I still don't have mine; for some reason my shipping date must be later than yours. Your plant is nice and bushy, although rather short. Ours had better turn out spectacular for $62+! Since you're much closer I imagine it wouldn't be as expensive for you, though.

Thank You Chris209. Ingrid, the rose was only $20 but shipping was $25 I believe. As I stated in the original post, the plant is bushy and much fuller than the Souvenir de la Malmaison roses I ordered from them last year. Then, I was shocked, upon opening the container, and seeing two twigs with barely five leaves between them, but they quickly matured into fabulous specimens.

I hope yours arrive safe and sound and do well for you. We will have to compare progress. :-)

Jack

Awesome! I have to confess that I ordered one as well. Ha! It will definitely be challenged in my difficult climate, but teas do really well for me in general. Mine is supposed to arrive tomorrow! Excited!

Oh goody, three of us to compare notes. I hope for once mine won't be the slowest to take off. The shipping on mine cost a lot more since the rose was going across the country and the only option I was given was three-day express. I'm glad that this rose is being distributed, and very quickly too. It wasn't long ago that I thought I would never have this rose. I think it's thanks to Jeri that the process was expedited.

I just got a wish list e-mail from RP that they have more in stock, for anyone still wishing to purchase a "Jesse Hildreth". I forgot to unsubscribe once I got my plant, but maybe someone else needs one?

Virginia

Make it four. I just got Jesse Hildreth from rosepetals too. I am so hoping he likes it here. I also had the three day express and I have high hopes. I also did not take myself off the wish list.

Jack, looks about as large as mine (obtained at SJHRG sale), that I've had for a year! Of course, it was the last available for sale there at the time and, thus, the"runt of the litter", a mere twig. My plant has not been a super-fast grower, but has made good progress and blooms regularly.

got mine month or so ago, smaller, and I fear not entirely happy yet. Although, I do have some new leaves.

Jesse Hildreth is NOT a fast-growing rose. Anyone who expects it to be huge in a year will probably be disappointed.

Like many Tea Roses on their own roots, this one will grow low and spready for some time, before it even thinks about growing upwards. Keeping it in a series of containers is not a bad strategy for this rose.

That's my plan Jeri, thanks

I may make an exception with mine and also keep it in containers, something I've only done for one other rose, Annie Laurie McDowell, which is finally beginning to grow. My Jesse was there today when I got home from work. No buds for me but a respectable-sized plant, maybe a little less full than Jack's, but definitely not a runt. I'm going to keep it in its original 1-gallon container until it fills out more. I'm excited for all of us!

Mine went into the ground where I plan on keeping a very close eye on it. We'll see. I'm also thrilled and hope the planting works. I'm a bit afraid of overwintering it in a pot outside. Inside also seemed wrong in 8b Sunset 7.

Brittie, Shelia, vrm423, Ingrid and Lisa, I consider us all very lucky to have this magnificent rose. Truthfully, I thought that I would never get it. We must keep the forum abreast of Jesse's progress as we are all in diverse climates and this will surely be of help and interest to rosarians.

catspa, I'm amazed at the size of the plant I received. Was expecting a rooted cutting at best, and to my surprise I received a multi-stemmed bushy and budded plant. It made my day.

Jeri, I'm really grateful to you for introducing this beauty to us. The romance, mystery and legend is truly fitting of such a fine rose. I plan on growing Jesse in a container as I do all of my roses. I've got it ready and waiting and hope to pot him up Friday, weather permitting. He will receive the best of care and I hope he likes the Central Florida climate.

Jack

Here's a photo of my little "Jesse Hildreth" plant this morning. It seems to grow in "fits and starts"; takes a little break and looks ratty after blooming ("rattiness" enhanced by our recent heat waves, which burnt its leaf tips), but soon pushes out fresh growth and some blooms. It has quick turnaround and is a frequent bloomer, even at this size (would probably be growing a little faster if disbudded, but I've been wanting to see the blooms, to compare with "Westside Road Cream Tea").

