Jodi, Last year I posted a Lady Jane because I didn't know what it was. It had survived from 2001 (the rot year). Later, another came out, and then one I had just bought last year bloomed. Yes, Oh my! I had three blooming at once. Little by little it was realized they were all Lady Janes, but from different growers. The more scapes that were sent up, the more variations of the same plant I had. No two were ever alike. Take a look . . . The one in the center front is the newer one. They were in the greenhouse, it was late April, the sun was getting brighter, it was warmer, and it was very interesting. Peaches and Cream was even suggested. Sometimes a flower had a lot of white streaks, making it look more peachy. You're in for a treat -- never a dull moment. Kitty

It won't take long... so curious to se LJ's firs't flower. At this moment i'm pretty sure it'll be a real LJ because this flower stalk has 3 buds and not 4. Colour of outsite of bloom is kind of soft salmon orange.

They are hard to come by on fortuniana. Only K&M carries them and Cool Roses in Palm Beach has a few, but they recently said they were going to stop carrying them because of high royalties or something. I was so bummed because I got most of mine from them. K&M is really pricey when you add shipping to it. But it's worth the extra $$$ because on fortuniana they can last for years and years. The longest I've ever been able to keep any rose on Dr. H alive is 3 years. My Darcy Bussel was doing well until now. I have ONE Austin still going strong (on Doc) after ordering from them 3 years ago and that one is Wollerton Old Hall and its showing no signs of slowing down. I think growing them in large pots works well, even if you only get 3 years out of them that's still a lot of blooms. My oldest Austin on fortuniana is Evelyn and she's easily 9 feet tall. She grows like a climber bare legged till about 8 feet and then all leaves and buds on top. It's not the most attractive habit, but she pumps out the looms like crazy so no complaints here. :) With the exception of Dick Clark and Easy Does It, all of my Austin's out perform my HTs I'll be trying some own root from now on however (if I can't get them on Fortuniana) because I think some own roots actually do better for me. Just not sure about putting them in the ground.

Beautiful rose Kate! I really enjoy the roses that show a range of colors and I'm taking you up on your call for roses with ever-changing colors. My contribution is Koko Loco with its interesting shades of brown, mauve and lavender. Probably not everyone's cup of tea but I'm enjoying it! This pinky brown bloom just opened a couple of days ago when it was in the mid-80's. It didn't last as long as some blooms in the cooler days of spring when one bloom lasted over 7 days! This is first bloom I got in April after bringing the rose home from the nursery. It has a more grayish/mauve tint, less brown than the one above. When it was cooler, the blooms opened more slowly, less flat than the one above. I love the more "pointy" vs. rounded petals. This pinky/mauve bloom is the one that lasted 7 whole days before it blew. I think this was longest lasting bloom I've ever experienced in my yard. This is same bloom as above, now fully pink. I'm looking forward to more lovely shades next year! Ann