I have a only a few roses, but two of them amaze me with their ability to constantly repeat bloom: Chrysler Imperial and Souvenir de la Malmaison. Both make rose growing a joy.

Jack

My "Bermuda Spice" takes no pauses from late Spring until hard frost. Yes, every single day there are blooms on it. During the hottest part of Summer they are smaller and whiter, but still there.

:-)

~Christopher

I very much concur with Jack on SdlM, and when I still had Spice it was also a great bloomer, but in my climate the summer roses were frizzled little things, barely recognizable as a rose bloom. SdlM will only frizzle on the second or third day when it's hot, and it retains its pink color for me. Le Vesuve is also a great bloomer, but does not have the most attractive blooms in dry, hot weather. Aunt Margy's Rose also pumps out its fragrant, old-rose blooms on a continuous basis. Souvenir de St. Anne, although a young plant, seems almost as eager as SdlM, its parent, to bloom.

Like Ingrid, in our hot summers, I become all too aware of those "frizzled little things" that pass as roses. But some seem more immune to this heat and bloom away through it all, and you probably know what the best one is for me: Julia Child. Another one, excellent all summer long, was Ascot, with its dark wine red blooms that don't fade. Here, Ascot is of monstrous size, though, (I have two and both are huge) contrary to descriptions. Oddly, it's not blooming much now that temps have moderated. Twilight Zone has finally come into its own, and is blooming much more and has put on a lot of size. The dark velvety blooms are just incredible right now. Again, no fading with this rose like Ebb Tide. Boscobel, Golden Celebration, Munstead Wood, Princess Alexandra of Kent are excellent bloomers, taking some rest periods. But PAOK produced some really homely little blooms of bright coral when it was in the 90s and 100s. Really bad. Munstead Wood's blooms right now are of deepest wine, velvety and huge. The scent can surpass even Evelyn's at times. OT, but speaking of scent, Young Lycidas, a lousy repeater for me, is producing some wonderful blooms now, and I'm amazed at their scent. There's nothing like some cooler weather to bring out the best in these shy bloomers. I'm droning on too much, but to finish up, I think Love Song is an excellent bloomer, too, and Easy Does It. Diane

Munstead Wood, September 30, is much darker than this pic, and still blooming away.

Twilight Zone photographed October 4

Diane,

Twilight Zone is simply stunning!!! This is very, very, tempting.

Thanks everyone! Diane, your Twilight Zone is gorgeous, love the color!

Oh Wow! That deep rich color is astounding! I was recently tempted toward roses of this hue, having grown La Reine years ago when I thought nothing of this end of the spectrum as I was too interested in rich pinks, but this will make me reconsider trying some. I can just see this rose paired with a lovely lavender rose such as Charles de Gaulle and creating a color sensation.

Your photos and plants are lovely!!!

Thanks,

Jack

Hmmm, My last post didn't come through. I just wanted to thank you, Sara-Ann and Jack, for your very nice comments. They make growing roses really worth it. Diane

Diane, I love Munstead Wood too, don't how I missed that you are showing a picture of both TZ and MW! My TZ did a lot better this year, I think I'm really going to like it, seems like a good rose.

Nana--here's another fan of MW--love it--and am glad to see you also get dark velvet blooms on it. For a while we had so many posters poster bright pinkish-rose colored MW blooms that I was beginning to think I was the only person who gets the dark velvet variety. Still don't know why some people get such light and bright colors from their MW, but our dark velvet ones are why I adore MW! Your pics capture the shade so well.

Edited to add: I meant to say that MW is one of my better repeaters also. Elle and Easter Basket have done reasonably well also, but we've had so much cloudy and grey weather this summer that a number of my roses just aren't doing that well. Oh yes, I remember now--out by the back fence, my hybrid musks Felicia and Buff Beauty have managed to have some blooms most of the summer, though not necessarily heavy blooming.

Kate

I would have to say that Pope John Paul II is a clear winner here for repeat bloom. Flush after flush of a mix of some humongous strong stemmed blooms and weak flimsy blooms. It seems to be very variable in terms of the size and quality of the blooms even in the same flush. Pink Peace comes second, they are both for me the quickest to re-bloom even in the heat.

Diane, Munstead Wood and Twilight Zone are to die for; the colors are magnificent. I don't know what your soil is like, but in my decomposed granite, even though it's amended, roses that should be a rich purple or purple red tend to be more reddish or pink. Part of it right now is the heat, but not all. It really is annoying.

