Meanwhile, The Alnwick Rose is having a good laugh at those three across from her as she puts out innumerable amounts of new growth and buds.

This post was edited by JoshTx on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 22:21

Two years is not long enough for 'Golden Celebration' to show what it can do.

This post was edited by hoovb on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 17:27

All roses need time to mature before they will really show you what they can do. And like anything else they're all different. Some will mature fast while others will take 3 to 5 years to reach their full potential. Unless it just dies off on it's own before that I never judge a rose for removal until it's 3 years old at least. Golden Celebration needs time.

I concur with hoov and seil. Golden Celebration takes at least three years to hit its stride. And all last month all during our heat of 98-113 degrees, GC did just fine. Here he is on July 15 in 100 plus heat. Diane

Apologies, I did not mean to imply that any of them were slotted for removal. If anything, The Knockout will go first. It has long overstayed its welcome. I am definitely keeping Golden Celebration for a few years, if not to take cuttings and get an own-root version started. I cannot stand the thought of having Dr. Huey in my garden again due to grafting. I lost two Tiffany roses due to the rootstock taking over, and am still in the process of trying to get rid of one Dr. Huey root system that has now firmly entwined itself in a bush in the front (there goes the Roundup option). GC has a home for sure, it had just been disappointing thus far, as other plants that were in a similar state of neglect have recovered and begun flourishing while GC still sulks.

Speaking of GC growing, is it possible to build an obelisk around him in order to stop him from sprawling? Due to his proximity to the walkway I feel it would be prudent to contain his growth.

Hi Josh,
I think JC would do beautifully in a obelisk, but he will become much more upright as time goes on. Mine does fine free standing, and he's a big rose. Diane

As to the question of betting on a winner, in nature if one individual or species gets a leg up over it's competitors it tends to hold onto it and exploit that advantage. So I would say that whoever is the first to start really growing will be the winner, out competing the rest by taking more sun and water at their expense. Hopefully they will grow together and play nice, as long as they are all healthy a chaotic jumble of roses is quite beautiful

Josh, as they grow and show their potential, it's really more your decision as to which you'd like to have stay and which will go bye-bye. You can prune them all to a smaller size once they mature but one large, magnificent specimen can really make a statement. I don't suppose anyone will weep for the Knockout, and its leaving would leave more room for the others to grow. That's part of the fun of gardening, the creativity of deciding how you want everything to develop to achieve the overall look you're striving for.

Ingrid

Sharifa Asma is going to pull ahead for a while and then in a few years Golden Celebration will take the area unless you are cheating by whacking on it with pruners. Keep the mulch good and thick and watch em go!

How long was GC in the pot ? sometimes the roses who were potted for a while take time to snap out of it. Once it gets comfortable, it's going to get big.

As far as I know (the lady who owned the private nursery was a wee bit lacking in rose knowledge) GC was ordered bare root from Austin in Tx. She then planted them in pots. So GC was in a pot for the better part of a year and a half.

GC has come down with ANOTHER brutal epidemic of Blackspot, only on its older growth however. The Alnwick rose is performing wonderfully while GC just struggles. I know GC is a forum favorite, but it rarely grows, rarely blooms, and when it does bloom the blooms are small, unscented, and they fry. Here's to hoping he performs better next year.

Hi Josh: I don't blame you for preferring own-roots. I have 57+ own-root roses, they are healthy in my alkaline soil, pH 7.7 (I don't spray). My Golden Celebration as own-root had 3 leaves of Blackspots the 1st fall, then 100% clean the 2nd year, then I moved it in 3rd year, now still clean in our humid July. Check out the below:

â¢Posted by lbuzzell z10 CA (My Page) on
Sat, May 18, 13 at 13:02

"We too like the own-root roses. Right now my purchased 'Golden Celebration' (probably on Dr. H) is covered with BS while a cutting I rooted and planted nearby on own-root is clean as a whistle."

*** From Strawberryhill: I'm glad I didn't buy "Pink Peace" cheap as grafted at Walmart for $7, since folks reported buying cheap grafted-bare-roots with zero scents. I bought my Pink Peace as own-root, amazing scent.

One bloom of own-root Golden Cel. made my kitchen a cross between a bakery shop and a florist shop. My kid thinks it smells like fresh cupcakes from the oven, YUM!

Also Josh, your Alnwick rose looks good and very healthy ... please inform me of its scent. I'm a fragrance-nut.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, Aug 3, 13 at 13:20

Just remember that own root roses WILL take even longer to mature and get established!

I wish I could figure out why some people have so much trouble with the Doctor taking over. I have many, many roses grafted on him and have never once had him take over a living, growing rose. Only twice has he showed up at all and both of those were dead rose stumps that I left in the ground for at least a year. Otherwise, if I dig the dead ones up right away he never shows up. At what level do you plant the bud union? I have always planted mine flush with the ground. (I know they say to bury it in cold climates but Gram & Mom never did and I do what they taught me.) If you are planting it higher maybe that's why he comes up.