Heather Sproul is superb. Very little scent though.

I'm in the 2nd year growing Ultimate Pleasure, it's an excellent rose with your qualifications. Buds to blooms are pleasing, if I lost this rose I'd get it again. Person to ask about this who grows it superbly is Digger.

I only know Jilly Jewel and Baby Boomer. Jilly has been a workhorse for me, even if it is in a "neglected" space. Excellent form. Reblooms in flushes, but many blooms with long stems. Baby Boomer is kind of new for me, but the plants I have seen in this area rate it with Frank B.'s other great minis.

how bout giggles its a great little pink rose but it will get tall if not pruned

I second and third Heather Sproul. I grow and love two of them in my garden and wouldn't be without them.
Great little rose.
JOhn

Thanks for the comments so far, everyone! Heather Sproul I've never seen in person but looks too good to be true in the photos. I'm glad to hear raves about her. I'm leaning toward that one. Sure would like a super fragrant one, though. Maybe I'll find a way to justify to myself getting 2 pink minis. Still looking for anyone's experience/impression of Jennifer. Supposedly the most fragrant of the lot. Does anyone know this one?

Mike,

I got Jilly Jewel and Jennifer this year and too soon to comment. Heather Sproul was slow to establish and the stems are on the short side. The bloom's form is true to the picture. Excellent! The bush seems to be thriving this year. I've had Baby Boomer much longer and it is therefore more established. It's a producer! I've heard great things about Ultimate Pink on the miniature forum. Diggerdave has pictures that will make you drool! Good luck!

This is not on your short list but I'm liking this one, think you will too:) Took this pic yesterday.

Ah yes, Hot Tamale! I've got that one; mine's about 4 years old. Great rose, but mine has had a problem with mysterious die-back, not from winter cold, which we have none of. The plant is growing well at present, but from last fall to this spring, Almost one half of the plant dried up and died. Anyone else have this problem with HT? Maybe its some parasite or disease thing and not specific to the variety? Any ideas?

I've taken the plunge and ordered 3 from Nor'East, hoping they'll ship ahead of the wilting summer heat, which starts to rachet up around late May here most years.
I've ordered,
Ultimate Pleasure --pink
Jennifer --pink
Always a Lady --Mauve

I really still want to get Apricot Twist, which I think is only available from John's Mini Roses. So I might still place an order for next fall, but it's getting hard to figure out how to fit more roses into my tiny space. If I order Apricot Twist, I have to get 2 others to complete an order. So further opinions and suggestions are still welcome. :)

By the way, Sweet Caroline looks intriguing; described as a white and red bicolor, but the effect in photos looks pink to me. Anyone know this one? What do you think?

Mike

Let us know how
{{gwi:335074}}
does for you please. Always a Lady too :) She was my favorite mauve mini until Sweet Arlene came along.

Hi Mike,

I have no idea what is happening to your HT, maybe Digger or Stan would know.

I've read great posts about Ultimate Pleasure and Always A Lady, especially UP.

Do you have Bees Knees yet?

Yup, I have Bees Knees and really like it. It's blooming a lot right now.
Digger, thanks for the comment on Always a Lady. I really didn't know anything about that one other than what I saw on Helpmefind website. About Sweet Arlene, I'm about to move this one to my back patio, where the sunlight is dappled much of the day. The plant remains healthy and vigorous, but the flowers seem to be crisping a bit in the heat, and we're not even to the heat of summer yet. : / It's still blooming a lot, though, and very disease resistant for me. I've got a china rose back in that dappled light that is doing great. So...fingers crossed.

I've read about Bees Knees plus it's won many awwards, thanks for the feedback:) Does it have a scent for you at all?

I tried to grow Sweet Arlene last year, will try once more. I wonder if she'll be able to take this FL heat though. Went to the Tampa Rose Show recently and I did see 2 single blooms of her so someone down here is growing her:)

I've read about Bees Knees plus it's won many awwards, thanks for the feedback:) Does it have a scent for you at all?

I tried to grow Sweet Arlene last year, will try once more. I wonder if she'll be able to take this FL heat though. Went to the Tampa Rose Show recently and I did see 2 single blooms of SA so someone down here is growing her:)

Mike, I can't keep HT alive, and I have tried 4 times (own-root and grafted). I've given up.

Do you have the sport of Bee's Knees, Erin Alonzo? Nice!

