New member and introductions

13 years ago

Greetings members of the forum!

I've been lurking the various rose forums here for the last few months and have really been enjoying going through the posts. I'm a recent college graduate and have always loved growing plants. Living in a tropical climate all my life, I was thrilled to move to Japan where I would be able to grow plants different from what I had been used to. Unfortunately, moving to Tokyo also meant getting used to virtually having no space (my balcony is 5 feet x 13 feet!), but I am doing my best to manage.

I have come to learn, the hard way, that with the purchase of one rose is soon followed by more. I am envious of everyone that has large gardens! :D However, I'd like to share some of the roses that within the few short months of moving into my apartment, have been blooming nicely for me - up until now in fact! I'm a complete novice with roses, but I hope everything will go well. I don't spray and I fertilize with a brand of fertilizer called "biogold" Due to the lack of space, all my roses are grown in pots.

I'm away on a business trip at the moment and just found out a bareroot Lady Emma Hamilton had been shipped to me, I didn't expect it to be so late! Talk about being anxious about asking a friend to pot it for me... anyone ever had the same experience? its nerve racking!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of my roses :D

William Shakespeare 2000 (Blooms are HUGE)

Ambridge rose (I couldn't resist the scent)

Aoi (An adorable chocolaty light purple rose bred by keiji farms)

Bare root Lady Emma Hamilton (my friend can't plant her until Tuesday, I'm so worried about her!)

Warmest regards,

Tokyorose

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Comments (35)

organicgardendreams
13 years ago
Welcome to the forum, tokyorose!

Your roses look beautiful! I love William Shakespeare 2000, just got one myself yesterday and I know the fragrance of the Ambridge rose is breathtaking. Aoi has a stunning color.

Like you I have grown roses on a balcony and after that on a roof top terrace in pots with quite good results. Roses are so versatile and forgiving as long as you take a little bit care of them.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the bare root Lady Emma Hamilton. Roses are tough and my guess is she will be just fine when she gets planted by your friend on Tuesday.

Christina
sanrosa
13 years ago
Beautiful photos! I am beginning to desire WS2000 now...
I ordered Ambridge Rose for spring. Can't wait!
LEH looks happy enough for now... like Sleeping Beauty, she'll awaken just fine with a little TLC.
How exciting to live in Tokyo and still grow roses! Your photos belie the small space you describe. Your beautiful roses may be growing and blooming on acres of garden for all we can see. Selective photography and a little imagination are wonderful things!
Sandra

Here is a link that might be useful: Roses, Color, and Light
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tokyorose
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the responses! I feel a little relief knowing LEH will probably be fine, I've been wanting her for a really long time :)

Christina- Thank you! Its challenging arranging the pots for optimal light but that's part of the fun isn't it? I always look forward to Ambridge's blooms, repeat is just a little slower for me. Aoi is a wonderful color indeed, very light scent but repeat blooms in little clusters, very charming! As for WS2000, I can only say good things about him!

Sandra- Thank you! I've seen some wonderful pictures of the rose gardens here which I am looking forward to visiting come late spring. WS2000 is lovely for me, probably will get a bit larger than the rest of my collection but the color and scent really sold me, I was actually torn between WS2000 and Munstead Wood for the longest time. WS2000 is fairly rigorous here - he is almost growing over the railing!
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
13 years ago
Welcome to the forum tokyorose! Great rose pics!
Thanks for Sharing!
tokyorose
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Jim!

Best,

tokyorose
tokyorose
Original Author
13 years ago
Just a small update!

