For me, so far (bought mine potted one year ago) Ebb Tide has been pretty good. The heat doesnt phase it too badly ( mine stayed potted, and it gets hot here in summer- but it didn't take long to bounce back from a month of on off 100 F temps). The colour will pink out a bit, and the blooms will blow out fairly quickly in high heat, so you might want to plant it where it can get afternoon shade but it just keeps going. Mine tends to go through a boom/bust cycle ie its covered in blooms, looks lovely, then starts looking a bit ratty, then a bit seems to die off - just as you start to get worried, there's fresh growth and new buds are appearing. No signs of mildew (problem here in early spring/late autumn) and no blackspot.

It also has a lovely spicy smell.

Can't offer any Ebb Tide advice but wish you luck with your pretty rose. I can tell you thou that 4in pots are very easy to hide.

No he won't -he'll come around when he sees and smells the bloom. I bought mine as a tiny little stick 2 summers ago. It has an awesome scent and lots of blooms. I have been happy and I keep eyeing the buds he's setting. It's going to be a nice flush!

Enjoy!

About Hubby, there must be something he wants. There was a very funny article in a quilting magazine written by a husband of a quilter, enumerating how wives' hobbies can benefit husbands, such as travel to interesting places where he can golf or hang out at the hotel bar, while she attends her event. Among the benefits, he said, was that since her hobby necessitated some expense, "She will deny you nothing".

I recall my father wanting to buy a rather expensive, for the times, musical instrument. About a year or so later, the instrument came home, along with a camera for my mother..

You could always just walk in holding the rose for him to see . Then tell him "I am planting this in the garden to remind me of when we first met". Of course you will need more roses for all the many wonderful memories you have!!

Oh dear! I have two expensive hobbies. I'm a quilter and I love roses. From October to March all of my time and attention is focused on quilting and from March to October it is on roses.

At first I got the "don't you have enough______?". Now he just smiles. I've left him sitting in chairs at the front of quilt shops and walking behind me at a plant nursery dutifully pulling a cart.

He once said I was lucky to have a hobby then he found woodworking. Those plant dollies and pot stands and shelves he makes me are kind of expensive if you prorate them but as long as he keeps smiling I know I'm okay!

A 4" pot will be a very small rose. It will need TLC to survive and grow.

Don't know where you live. Here, Ebb Tide is a crappy plant in North/Central NJ, ET growing no-spray due to blackspotting. Mine was potted up, and I saw that it kicked the dust a few days ago. Cannot say I miss it too much as it is a sick plant for most of the growing seasons :) You might want to consider spray fungicide.

But the blooms are beautiful and have a wonderful smell.... Each garden is different, and hope that you ETs perform well for you.

I would definitely make sure that it gets only morning sun, no later than 1 p.m., based of the performance of mine. Purple roses as a rule can't stand the sun very well, and I wouldn't keep it in such a small pot for any length of time. Either a larger pot or planted in the ground would be much better for it.

Pot it in the next size up after you let it rest from a stressful journey in a dark box. Don't put it out in full sun all at once. A few hours of morning sun at first is best. If it's dry and windy, put it where the wind is blocked. I would keep it in a pot until it's bigger than a one gallon size. Each time, you can plant it a little deeper than before to encourage more root growth but remove any leaves that might get covered by potting soil. Roots will grow where the leaves have been removed and you don't want the leaves rotting in the soil next to the rose.

It's going to be a few years until you get full sized flowers. The first small flowers might not have as many petals as the picture. Once the plant is a few feet tall you will start seeing the roses this plant is famous for. I pinch off all the buds on small potted roses to get them to grow leaves and roots instead. A few times I got the wrong plant and didn't know it until much later (wrong color) but taking off the buds helps the plant in the beginning.

I agree with Ingrid. But, if you are going to plant it in the ground, and live in an area with hot summers, it could be best to wait until Fall to plant.

Best of luck with your new Ebb Tide rose!

Thanks everyone for such nice replies! I told hubby about it, and luckily he didn't react badly, even though I already have WAY too many plants. Desertgarden, I live in the S. California high desert, so my weather is much like yours, only colder in winter. Zone 8b. Just put it in a pot one size up for now? And plant it in fall? Okay, I'll plan on that. Perfect about morning sun! I will have it on the north side of the house, so morning sun and afternoon sun briefly. I can position it so it won't get TOO much afternoon sun. I have NO experience with roses. I bought compost and mulch. When will I need to use either one? After planting it in a bigger pot, or when I plant it in the ground? I've also heard about manure, but I don't have any except fresh horse manure. I don't want to kill the poor little thing, but I'm so ignorant with roses! When I repot it, I have peat, orchid mix (with some bark) and perlite. Is that what I should use? I warned you I don't know about roses!

BethC - I, too, love quilting and roses, and divide my time up like you do. I consider them both as ways of experimenting and celebrating colors!!

Carol

Right now, use a good potting mix ( some people make their own... or if you have a STAR or HD you can purchase their potting mix) and watch the moisture levels. Be careful not to over or under water.

It is usually safe to add about 1/4 part compost to native desert soils when planting. I am not an expert regarding fresh horse manure, but I would not add it to the soil when planting. I believe it should be aged, or used as a top dressing.

Lynn

I kept it potted for a year, planted it in a holding spot. Had to move it before O had another spot, potted it up for a while and planted it last summer in the heat. It never even so much as hiccuped. I also have it in the East side of the house it really likes it there and, mine any way, tolerated a lot of abuse.

Rosecanadian and Beth C in Dallas

Another quilter and rose gardener here!

Quilt in the winter, all warm and toasty!

Outside playing with flowers in the summer.

It's all about the colors!

fragrancenutter (I love your moniker) Your pictures of Ebb Tide are unreal!!! If I thought I could grow one like that, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. That's stunning!! I always thought the blooms were that smoky color, which isn't my cup of tea. Yours is spit in your face, shout it out loud FUSCHIA!! I love, love the color of your Ebb Tides!!! And yours is l-o-a-d-e-d with flowers/buds!! Wow!!

Carol

Barbara - yes!! It's all about the colors!!

Carol

The sun in so intense here that I only saw that wonderful purple shade briefly spring and fall. The rest of the time a rather ordinary dark pink. The fragrance definitely makes it all worthwhile; I detect a note of clove fragrance most often smelled in rugosas. I love that smell!

Sorry, "here" meaning coastal SE Virginia, down by the North Carolina line. Our bloom season has already started here. We're zone 8.

Oh, I forgot about the fragrance of E.T. !! It is intoxicating.

I'm zone 8b here. I will go ahead and pot it in a bigger pot, and wait until fall to plant outside. Sometimes it gets REAL hot here, REAL fast, and that makes me nervous. When I receive it (it's on its way) I'll post pics. Thanks all!

The colour of Ebb Tide will intensify as the temperature cools down.

Photo from today shows the saturated colour of Ebb Tide a bit better

Fragrancenutter Your Ebbtide has huge Blooms Gorgeous , my are really tiny in zone 5

Your methods for taking care of your roses is superb, fragrancenutter!! Stunning again!

Carol

That's strange because Ebb Tide has much larger flowers and deeper colour in cooler weather for me. In the summer heat the flowers are smaller but they come in large bunches. More Ebb Tide pictures:

Such a fantastic color!!!! GAsp!

Carol