Evie, Bees Knees has no scent I can detect, but I forgive it its "flaw," since so many minis are in the same boat. Sweet Arlene definitely IS fragrant, but to my less-than-stellar nose ability, it smells pleasant, moderate, but nowhere near as strong at the Scentsation series roses --I've grown Scentsational, Overnight Scentsation, and Red Scentsation. I've only had Sweet Arlene since late last summer. It may turn out to be a better cutting rose than garden rose in the summer, simply from a standpoint of the bloom quality standing up better indoors. I'll try the dappled light setting for it. I had a blush pink Minnie Pearl rose that, like Sweet Arlene, was healthy, vigorous, and bloomed prolifically, but the blooms really only had classic hybrid tea form in the cool of winter. When the weather heated up, the blooms got rushed and lost most of their good form; ended up looking like little pompoms of some old garden variety. I suspect Sweet Arlene will do at least a little better, but I shall see.

Diane, interesting about your HT experience, too. Hmm...
I've not grown Erin Alonzo. I assume it's just like BK in habit.

As for pink roses, I was intrigued by comments on Heather Sproul, but the comment about short stems turned me away. I like to be able to cut mine for vases. I'll have to wait and see how my selections perform in that regard, too. Baby Boomer looks terrific, too; I heard a while back that it may be prone to blackspot more than others. Anyone care to comment?

I got Heather Sproul last year from Nor East. It sat there a full season and did little to nothing. I've heard it can be a slow grower. Since it wasn't growing much it wasn't blooming much, but the few I had were of excellent form. I wanted a true (no salmon, apricot, orange etc) medium pink (like the HT Falling In Love) but of the blooms I saw none were the exact color I was looking for. Not its fault of course. It photographed true pink for me, but in person it had more apricot to it. We had a sudden cold spell this spring and it died on me. Since its not the color I wanted anyway the decision to replace was irrelevant.

Maryl,
I have 2 Baby Boomers. They are what I call a "true" light pink.

I was just going to say, Maryl's comments about color made me think "how about Baby Boomer?" Kentucky rose, how is BB for disease resistance for you?

reiko is unreal- perfect hybrid tea form and loads of yummy fragrance

Mike, I spray my roses with Banner Max and haven't noticed a problem. I wonder how Baby Boomer compares to Ultimate Pink?

Thanks Kentucky Rose, I'll wait and see how saturated with pink I feel once my new acquisitions have been growing through the summer. If I'm not overloaded, I'll definitely keep Baby Boomer in mind as a possible addition.

Thanks for the Sweet Arlene update. She gets direct sun all day here but we are at a much higher latitude. Always a Lady was my #2 favorite mini for a longggg time. Sweet Arlene put on a heckuva show to kick her back out of that slot. Please keep me informed how she does for you. AaL does better here than it did for the hybridizer in San Diego.

Wow, I must really not like pink, lol, as I've given away most of the ones you folks are recommending. Heather Sproul came in sickly and she stayed that way. Not one of six managed to live through the summer. She's also not showing up in local exhibits so I'm guessing my six weren't the only ones that croaked last year.

Baby Boomer has some nice blooms but I already have Madeline Spezzano and Cupcake so am probably going to throw BB in a raffle. I have a weakness for Bernardella roses, though, so....

Sweet Caroline and Magic Carousel can be confused on the best of days. I picked up Ginny several years ago and she's got the same bi-color, too, but is much smaller. Although, it blows much too fast in heat, X-Rated has a nice scent and will provide years of blooms. Just wish they looked as good as the pictures.

I just got Gentle Maid and she is very lovely. On HelpMeFind she is listed as mauve but in my garden she is a lovely shell pink. Beautiful little flowers about 1.5" across. I haven't noticed much of a fragrance and I can't tell you how big she'll get but I would recommend her.

My Heather Sprouls are in their second year and are noticably more vigorous this year than last and I think will be even better next year. You really need to give roses three years to reach their potential, even mini's. Remember:
First year they sleep,
Second year they creep,
Third year they leap!!!
And for alot of my roses that is the way they do it.
I have had many that I was tempted to shovel prune at two thinking that they would never be vigorous. But waiting for the third year of growth has really been key to 99% of them. There is the occasional dud that just doesn't do, but try to be patient.
John

For some reason I'm always apologizing for reading the RIR on roses before I buy them. But I do and I did. I was interested in Baby Boomer, but according to the RIR (which I find fairly accurate), BB is a fast opener. Baby Grand is another pink I've read good things about, but I think I also heard/read that it's really a ground cover rose and spreads out a bit. If someone knows about Baby Grand for sure please let me know.

Well, my first round of pink purchases just arrived last Wednesday: Ultimate Pleasure, Jennifer, and Always A Lady--I know, that one's mauve. Jennifer was blooming on arrival and even had some scent (which I find is often NOT the case with brand new roses just shipped). AAL has a bud, so there's something to look forward to. UP is just leaves and stems, but I'll give it until this summer to look like Dave's picture above (just kidding!)
Dave, just an update; I know I complained about Sweet Arlene's blooms crisping, but now that it's even hotter here, the current flush looks fine. Go figure. I'm still going to move it to my back patio dappled sun area and see how it does, since I've had success with some others there, and I'm always looking for some way to expand my usable garden space.
I feel satisfied with my selection of pink roses so far, so I'm not itching to buy more just yet. We'll see how I feel by this fall. I have some other roses with pink blend coloration, like Jardins de Bagatelle, Elle, Archduke Charles, and Leading Lady. Linville, too, is pale pink in the cooler season, blushing white in summer.