I'm really, really hoping that some of the new folks getting "Jesse Hildreth" also have "Westside Road Cream Tea" so that they, too, can compare these two roses and weigh in with an opinion. I am becoming more convinced, even in these early days, that these are the same rose or practically so. Buds, receptacles, sepals, leaves, scent, mature flowers, etc. seem to be the "spittin' image" of each other (see bud comparisons below, see my post in July with other comparisons here). I am also struck by how much the overall "look" of the WRCT plant in bloom resembles Jeri's images of JH in HMF, especially the photo collage. I will be posting my own study photos of WRCT in its HMF file soon, to expand the info about its details there.

My little plant of "Jesse Hildreth"

Comparison of buds from this morning. JH: buds #1 and #4 (counting from left); WRCT: buds #2, #3, and #5.

A montage of different-aged blooms on WRCT:

I got my rose yesterday, gave him some rainwater and set him outside with my other young plants. It is insanely muggy out there today. I had sweat rolling down my back just by standing there. No easing JH into our climate at all, lol. Sink or swim little guy.

The pictures above are ridiculously pretty. I don't have wrct, but I'm interested in seeing how the comparison goes.

I'm interested, too. They do look very similar, and could be the same.

It's my impression that WRCT is also not a plant that matures quickly on its own roots. And, y'know what? Another rose we've grown that had a similar pattern of growth is 'Le Pactole' -- slow to start as an own-root, but eventually becoming a very big, lusty plant.

Why do I bring up 'Le Pactole'?

I bring it up because it is another rose with fairly similar coloring, and even similar foliage, which calls to mind 'Lamarque.' And both 'Lamarque' and 'Le Pactole' go back to the lost 'Smith's Yellow Tea'. (So, btw, does 'Devoniensis' -- another rose with a passing resemblance, eh?) These roses -- gee, it just seems that they must be related in one way or another.

Has anyone, do you know, ever suggested an identity for WRCT?

catspa, Thanks for your interesting and informative post! Jesse is such a lovely rose. To my eye, the comparison photo is an enigma, although I will say, and this could just be prejudice on my part, that the first and fourth roses (Jesse) look slightly different up close and also when I stand back from the screen.

Your little potted fella is charming.

Jack

I will be very disappointed if Jesse Hildreth turns out to be WRCT, which I had in the past. Mine was own-root and it grew like a maniac and bloomed prolifically, but I was never that excited about the blooms once they opened since they had that somewhat ragged look that catspa's picture also shows. To me Jesse's blooms in the pictures I saw had a more cupped look even when almost open which made for a much more elegant appearance. Mysteriously, after two years of great bloom production and even though the bush was completely healthy, I never had another decent bloom from it. They were very small and grayish-brown; it was a complete mystery. Jeri, please tell me that Jesse is better-looking than WRCT!

Jeri, I've looked, but I haven't found a suggested identity for WRCT. My thought is to start looking up long-lost tea relatives of 'Lamarque' and others in the group that seem like they could be possible, like 'Mlle. Germaine Raud', then see if more info on those can be found. Rainy afternoon work (if it ever rains...). (Edit to add that I see you already suggested the Mlle. as a possibility for JH in this thread, Jeri.)

Yes, Jack, I agree they do look a little different, but as they were still attached to JH when I took the photo (and are even now -- I laid the pot on its side for the photo), I can tell you that #4 is the bud on the left in the photo of my little JH and #1 is the bud on the right. The WRCT buds also have those slight differences.

Ingrid, my WRCT, when young, suddenly went through a little, dirty brown bloom phase, too, but only for about two cycles. I attributed it to the weather and youth at the time, and it hasn't done that since, but perhaps something else went awry with your bush that was more permanent. The blooms of the first spring flush of my WRCT are more cupped, larger, and fuller than blooms later in the season, becoming more so as it matures. Here's details from an April 2015 photo (not very good):

It occurred to me this morning that my personal "clincher" bit of evidence for these being the same variety is one that can't be conveyed in photos, that "Jesse Hildreth" and "Westside Road Cream Tea" smell the same to me. Along with so much similarity in appearance, how often do different varieties have exactly the same scent? But, I would love to have the opinion of different noses on that point, too.

