I have the same question farmerduck. I purchased Kiss Me Kate from RU to replace Red Eden - a rose I love but balls horribly here. Where it is a new variety this year I'm not sure if anyone will be able to answer this but I hope so.

I saw another Kordes new introduction, Honeymoon, in person at the local store. The few buds it had all seem to have balled and looked like vomit/toilet paper. I have gotten quite a few Kordes roses that are tremendously heathy, but and I do not want another one of those. Have Kate from Rose Unlimited, and did not see a bloom yet. If it does not ball terribly, I will get another one.

Oh dear, I got a Red Eden on impulse earlier this year. Well....

Pair of Honeymoons from Chamblee's Spring of 2015 have never balled in their 2 years here. Such a healthy, graceful rose with generous & frequent blooms that open well in all weather, hold at least 10 days & drop petals cleanly when done. With snap deadheading, rapid rebloom. Good solid medium fragrance of vanilla & damask. Charming old fashioned romantic form to my eye. So fond of Honeymoon, ordered another pair of own root bareroots from Edmund's last month. New ones growing along beautifully in pots & already budding up.

I've seen more deformed buds on roses for sale locally this year than I remember in the past, including at regular garden centers. We had an on again/off again Spring alternating warm or hot with cool, but that's not unusual.

When inquiring about Kiss Me Kate/KORnagelio with Pat at RU mid-February, she was unfamiliar & had to look into it. Within a week, she had it & anticipated readiness by late May or early June. Pair shipping out Monday. Greatly looking forward to this one, which already won several awards. Sue

http://www.kordes-rosen.com/new-roses-2016-2017/gardenrose-kiss-me-kate?from=category & www.newplantsandflowers.com/rose-trials-result-in-a-large-variety-of-winning-varieties/

I bought 2 Kiss me Kate roses, received them 3 weeks ago, will report back when they're in bloom.

summer- have your Kiss Me Kate roses bloomed yet? Against my better judgement I ordered two from J&P for fall planting. Hopefully they'll survive the winter.

Sharon

I will check for you when I get home tonight. I know where I planted them.

thanks.

No blooms yet. They have some BS though. I know you don't spray.......

I still don't even have any new growth on mine compared with other roses I received in May that have put on a lot of growth and have all bloomed. I'd be happy with even just a little growth - hopefully soon.

Summer- Thanks for checking and the bs info.

Summer and Dave- well that stinks. It makes you wonder what the growers do to get such flower production. I wonder if they feed them super phosphate and burn the rose out? It makes for a great picture though even if it might kill your rose! I know I don't have the optimum growing conditions and don't expect professional gardener results but I'd like for the rose to at least grow and flower a bit. Is that too much to ask for?

Sharon

I have two KMK, own root. One has put on lots of new healthy growth, the other has put on just one teeny tiny (less than 1/4") growth in two months, and its growth just looks...burned. It's not fertilizer burn, I don't know what it is. Neither plant has bloomed yet, but they are just one year old own roots, so that's OK with me.

I must say though, that neither KMK plant has compared with the growth of my other two Kordes own root first years: Florintina and Honeymoon. Florintina has unbelievably healthy leaves and growth -- it almost looks like a holly bush! It is going to bloom for the first time in a few weeks. Meanwhile, Honeymoon has not stopped blooming for the past two months. Very healthy, more climber looking than Florintina; the flowers are creamy white and now have a pale pink center. No fragrance in either of these two, but WOW! great growth and very very healthy.

So, I have hope that KMK will also, with time (next year?) be a sweetly fragrant garden star too.

Sunny

thanks Sunny- Buying roses is always a gamble. Some that do well for some growers do horribly for others.

I have Florentina own root this year. she hasn't bloomed yet but is very healthy for a tiny band. Honeymoon is growing nicely. Her blooms were not the greatest this year but it has been very wet and unusually cool here. I hope she'll be better next year or on her next flush. I think she'll get pretty tall too. She has some 4 foot long canes and is only on her second summer as an own root.

Sharon

That's interesting, Sunny, my KMK has the sunburned leaves look as well. Not happy. I just hope it is strong enought to get through winter.

Summer.. any updates on KMK? Did she ever bloom for you? Any pics? My KMK bare root just arrived last night from palatines. Thanks :)

No blooms this year. I might pick up a grafted one from Palatine later if they still have it. Good luck to yours! :-)

I was just looking at this rose on the Edmunds site. I wonder how it might perform in the south.