Actually, it's no longer a good time to start babies, since the heat is stressful on underdeveloped root systems. My new acquisitions are acclimating on the back landing, where they get morning and late afternoon sun only.

Thanks for the update Mike. Your kidding reminded me I haven't mentioned something about UP that won't concern you in your warm zone. Dee Bennett's daughter always raved about UP and that is one reason we got her in 2001. UP was very tender. She wasn't anything to write home about the first 3 years, almost pitiful. I had a lot of fun teasing Sue about her. UP never got growing well until the end of our short season. She was decent the 4th year but nothing like pics I had seen of her in warm zones. UP was pretty good in 2005. 2006 and 2007 were spectacular. It is like she is a different rose. She comes through winter like a champ and shrugs off hard frosts as well as any of our roses. Low 20°s used to wipe her out in spring. She had 2 feet of green cane this spring and new growth started early. We had 3 days of very cold weather a month ago (21°, 15° and 22°) and I thought she would be hammered. UP came through with almost no damage. Jean Kenneally next to her had about half the new growth killed. I quit trying to figure it out. I'm just very glad we were patient with UP. Wanted to mention what she did for us in case cold zone folks read this. Don't want them seeing our zone/pics and expect her to look like or perform like ours the first year.

Sidenote: Sue loves teasing me about UP when she sees our photos now. I can deal with it :)

Dave, thanks for the reminder of the importance of patience with roses. I know it already, but it's good to be reminded, especially with specific examples.

So far UP is just sitting there for me doing nothing. Jennifer and Always a Lady have both bloomed their first little blooms. It's only been a week, lol (muttering to self....patience, patience, patience, patience....).

jont1, I'd give the Heather Sproul's 2-3 years if they'd've lived through the first one. I tried some in the ground, some in containers and they just didn't like our particular weather. Might give it another try but there's always another rose with similar looks and growth that will thrive in the unforgiving low desert. My garden will attest to my weakness for red/white minis, lol, and a certain color of pink.

What about Little Jacquie!! She is a prolific bloomer and quite resistant to black spot.

Cheers
Gabby

{{gwi:1204483}}

That pic of Little Jackie is pretty; looks like Hot Tamale or Sunset Cupido for coloring.

I am really enjoying my 'Baby Grand' It really looks like a mini English Rose. I constantly get asked about it too. It is always in bloom and the flowers last a really long time on the bush.
{{gwi:298677}}

Mike,

How are your new roses from last year doing?

I bought Jilly Jewel this year, I know it was at one time on your short list.

Thanks for asking. It's been awhile. Actually at that time I ordered Ultimate Pleasure, Jennifer, and Always a Lady. The last was lavender and not pink, but it, incidentally, is doing great. Pleasant scent good form and great color. Jennifer has grown respectably well and produced very fragrant blooms of soft pink with some white on the undersides of the petals. I had said, though, that I'm pretty picky about pink roses because it is just about my least favorate color class. And I recently gave that rose away for the simple reason that the blooms were sparse on petal count and didn't hold form long enough. I'm fickle, I know. As for UP, unfortunately it dried out and died shortly after I got it. I made the mistake of allowing it to stay on my south-facing sunporch a few days after arrival instead of transplanting immediately, but the season was already too hot for that space. It never recovered, though the other two roses did fine. Not sure if I'll try it again or not, given what Digger said about it being a slow starter. I'm rather maxed out on roses right now, but may give a shot to a small order next spring. At the moment I'm eye-ing Baby Boomer, Luis Desamaro, and Jilly Jewel; maybe Deja Bleu, too.

As for a couple other roses I mentioned in this thread, Sweet Arlene continues to be trouble-free for me, even neglected in my back yard's reduced sunlight. Might bloom even more if I put it in the front until the hot weather, but come summer it will appreciate the respite from the scorching sun. Last year its plentiful blooms crisped badly in our July heat but looked much happier once I moved it to dappled/part sun of my back patio. The other rose was Hot Tamale, which fades eventually to pink. Mine had suffered some unexplained dieback, but since I wacked off the offening parts of the plant, it has sent up new basals and filled out nicely. It looks great now. What a pretty rose! I have it opposite Dancing Flame, a slightly larger firey blend rose.
My most pinkish roses left are the HT Elle, and the almost-HT-sized miniflora Leading Lady, a pink and white blend. It is simply gorgeous and prolific. Great rose! Elle is very good too, a little less formal in form but pretty and fragrant.
Mike

All the details in this valuable chain are helping me decide which pink mini I should purchase. Thanks especially to Mike in New Orleans and Digger Dave in Montana for the questions and detailed comments. If it's not too late, I will try to change my Ultimate Pleasure order with Nor-East to Jilly Jewel or Always a Lady. I adore the pictures of UP, but I'm looking for a pink mini that will take off from the start. I'm in the clay-bound Texas Panhandle with its particular weather, and strong growers have a better chance of surviving.