I wish Munstead Wood and Twilight Zone were always in bloom in my garden! They are lovely roses. In my garden, the constant bloomers - those always with several flowers, not just one or two, are:

Scarborough Fair

Queen of Sweden

Natchitoches Noisette

Perle d'Or

Marie Van Houtte

Sister Elizabeth

Ballerina

And Easter Basket. Truly one of the healthiest roses, ever. Mine always has in excess of 20 flowers blooming. Unfortunately, it is the one, the only one, rose I really don't care for. The centers go all black within a day of opening. :(

I'm sorry I have not answered any of your other recent posts Sara. Most have been about hybrid teas and fancier roses than I grow. I'll chime in this time especially for some other northern gardeners who may blooming fools that are also no spray.

Mine are:

Flaminngo Kolorscape

Sunrise Sunset

My Girl

Super Hero

My Hero

Pink Drift

Music Box

Pink Flower Carpet

Pink Supreme Flower Carpet

Julia Child

Lemon Fizz Kolorscape

White Out

Home Run

Ice Cap

Innocencia

Cream Veranda

Floral Fairy Tale

Solero

Raspberry Balconia - purchased as Toscano Balconia

Ivors Rose - so far so good

Red Flower Carpet

Scarlet Flower Carpet

Milano Kolorscape

Kardinal Kolorscape

Easter Basket

La Marne

Pomponella

Gartendirector Otto Lynn

Flower Girl

Campfire

Friends Forever

Phloxy Baby

Coral Flower Carpet

Jolie

Fire Opal

Double Pink Kockout

Red Drift

Thats it for constant bloomers this year.

Easy Does It is rarely without bloom for me. Also Dick Clark is always in bloom. The Shepherdess is an Austin that always has either blooms or buds. Veteran's Honor and Ingrid Bergman are good repeaters for me as well. Tamora is an excellent repeat bloomer for me too. One of the best! Pope John Paul II is also a great repeat bloomer. Europeana is rarely without bloom as well. Sun Flare always has flowers too. Angel Face is a black spot magnet, but a good bloomer. And Jubliee Celebration is another great blooming Austin. :)

Interesting how blooming rates vary, depending on where you live. Looking at the last several posts, I would say that roses that rarely or only very slowly re-bloom during the hot summer are Queen of Sweden, Pompenella, and Jubilee Celebration.

I was very surprised to see those 3 on anybody's list of fast and/or steady re-bloomers.

Kate

Where I live, my problem is not so much that the blooms do not repeat enough, but rather the blooms last so short, only about 2 days, before getting baked in the sun and withering.

My most abundant bloomer is a floribunda and looks like this:

http://www.thegracefulgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2012-05-11_5630_edited-1.jpg

Not sure what it's called, it doesn't really smell. It was just a generic rose they sold at the store.

Kate we have horribly humid weather but most years not as hot as yours. My Pomponella's were grafted on multiflora. They were continuous bloom until the last two years when the graft began to rot. Did manage to save that one root and she's growing well thou still little. Now I'll get to see how it blooms and grows as an own root.

The graft began to rot? Now that is a new one on me.

I've occasionally had a few roses that bloomed fine for a couple years and then definitely declined in terms bloom frequency and in one case I remember, in terms of size of bloom. Don't know if that had anything to do with rotting grafts--don't even remember if they were grafted. I did wonder if it might be due to RMV that so many grafted roses have been inflicted with. But now that I think of it, I had 3 roses of the same variety that I know were not grafted--all three became weakly after a couple years of strong and frequent rebloom.

I have no explanation for why good rebloomers suddenly become weak blooming roses after a couple years.

Kate

Kate is right, it is interesting how variable roses can be - with different climates, different soils, and different gardeners.

I have read several posts that mention how Queen of Sweden is a reluctant rebloomer and I always think, What?? How can that be? It is probably the best rose in my garden. Hardly any disease stuff (no spray), blooms all the time, and the flowers always hold their form. The color changes somewhat depending on the weather but is never what anyone could call washed out. Sometimes it's fragrant and sometimes it's not -- and that's my only complaint. It does incredible on the Dr. Huey graft -- last year I had up to seven new canes shoot from one plant after the first flush, but it also does fine on its own root. I would know - I prune, walk around my garden, and stick the cuttings in everywhere. Most of them root and they bloom the next year. I think I have about 45 Queens at this point. I would recommend it as an excellent hedge rose.

