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Electron: is it worthless?

14 years ago

Is Electron typically a non-growing/rarely-blooming rose? Maybe it just doesn't like where it's planted, but in the the 4 years I've had it, it's done practically nothing. Anyone have any experience with it?

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Comments (12)

Terry Crawford
14 years ago
Jennifer, mine didn't bloom at all last year, and it was planted in full sun. This year, however, it has bloomed pretty much all summer in its second year.

I do fertilize monthly and spray for blackspot. Is your rose getting adequate sunlight (at least 6 hours daily) and fertilizer?
-terry
particentral
14 years ago
Mine has gone rather nutty this m onth since I moved it out of full sun all day into part shade. Covered in blooms and the plant has doubled in size. I bought it as a rescue that was in sad sad shape but it has done WAY better than some of the other plants have.
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jennifer_mn
Original Author
14 years ago
Mine is fertilized and in full sun. It's in a rose bed with about 20 other roses that are doing great. Electron never gets blackspot. In fact it never really does anything. Now I think I'll try moving it and see if it does better. Thanks!
michaelg
14 years ago
When I had it a long time ago, it bloomed pretty well and was a good rose, one of the few HTs with any blackspot resistance. Good form and fragrance. Nice bushy plant habit. Its shortcoming was the stems, rather short and very thorny.
the_bustopher z6 MO
14 years ago
I have had Electron in three different places. My first plant I bought back in 1975, and from the time it was planted to the time my mom finally had to get rid of the roses back in 2006 or 2007 that rose was a workhorse. It always had large bright pink flowers and would survive just about anything, even the blackspot.

The plant I had at my other house in WA state was doing okay, but it had issues with rust. If I could keep the diseases off it, the plant would be okay, but it was never as strong a grower in my yard as it was in other areas. I think it was probably the soil as much as anything.

The plant I have here will put out some flowers, but it has never gotten over that awful Easter 07 freeze. It still seems to be struggling somewhat, but it is on the mend. I hope it will come along better. Perhaps this will provide a glimpse into Electron. I think it is a good rose, but it has always required some time to get properly established.
texaslynn
14 years ago
Mine has been pretty much a do-nothing plant. I've only had it for most of the year, however, so I'll give it a bit more time. I do have another fairly new rose, Rina Hugo, which seems to have the same color and type of bloom, that has been performing much better.

Lynn
regehr
14 years ago
Yes it is worthless. I took mine out a couple of years ago and am thankful. It was never a good rose.
jennifer_mn
Original Author
14 years ago
Okay, now I don't know what to do with it! Lynn, I have Rina Hugo in that same bed with the Electron, and I love that rose!
texaslynn
14 years ago
Fortunately my Electron is still in a pot so it will be easy for me to get rid of it if/when the time comes. It has two blooms on it right now and they are huge and gorgeous and you can see what it would be like "if only" but, as I read somewhere, a crappy rose takes about as much of your time as a good rose so why waste your time on it? (I need to take my own advice!)

Lynn
phil_schorr
14 years ago
Electron was always an okay rose for me when I grew it, but there were plenty that grew and bloomed better. Now if it got points for thorns, it would be a world beater. It had more nasty thorns per square inch than any other rose I ever grew.
nickelsmumz8
14 years ago
Years ago I had a neighbor who had a rose that might have been Electron in the parking strip by our houses. It was amazing. She'd prune it hard every winter and every summer it just glowed with these amazing flowers all summer. No disease that I saw, and I never saw her spraying it (not sure if she did and I just missed it). I always wanted to know what it was, for sure, but she did not know. That was the SF Bay Area, zone 9, Sunset 17, in full sun.
mendocino_rose
14 years ago
After four years you've waited long enough. You might have gotten a bad plant or it just doesn't like where it is. For me Electron is very beautful in the spring but hates hot weather.

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