If you had to choose between Jilly Jewel and Always a Lady, is one more prolific in its blooms? Is one a more vigorous grower? Thanks for letting me piggy-back on this discussion.

Jilly Jewel has always been a great grower and bloomer for me. I haven't grown Always a Lady, so I can't compare, but if all my roses grew and bloomed like Jilly Jewel I would be very happy.

Thanks phil schorr for the input on Jilly Jewel. A strong yet beautiful pink mini is what I need. I see you are in zone 6 too. This whole discussion chain has been a great source of info.

Mike,

My recommendation will not help you fill an order at either Nor'east or John's Miniature Roses, but I have found Pink Poodle a fascinating Pink Miniature.
Mine not only survived but continued to bloom during about two years of neglect in my burned out period with only plenty of water for comfort.
It is an upright rose who's bloom changes dramatically during its cycle. As the link suggest it has a China like quality which has also endeared it to me.
My understanding is that Nor'east has taken over Sequoia'a inventory, but I don't see it in their on-line catalog. If you can find one I think you would enjoy it.

helmut

Here is a link that might be useful: Pink Poodle

I like Pink Poodle too and suggest that you give it a try. You will be pleased.

Hey jmac2008.
I grew up in the Texas Panhandle before moving to Missouri in 1988.
I lived in Amarillo,TX and Canyon, TX most of my life. I was only minutes from Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Where are you from?
John

Hello jont1,

Our home is presently Amarillo, but my home region is the Bay Area, California. The Palo Duro is so beautiful and dramatic; I think you were in one of the best areas of the Panhandle.
I'm still discovering how to cope with the Panhandle's special challenges when it comes to rose gardening: heavy clay, temperature extremes, knock-down winds and summer hail. Some successes and some failures.
Good luck to you in Missouri!

I'm late to the subject jmac_2008 but did you get Ultimate Pleasure or not? I have it here in the hot valley in CA and it's done great for me from the beginning. The first summer I planted it we had months of 110-115, last summer we had 4 months of 100's. I grow this rose in full sun, my biggest problem with it is aphids not blooms. It's 3 years old this spring and bordering on well over 4' tall. OTOH my Always A Lady struggles with high temps and is still working on height and the blooms brown in the sun when temps get that high, she's a neighbor to UP in the garden in full sun.

I do have heavy clay soil I'm constantly working on amending and feeding.
Just curious what you ended up with.
Leslie

Hi Lesdvs9,
Based on the comments in this discussion, I finally went with Jilly Jewel. I also read JJ is used in cut flower production, and I was looking for a generous bloomer. It just arrived from Nor'East, and I hope to plant it in the garden soon.
I think Ultimate Pleasure is gorgeous, but the comments about it being slow to get started scared me off. I'm glad UP performed well for you from the start. Must be that glorious California weather!
Excavating and/or ammending hard clay is not fun. I can sympathize.

Good luck with your choice and hope you post pics of it when it blooms and later in the season to see how it does. Evie has it also and is trying to talk me into it:) I'm always interested in how a rose does all over the country.
Leslie

Jmac, good to hear your final selection. I have decided at this point also to get Jilly Jewel, though I'm going to wait until October. We are just at the start of our summer period, and my roses seem to the get best start in the fall, because the weather is less stressful.
Right now, from Nor-east, in addition to Jilly Jewel, I'm eyeing the yellow Luis Desamero and the apricot Ambiance. I'm going to skip any more mauve minis right now but do want to get the floribunda Enchanted Evening from Jackson & Perkins. I'd be interested to know how Jilly Jewel is doing for you by late summer. Keep us posted, please. : )

Mike

Mike,
I'll be happy to provide an update on Jilly Jewel in a few months. I think you've made some great choices. I planted Ambiance last fall, which was probably late for zone 6b. Ambiance did not survive the winter, but my overwintering techniques may have been at fault. I enjoyed its large, long-lasting blooms.
Let us know how your selections turn out.
Happy gardening!

So far the Jilly Jewel I planted in a pot this spring is doing great. I got it from Nor'East, planted it April 12th, it's got a few new buds on it and is ready for a good feeding:)