Judging by the shape of those roots, I think my friends did a fairly good job potting up Lady Emma Hamilton. She's a little off center but I don't think it will be a problem. Hopefully, she'll awaken from her slumber just fine :)

Best Regards,

tokyorose
snowheather
13 years ago
Welcome, Tokyorose! Your pictures are great! I have a hard time getting the color right on photos of Wm. Shakespeare, but looks like you did. Also, I have grown roses on balconies and patios in the past when I had work in various cities. That just shows that a true gardener can't be defeated!
lesmc
13 years ago
Welcome Tokyorose! Looks like you have some beautiful roses and your picture of WS is wonderful. I too, have that rose and it is about 5 years old and has really come into his own! It looks like you have a great friend who did a super job potting up your bareroot. Have fun with your roses! Lesley
hosenemesis
13 years ago
Welcome, and thanks for posting photos, especially the one of your gorgeous Wm Shakespeare.
Renee
ramblinrosez7b
13 years ago
Welcome to the forum, your roses look great! Good luck with LEH, I hope she grows well for you, be sure and share pics of her when she blooms.
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi everyone!
After a long winter, I hope everyone's plants are waking up.
We are finally entering the rainy season here in Japan. However, that doesn't stop the roses! I am happy to say, that Lady Emma Hamilton has been growing well and is putting on quite the show!

Here is her first bloom!

I really love the scent here... always sniffing before going to work!

Best Regards,

Tokyorose
canadian_rose
12 years ago
Oh - that's lovely. I decided not to get this rose, because of the fading problem a lot of members had. But yours is vibrant and gorgeous. Good for you!!!

Thanks for showing us LEH - what a beauty!!!

Carol
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Snowheather: yup, us gardeners have to find creative ways around space- regardless of how big or small our gardens are!

Lesley: Yeah, Im really glad my friend did well with her, she's blooming wonderfully!

Renee: WS2000 really is gorgeous, I prefer the darker blooms of Autumn though, right now, they are a tad too shocking magenta for me ;)

Ramblingrozes7b: Thanks for the kind words :)

Carol: Thanks for the comment
I have in partial shade where she only gets about 4 hours of full sun in the late afternoon. The flowers do fade a after 3-4 days but are gorgeous when they open.
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Snowheather: yup, us gardeners have to find creative ways around space- regardless of how big or small our gardens are!

Lesley: Yeah, Im really glad my friend did well with her, she's blooming wonderfully!

Renee: WS2000 really is gorgeous, I prefer the darker blooms of Autumn though, right now, they are a tad too shocking magenta for me ;)

Ramblingrozes7b: Thanks for the kind words :)

Carol: Thanks for the comment
I have in partial shade where she only gets about 4 hours of full sun in the late afternoon. The flowers do fade a after 3-4 days but are gorgeous when they open.
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi all, Just thought I'd share another bloom - Gentle Hermione has been growing well for me, and her blooms are absolutely gorgeous!

A lot taller than all my other roses, but a sturdy rose indeed :D

tokyorose
mark_roeder 4B NE Iowa
12 years ago
Tokyorose, where did you grow up?
canadian_rose
12 years ago
It's nice to see that the bloom doesn't nod. The stems look too thin to hold it up - but it does. That's nice to know. I really like it. Kudos!
Carol
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Apologies for the (extremely) late responses!

mark_roeder: I grew up here and there, born in the U.S raised in various parts of Asia before settling into Japan - its been one hectic journey!
Carol: Its surprising how strong those spindly stems are! after the typhoon over here, only one of those stems snapped!
mantis__oh
12 years ago
Gentle Hermione is a beauty, with such neatly arranged petals and an alluring color.
serenasyh
12 years ago
Wonderful roses and pics Tokyorose. I'm Asian American (don't know if you are). I was born in North Dakota, spent childhood years in NYC and stuck in Kansas the rest of my life, lol! But the international scene is my thing, haha! Got friends in the UK (some from Peter Beales but most UKers because of my Border Collie Eluane- we train at Agility Addicts forum) and I've got friends in Australia and South Africa. Isn't the internet truly wonderful? And one of my closest friends is Jim here who lives all the way in Tyrone PA, even though we've never met face-to-face, lol! There's a wonderful Japanese gardener named Maki at the Peter Beales forum. She has absolutely gorgeous roses too, and has a very artistic "loft" garden...Hope you are enjoying your time in Japan. I am so envious at how clean and pristine things are in Japan, so tidy, so careful, everything is so well crafted whereas many Asian cultures tend to be very messy and all-over-the place when it comes to architecture, organization, much more helter-skelter and chaotic...Sadly, my parents heritage is not Japanese so I suffer from a bit of Japanese jealousy, lol! So many things I adore about their culture.
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi everyone, sorry for the late responses yet again, mother nature really isn't giving Japan a break this past year....
@mantis_oh- She is a wonderful rose, I'm glad I got her
@serenasyh - I am Asian American as well, but only spent a small part of my childhood there! and indeed the net is a wonderful place. Japan is a great place to live, save for the recent natural disasters! hopefully, this is a more peaceful year and I can get back to roses and posting here!