Like the comments above, when I planted it last fall my foliage had a strange “burned” look to it and I honestly thought it was something I had done in maintaining the plant (glad to know now it may not have been)

It certainly hasn’t been the most vigorous grower in its first year but climbers always take patience. First blooms have me pretty pleased with my purchase. I have had some thrip issues, but no balling even with all the rain we’ve had.

Just stunning. I bought a grafted from Palatine this spring. She's growing like crazy and loaded with buds. I can't wait for her to bloom after seeing these gorgeous pics.

sharon

I bought 2 last year from RU, but I am not sure if I still have them at this moment. Had tree service in the backyard to cut down 4 huge ash trees last winter, they pull out all the chicken wires around roses and a lot of rose tags were gone too. Just treated roses for midge, waiting for the blooms. I think I might still have 1, if not I will get a grafted one from Palatine this fall. The photos are so beautiful!

Theoutrider, your 2nd photo looks like Dreamland.

I bought one last year. It has one eight feet long cane and has provided three blooms, which is respectable in light of its young age and the location (two much shade).

I am happy to report that none of the three blooms has balled. Will see if I can find a picture.

The pink in the middle. Not a very good picture, hahaha

Any updates? curious how she faired through the winter for cold diners....

Zoners not diners

I live in z5b Massachusetts on the CT, RI, MA border. We're pretty high elevation 825feet above sea level or so and my KMK looks great. After the snow melted she looked dead, canes were brown but apparently that's just her winter color. I had some dieback but not lots and she's leafing out nicely. Madame Anisette went through winter in a pot out on my brick garden walkway with no protection in a large peat pot! She's doing super. Now if I can only get her to flower. Honeymoon Arbor didn't do as well as KMK or MA, lots of dieback this winter. My Knockouts are in horrible shape.

I don't recall the flowers balling but she didn't flower much due to her young age. I don't recall much scent either. But that could be age related too.

My best Kordes rose is Summer Romance. No dieback through the winter, a blooming machine and heavenly scent. Earth Angel does well, but for my garden Summer Romance is a star. None of my roses get more than 5 to 5 1/2 hours of morning/early afternoon sun and perform nicely for far from optimum growing conditions. All were disease free too.

My best rose by far though is DA Windermere, blooms continuously, no disease and laughs at winter temps ;-)

Sharon

Hi friends ! any new pics and reviews of kmk ? i havent had rebloom since spring on mine and im wonderign if its me , or the rose . i dont even see any buds forming for the fall flush . thank you !

@Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca I don't have it but I read SO many threads/comments about it on he and "poor repeat" definitely seemed to be a recurring theme... maybe it's a really, really hungry rose? Or maybe it just has poor repeat, plain and simple.

I’ve whined about KMK since I got her. After another less than impressive season I moved her about a month ago. She’s on a REAL short leash around here

@ Lilyfinch - I've had it for two years and have only gotten 2 blooms and not much leaf production. Im very disappointed with this rose, I read really good reviews. It turning out to be a dud in my garden. Im going to move it to a new location in winter, hoping for more blooms.

Thank you Magpie , tina and haku . i think ill let it bloom next spring and then let it go . ive been watering flowerless rose plants too long to continue ! thank you ! what a shame bc the pics sre so lovley

@Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca - I agree with you I too have been watering flowerless roses for to long hehehe... Im going to move mine into a sunnier location and if Kate doesnt live up to the photos I will be removing it, as well as some climbing edens that havent flowered.

I just planted herJuly of 2021. I am impressed with the growth and overall health, however, the open blossoms that you see were manually opened by me. I’ll update here if it improves.

What ever happened to farmerduck?

Does anyone know?

“ … the open blossoms that you see were manually opened”. That’s a first (hearing of it) for me.

It sounds vaguely akin to a foreceps delivery.

😂

https://www.homestoriesatoz.com/tips-2/how-to-open-rose-buds-instantly.html

@Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca

@Michelle Bickhaus

@haku84_zone9

& Friends

My Kiss Me Kate had a nice showing first season 2021, a newbie, so bloomed only a tiny bit afyerwards. Looking forward to her maturing this year & more reoeat blooms, but she is always healthy & gorgeous blooms!

She was a little new bush but had about 15-20?blooms 2021 first flush.bShe’s in 1/2 shade/sun. If she doesnt bloom enough, I’ll move her.