I sort of apologize for the "rant" but I've wanted to sing the Queen of Sweden's praises for some time. At the very least, I guess it's an encouragement to try a rose you like even if others haven't had much success.

And Pomponella? Did I even have five flowers from her this year?? Lol.

When the heat is on here, I'd be happy if my roses lasted two days. I guess some do last that long, but a lot of blooms last more like two hours in our dry heat--not exaggerating. Blue Bayou my very worst prima donna lasts about 20 minutes.

Kate, I have some 11 year old grafted roses that seem to be pooping out on the reblooming, but not just two years old. I do think age can have something to with it. In general, rebloom is not so hot in my climate and in our lousy soil. I am impressed with all the good rebloomers listed here--and a little jealous.

Ingrid, I don't know what the answer is with successful purple coloration. My soil is awful desert stuff, which of course, has been amended a lot, but I still have problems with certain purples (Ebb Tide) and reds fading in the sun and heat.

Ha! Queen of Sweden is such a stingy bloomer for me. I've moved it twice to try and coax more blooms from her but to no avail. I succeeded at grafting one on to fortuniana and its growing albeit very slowly. I also have one growing on its own roots. This one actually seems to be growing faster than the grafted one at the moment. But none are what you'd call vigorous. I really want this rose to do well for me (can you tell?), but so far no luck.

I don't have Q of S, but I do know I love the long hedges you are growing, Sidos. I'm really impressed that you can root so many so easily. I don't think that would happen here! What a lovely rose each bloom is.

Ingrid, I meant to thank you for your nice comments regarding my purple roses. Have you ever tried Plant Tone? I think that can be a real help for us desert dwellers in improving the soil right around each rose.

And Sara, thanks for starting this thread. It's proving very interesting.

Diane

Wow!!! Sidos - your QOS is amazing!!! Kudos for you!!! I love how all of the flowers look the same - so perfect!

My strong bloomers are

- Chicago Peace

- Night Owl

- Pink Peace

- The McCartney Rosoe

- Valencia

- Grande Dame

- Big Purple

- Ch-Ching

Sidos--I am consumed by envy over your beautiful Queens of Sweden. I have three, and like So Fl Rose, have found them to be stingy bloomers. The bushes seem quite strong and vigorous--in fact, they grow about 5-6 ft tall. I did move all three to new spots at the beginning of this growing season, so hopefully by next season they will be settled in enough to start doing some serious blooming for me. How continuous we will have to wait to see.

Kate

Ones that are continuously in bloom for me (even with temps the surface of the sun--it will be almost 100 degrees tomorrow!) are;

Munstead Wood

Princess Alexandra of Kent

Pretty Jessica

Lavender Crystal

Occhi di Fata (I have had this one less than a year on its own root and it has done very well for me--love the blooms that are different every day).

Diane, thank you for the tip about Plant Tone, which I haven't tried. If it makes your purple roses look like that I'm definitely getting it!

I can't guarantee deep purple roses, but Plant Tone certainly isn't going to hurt anything, Ingrid. Rose Tone is fine, but usually more expensive and basically the same thing as Plant Tone. Sometimes, I even use Holly Tone if the price is right, in the hope it will cut down on the effects of my alkaline soil. Amazon has the best deals on these, and if you order $35 or more, shipping is free. Diane

Thank you, Nana Doll. Your garden and Kate's have been inspirations to me over the years. Kate, I hope to hear that your QofS's like their new location and bloom well for you.

Rose Canadian, thank you! Queen of Sweden's blooms are so perfect! Always. It's nothing to do with me, that's for sure. I had great luck with the McCartney Rose this year too. Gigantic flowers that you can smell a few feet away. I didn't have such luck with Grand Dame or Night Owl, maybe with time.

My two best are Medallion and Outta the Blue. My Medallion puts out huge blooms in t flushes. Outta the Blue always has a bud or a bloom. Also, congrats SoFl for being able to graft. I know that you have wanted to that for awhile.

The best bloomers this season in my garden are:

Beloved-red

Love and Peace-pink and yellow

Olympiad-red

Tropicana-orange

Hot Cocoa-burnished orangish pink-seems to change thruout the summer

I don't have many roses, and all of them are first year's bands, but the following are my best re-bloomers:

• Belinda's dreams
• Graham Thomas
• Darcey Bussell
• Purple Rain