(its may and I have only have my first rose bloom today....weird weather lately...)
serenasyh
12 years ago
Glad to have you back, Tokyorose! Yes, that tornado really did some awful things in Japan. I was so shocked....!!! Tornado??? of all places...! Well, I've been immersed in a huge, but friendly debate at Peter Beales with Global Warming and polluting the environment issues....

Well, we are looking forward to more beautiful rose photos from you.
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
@serenasyh- Thanks, its nice to be back! The tornado was a complete shocker, since they almost never happen here - on top of that we had hailstorms that day! Sigh...global warming indeed...at least the roses will be back in bloom soon :)
tokyorose
Original Author
12 years ago
Finally have my first blooms this morning, waking up to a sunny day and seeing Lady Emma Hamilton full of buds is definitely a treat, I must say the blooms are even better than last year! Now if only the rest of them would catch up!
tokyorose
Original Author
11 years ago
This morning, Ambridge rose started blooming again, I have been looking forward to her blooms and she certainly did not disappoint. To top it off, she is full of buds! A wonderful scent to boot!

The flowers and fragrance seem to get better every year, It is a good morning :)
serenasyh
11 years ago
Very beautiful, both roses!!!

In the past I tried growing Lady Emma Hamilton for one year, but for me she had too weak and disappointing of a scent and she couldn't take Kansas heat, planted in a pot-- I'd have to water her as much as twice a day or she would start to croak and wilt from the heat. I tossed her, because she'd have to have the super strong scent in order for me to want to spend that much time coddling her.

But in the meantime, I'm sure everyone else will be running to get her after seeing your photos! Ambridge is also looking super nice!
ladyrose65
11 years ago
The roses are beautiful! I see you are a David Austin Fan.
tokyorose
Original Author
11 years ago
@ladyrose65: Thank you! I am indeed a fan of David Austin, every time I tell myself not to get any more...

Wedgwood rose finally bloomed and Ambridge rose is still blooming happily!

Wegewood Rose:

Ambridge Rose:

Darn these roses distracting me from work!
seil zone 6b MI
11 years ago
You have a beautiful collection of Austin roses!
tokyorose
Original Author
11 years ago
@serenasyh:Thanks again! Lady Emma Hamilton grows really well here - save for the influx of mites every year (dreading.) I know what you mean about the water though- thirsty one isn't she? The scent for me is really divine here!
As for Ambridge, its really taking off this year, after a less than spectacular 2011! Keep finding bud after bud!

@seil: Thank you! the blooms really brighten my day and I just wanted to share them with everyone :)
ken-n.ga.mts
11 years ago
Really enjoy your Austins. Keep things going. At the Atlanta Rose Show a couple of weeks ago I used 2 different Austins in my award winning low bowl Oriental Freestyle Arrangement. They work so well in Oriental Arrangements. The Austins I used; Septer d' Isle spray (3 blooms) and The Prince.
tokyorose
Original Author
11 years ago
@ken-n.ga.mts: Thank you for the kind words - your arrangement sound glorious! The contrasts between the two roses must have worked very well!

Additionally, my Wollerton Old Hall has bloomed! The great thing is, the blooms stay upright :D It is a good season indeed!
JessicaBe
11 years ago
All of your roses are absolutely beautiful!
canadian_rose
11 years ago
Wow!! I mean WOW!!!
Wedgeworth is excrutiatingly beautiful!!! They're all fantastic. Swoonworthy!!
Carol
dublinbay z6 (KS)
11 years ago
I love all your Austins--lovely pics.

Kate