Hello to everyone! First time poster. I am fairly new to roses, and definitely new to this website. I am thrilled to have found it. What a wonderful place to feed an addiction to roses! BTW, I love everyone's pictures of their roses that they have shared, GORGEOUS! Just thought I would share my limited experience with these roses since I am growing all three. Of the three, Oklahoma blooms the most in this heat and humidity. Mr Lincoln smells wonderful but has been a bit stingy. Chrysler imperial is about to get the shovel as it has been a complete dud. I wish I could have had one that was productive like people are raving about but I will not be replacing it. I have a few other reds that are not mentioned in this thread , but are worth giving a shout out to they are Olympiad (no smell to my nose) but good rebloomer. Kardinal is my best red as it is always in bloom, and the blooms last weeks on the bush and as a cut flower. This one doesn't smell to me either. The one that smells wonderful and puts out lots of blooms is mirandy. She does blue as she ages but that is not a deterrent for me as her smell compares to that of double delight. I am trying to make room for some more roses in my small garden, but I thought I might try some antique or David Austin roses since I have seen so many beautiful pictures of them on this website and their are so many positive reviews on them. I did buy one this spring, molineux. Thank you Dublin bay, your picture of the 3 n 1 pushed me over the edge and I had to have it! Mine is still a baby but I'm hoping for the best. Does this rose tolerate shade? Thanks again for Sharing your experiences with you roses.

I went to Otto and Son's Nursery today in Filmore, CA and checked out their red roses. There was a heatwave lately of 100+ degrees Fahrenheit, so most of the roses were looking faded. It was a good test to see which roses were looking there best. Double Delight was faded pink and white, but still pretty. Firefighter was a close distance away and was also a faded-pink, but not as pretty. I was disappointed, because I didn't think it matched very well with Saint Patrick, a greenish-yellow rose I planned on having as its companion. Right now I have Firefighter in a pot in partial shade, because it is so young, but will eventually be placed in full sun. I no longer think Firefighter is heat tolerant in my zone, but I still think it would be a good match with Double Delight in a cooler zone. Even the older blooms were fragrant. The red roses looking the best in heat were today were Grande Amore and Ingrid Bergman. The staff there said Grande Amore starts out dark red and fades to a lighter red, not pink. Ingrid Bergman was very nice and they were showcasing it at the front of the nursery. But unfortunately, there was no fragrance that I could detect. This post was edited by jasminerose4u on Sun, Jul 20, 14 at 3:32

The only one with pips right now is U. Albomarginata (oh and Paul's Glory has the one that is trying to unfurl before it's even completely emerged). The rest are just eyes just emerged from the surface. We had a lot of rain last night and I noticed the eye on Fire Island is starting to look like a pip. I think a lot of them are still waiting for warmer weather? It's supposed to be above average this week (in the 70's) so that'll help, too. I was worried but the oak tree isn't "shedding" seeds yet like it normally would about the same time, either. So that puts my mind at ease plus the eyes are firm and look good on all of them so far. And you're right, I can always shop for more. It's not like they're extinct! Plus more survived than didn't so that is something to be thankful for. I think 3 for sure of the U. Medio Variegata's are doing something... So they make me happy, too. I'm pretty sure my final loss count will be more, most likely 6 (with Fire and Ice, I don't think it looks good at all) and maybe 7, but I really hope NOT, Orange Marmalade. The good news is that I won't need to worry about pots... I have lots of pots. I was being sarcastic, in case you couldn't tell. :( This time last season, I had just got Wheee... It's strange that no one has hostas right now for sale. And if they do, they are only bulbs. I prefer plants so I can see what I'm getting for sure. Oh well, maybe in another couple of weeks? Here's a pic of one of the 5 Medio Variegata's "eyes" a few moments ago... Does it look like eyes to you?

I am familiar with Cuban Black Cluster. It has the bouquet and heat level you are describing - very nice fruity flavor. 3/4" almost round, sometimes has a very slight point opposite the stem, and, this variety is sometimes referred to as a "pequin" (maybe in that strain). However, if you got the dark purple kind, which they usually sell because the bouquet is better, they weren't ripe, and seeds are not good until they turn red first. I've tried to save seeds from the purple ones, they are all wrinkled and concave, definitely floaters not sinkers. You can see them at Chili-Head database: http://www.g6csy.net/chile/database.html Good luck - Rick