adequate boron is essential; excessive boron hastens apple maturity and increases fruit drop ... Low levels of Zinc are know to cause small fruit size especially in Red Delicious ... "

I'm more motivated to get horse manure, after finding out that it's high in chromium, nickel, iron, and aluminum (for blue color). Copper and zinc are high in swine and poultry manure (esp. turkey). See http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/docs/V2Gen1.pdf

Here is a link that might be useful: Lilly Miller versus Rose Tone

This post was edited by...

Ingrid mentions being able to smell Duchesse de Brabant and Mme. Joseph Schwartz, despite being unable to smell Teas. I have noticed that both those roses do not (to me) have the Tea rose fragrance, but smell more like Bourbons - a fragrance that is a bit "too much" for me. I know that fragrance is an individual thing, but I find it intriguing that a person who can't smell Teas can yet smell those two roses. I don't mean to imply that they aren't Teas, but I wonder about the roses in their ancestry. I hope I haven't gone off topic here!

organic tosca, you raise an interesting point, and I think it points up again that few roses have a "pure" ancestry. However, to me these two roses have a "lighter" fragrance than for instance the Bourbon, Souvenir de la Malmaison, a rose I love but whose fragrance I don't really appreciate.

Daisy, for me La France and Bishop's Castle both have good rebloom. Neither is a mature rose in my garden, especially La France, but even now I'm satisfied with rebloom. Since everything seems to flourish more in your garden than mine (perhaps the sea influence?), I would think they would be great roses for you. Both have a lovely fragrance to my nose.

Ingrid

Thank you, Organic_tosca and Ingrid for this discussion on fragrance, I learn something new.

Hi Diane: My Austins bloom much better this year by withholding nitrogen, and give sulfur to most of them (except for the ones that like it alkaline). Radio Times is a compact short bush ... always blooming. Last year it was a twice bloomer with giant octopus canes.

The rose park nearby have Austins grafted on Dr. Huey. There's a big decline over the years, even with perfect soil, plenty of rain and expertise. They bloom less and less progressively. Last year there was only one bloom on Abraham Darby in rainy fall, then I don't see Ab. Darby anymore this year.

I kept wondering why my "Bolero" as own-root blooms so much next to 2-trees, now I understand ... after digging up Dr. Huey, Dr. Huey plus own-root, and own-root.

Own-roots can spread out, or "sucker" better, an advantage for most efficient-water uptake, water can be gathered from many points. It's easier for water to flow into horizontal spreading roots, rather than go up a vertical stick (Dr. Huey), then fight against gravity to go upward through a constricting bud-union. This bud-union can deteriorate in my -20 below zero winter, or sitting in warehouses drying-out for months.

Thanks for all your suggestions, strawb. I have taken notes and will implement several (I'd already tried a few, basically hitting the Evelyns with everything). I am really pondering your own root observations vs. Dr.Huey. It sounds quite logical, and I think I should try an own root Evelyn (all my roses are grafted on Dr. Huey or multiflora rootstock. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I apologize for interrupting the thread, but your Evelyn photos are just so outstanding. Diane

Yes, your photos of Evelyn are superb Straw.
We cannot get roses own root here in Europe, they are all grafted.
David Austin says that Evelyn can also make a good short climber. I have no more space for a large rose. It has to be a compact grower.
Bolero looks nice and compact, as well as being a lovely rose.
Diane, Frederic Mistral and Jude have the sort of blooms I love, but they are large roses too, although HMF describes Frederic as slim, which might work.
Ingrid, David Austin in England no longer list Bishop's Castle, which is really annoying. La France isn't a problem to find though.
I have a while to keep researching all these roses you have all suggested before the bareroot season starts.
The trouble is, I want lots of them, when I only have room for one.
Daisy

daisy, just a brief comment on Frederic Mistral. I have heard he is supposed to grow up, not out, but mine is terribly fat and wide, so I don't know just how accurate HMF's comment on the size of this rose is. He's fairly tall, too, but sooo wide. I have several roses, not Austins, either, that have grown much taller and wider than HMF's predictions. In your warm climate, those HMF's estimates could be way off. My sympathies on your lack of space--I have the same problem, and I'm at my wit's end to find a solution. Diane

My FM's hit its stride this year (4th year), right now it's 6x6 and putting out new growth everywhere and blooming nonstop. People stop and ask what IS that rose! The photo is from a couple of months ago I think, there's one on the far left and another on the far right.

And this is before I redid the garden path, it looks awful here! (*hides head in shame*)

Hi blocke: Your rose bushes and the house look so cozy and pretty. Your roses are so nice that I don't notice anything else. I wish more people would plant roses in front like that .. very lovely.

Yes, blocke, your house is adorable and the roses look healthy and so lush. My FM blooms are lighter than yours because our sun is so bright and constant. I like the extra color on your FM. Diane

Two years old but relevant at this time of year... Any updates or new suggestions? As always, beautiful roses!

I was out in full morning sun and then in slightly overcast afternoon -- I'm a shade darker. argh.

I grew enchanted with Distant Drums for its coloring and distinctive scent ... Then smelled White Licorice which is similar. It's good to know that the scent is myrrh.

Remember in the movie French Kiss when they had the box of plants/herbs that you sniff, then sip the wine to find the notes of flavor? Is there a rose equivalent?