Hi Jeri, Well there are many variables that could influence our results. Such as what is your soil ph in comparison to mine and is your water more or less acid than mine. I know even in my city the soil varies quite a lot (as the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens even mentions their differing soils on their website, and the RSABG is fairly close to me). The combination of soil and water differences may produce varying results with plants fed alfalfa. Also the origin of the alfalfa in your tea (where was *it* grown) as well as how strong the tea is. Are there components to your soil that would mitigate the ph raising effects of alfalfa? Just things to ponder. Also the individual roses that we each grow and their tolerances to ph ranges. I'd be curious how Reine des Violettes in particular did for you. Here is my Reine des Violettes (photo taken July 19, 2011), purchased from Greenmantle in February 2011 and planted in the ground right away (note alfalfa pellets on ground in background under other plants): From Reine des Violettes In fact I bought 3 plants at the same time from Greenmantle--Reine des Violettes (not fed alfalfa), Tipsy Imperial Concubine (given a very small amount of alfalfa), Duchesse de Rohan (given a moderate amount of alfalfa). All planted on the same day, adjacent each other, mulched with shredded redwood bark, watered on the same days by hand, same hose. All were growing nicely looked about equally green. Then I fed the alfalfa. One shut down growing and turned the same sickly color as Jenny Duval. That was Duchesse de Rohan. I haven't removed the alfalfa and her color has not improved. Then I have a species rose of which I have three, R. alabukensis. You might know this rose, Kim. I put one (15 gallon size) in the ground using Edna's Best and mulched with the redwood bark. Foliage a lovely dark green. I put one in a 15 gallon pot with only Edna's Best and mulched with the redwood bark. Number 3 I put in a 15 gallon pot in plain garden soil, and mulched with the redwood bark. Then I fed the plant in the ground with alfalfa pellets, the others I fed nothing. Continued watering all 3 plants on the same day, by hand with a hose. Plant in ground quickly became chlorotic. The other 2 not a trace, both still dark green leaves. I removed the alfalfa from around the plant in the ground. It's leaves are back to being dark green. Another experiment was an accidental one with an old butterfly bush. It was way too big, and I needed the space for all the incoming roses this year. So I chopped it way, way back, hacked out some roots. Added roses + bark mulch. No problem. Butterfly bush starts leafing out in multiple locations (hey, it had spread it was so happy!). Added the alfalfa. All new growth DIED. I am not saying alfalfa should never be fed to roses, but for my growing conditions, it is not advisable. It depends on the conditions in your gardens as to how well it may do for your plants. It is also worth considering the why behind the effects. Perhaps some are seeing reduced performance in roses due to this being fed. On the other hand in the right conditions of soil ph and/or water ph, feeding alfalfa may produce spectacular results. For me that would have been great as I have such easy access to it. Melissa

Hi Kylie! They are still in the pots I planted them in. The pink two years ago and the Betty Marshall a year ago. I really should repot the Betty Marshall, it is very large and almost certainly root bound. It is so large though - what a job! Molasses? The other things I know about but how/why do you give them molasses? The plants from Park are OK. The Lemon Twist is quite large (approx 10"), the Cassy's Curls is medium (approx 6") and the Cherub is small (approx 3"). They were packed fairly well and I only saw one leaf in the packing peanuts that broke off. They are pale from lack of light but I've had them in partial sun and they are looking good. I think they will really take off once they are out of the two inch pots they came in. I'm going to put them in half potting mix and half organic compost. Everything I put that organic compost in grows like mad! Thanks for the welcome. I've made a few trips to Texas to visit family and ya'll have always been so friendly! LOL Wendy

Thank you so much for starting this post ! :) I'm always keyword searching the rose forums for roses that grow best in hot and dry socal, Arizona, Nevada... :) I'm in the west San Fernando Valley, zone 19, my front garden is all day sun with patches of shade but my back yard is something beyond "full sun". It laughs at full sun. It's slightly elevated, open around a pool, full southern sun all day beating down morning til night with red brick patio/walkways that heat up like an oven, and white stucco walls, it's blindingly bright and hot as hades most of the year. It's 94 out back right now. We've slowly covered the walls in creeping fig and jasmine which has helped cut down the heat a bit. For me, my most blooming roses are Belinda's Dream, Iceberg, Vavoom, Julio Iglesias, Pope John Paul II and Julia Child. In terms of sheer beauty, Belinda's Dream, Pope John Paul, Mutabilis and Grand Dame. The best in both categories: Belinda's Dream, Pope John Paul II and Mutabilis. They seem to love baking in the heat. Belinda's Dream is an amazing rose. It grows and blooms like crazy with little care and handles heat, sun and reduced water, like Iceberg. But it's blooms are more special. The blooms start like a hybrid tea, and end looking like an antique rose (resembling Souvenir de Malmaison). It's a light pink that blends well with both modern and antique roses. It's lovely in every phase. I have 3 bushes, and one tree rose of her. Alas, little to no fragrance. My Pope John Paul II blooms in quick flushes, perfect white blooms, very fragrant. And Mutabilis, blooms like a champ without any supplemental water beyond getting over spray from a sprinkler sometimes and her single petals are everchanging, silky, colorful and beautiful. I even love the stems, thin flexible and reddish burgundy, they really set the blooms off. Regarding your Austins, do you have them in full sun or part sun? I have an big open spot in one of my front garden bed, full sun, that I would love to put a fragrant full bush type in but I'm not sure if an Austin's color would hold up well or fade. Any thoughts? Also if it might need more shade and possibly more water to grow well. Cardin Mill is really lovely and I like the varying color. Have you tried Boscobel or Bishop's Castle? Curious about those too. I've been wanting Jude the Obscure for a long time, but I'm assuming it would look better with a little shade. I really do need an Austin soon. :D

Yoshino seedling: Kwanzan cherry seedling: These little trees have been in the ground for over 3 years, been kept watered, and as you can see they still haven't really put on much growth and have stunted small leaves. But they have all survived. I also have a Bing cherry (standard size rootstock) with nice lush leaves that has been able to grow, even though it struggles to break out of dormancy each year and has delayed growth until around May (which is very late in this climate because temperatures warm up and the growing season begins in February). Two or three little blossoms did appear on the Bing one year. Just for comparison, here is how fast a tiny seedling sized Yoshino cherry has grown in the cooler Pacific Northwest climate, after just slightly more than a year in the ground: As you can see, cherries in Southern California don't do very well in comparison. I had another flowering Kwanzan cherry tree, much larger size, grafted onto rootstock, but it declined after the first year and then finally didn't come back after the second Winter. (It did bloom moderately after the first Winter though) I think flowering cherries being grafted onto different rootstock makes the tree less vigorous growing and then it becomes too much for the tree to survive, combined with the lack of vigor from inadequate chill.