A second thought, Ingrid, is that even if the same variety, there may be clonal differences between JH and WRCT, such as a mature JH having more substantial flowers than a mature WRCT. It will be a good many years before I can say anything about that!

Both are beautiful roses from the pictures! I will be interested how the new 'Jesse's' do. I have hesitated ordering from Rose Petals as my shipping costs (being also in California) were so high when I calculated. Nice to see the healthy plants received. They have so many roses that have me drooling.

catspa, these new pictures you've posted show more of the cupped appearance that I associated with Jesse Hildreth, and I now think they might possibly be the same rose. I kept WRCT for another year after the dirty gray blooms appeared, and when it did it again the second spring I had had enough. The fact that both smell absolutely identical would seem to be a very strong indicator for their being the same rose. Since I have no other white roses except White Pet and Souvenir de St. Anne's, I'll try to be happy with whatever I end up with, although it's by far the most expensive rose I've ever purchased.

Plants experience "micro sports", very often degenerative, all the time. That's how apples have their tastes "removed". Fruit is constantly chemically tested for sugar levels. New trees are propagated from branches which produce fruit with less sugar so the fruit lasts longer in storage and on store shelves. Unfortunately, sugar is what also produces TASTE. If you've noticed Gala, Braeburn, the "Delicious" types and others which previously tasted good, but now don't, that is why. Yet, when you buy those varieties from tree producers, they still taste as they should. Backyard trees are propagated from trees whose fruit still tastes good. Who would buy a garden center or nursery apple tree whose fruit tastes like Styrofoam? But, grocery chains want the same variety that will last weeks on their shelves until they are all sold. The point being that these degenerative, micro mutations occur all the time in all plant types. If, for whatever reason, one of the two plants being compared happens to have been descended from one of the micro, degenerative sports, it's going to vary from the other. But, they could still be the "same" rose. Of course, the differences could also be due to viral effects where one plant is infected with a virus the other doesn't have, or a more virulent strain of the same. You can frequently see variations like these when walking large nursery fields containing hundreds of each variety of rose. That's how I found the striped sport of Patchwork. The original was very similar to Granada, in sunset shades. The sport was heavily striped. These could well be the "same" rose, but appear quite different.

I read somewhere (helpful I know) that Potassium deficency can cause dirty brown buds. I might try a K supplement if that happens.

It could also be Botrytis, which can sometimes resemble camellia petal blight. Western Flower Thrips can also produce similar appearances.

So would these entities cause the flowers to look like small gray uglies while the rose itself still seems to be perfectly happy? This was some years ago but I know nothing major was going on with the bush itself, the leaves were dark green and the bush was growing as quickly as before, and it was so dense you couldn't see the branches. Here is a picture of WRCT when it was still doing well.

Yes ma'am. If you take a flower, hold it upside down and tap it vigorously over a clean sheet of white paper, thrips will be those little, thin, wiry looking insects moving around on the paper. Very often, when people think it's pollen from the flower causing them to sneeze after smelling the bloom, it's actually BUGS.

I received Jesse Hildreth about 6 weeks ago. It was the first order that I had ever placed with Rose Petals, and while this rose was more expensive than the norm, what I received was a healthy, decent sized plant ,that appears to be very happy thus far. WRCT is on my wish list. I was not aware of the possible relationship between WRCT and JH, but like Ingrid, the reason there are not more white roses in my garden is due to what many can look like with spent blooms. My getting out to deadhead more often would be helpful, but right now, I am crossing my fingers that the appearance of aging blooms on this bush will be tolerable because I LOVE the look of this rose bush and its blooms.

Lynn

"Jesse Hildreth" is self-cleaning. I "deadhead" only by snapping off what's left behind. But there is no look of faded blooms, because the petals fall away.

The little bud which came with my plant of Jesse on Tuesday last, bloomed yesterday. This is certainly a thrill. I should have been a more responsible gardener and dis-budded him, but I seek immediate satisfaction in all things and did not do it. After all, I might be dead, buried, and forgotten by the time he responds to responsible gardening.

Jack

Truth is, I always want to see 1-2 blooms open, just to be sure what I have. :-)

Adorable.