http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4265102/new-kordes-roses-summer-romance-and-first-crush?n=34

Check out this thread. Mine never outgrew it and was removed.

My first bloom of Dixieland Linda looked like this. (new plant this spring). There are a couple new buds on it now, so I'm curious to see if those also have this look. I'm curious too!

Lilyfinch,

There are some varieties of roses that seem to be prone to have 'bull nose,' buds. My climber, Lady Ashe, always throws buds in the color up stage that look like they will stay stuck in a bull nose stage, but continue to open properly.

Now First Crush may be prone to it. Heat, dryness, etc., may be contributing factors. There could also be a virus involved.

I would just wait and see what the future brings for now, as long as all other things about First Crush are on target.

Moses

Both my SR and FC do this, but the flowers look totally normal. I had thought it was just the way they are, but Cori Ann's pics don't show itand I don't remember SR exhibiting this trait last year. There have been unusual amount of thrips this year.

Mine does that too. Sometimes it's just the one bud but other times it's the whole cluster but rarely. I do get them quite often but it produces so many clusters all year so if it looks like it's not going to open correctly I just clip it off. Some do open up normally too. The perfect bloom though is absolutely stunning and will take your breath away. Beyond gorgeous!!!!

I blame mine on Earwigs

I planted First Crush and Summer Romance last summer and they both do this to some extent. So far, SR goes on and opens to a lovely bloom most of the time, but FC not so much. They both have grown vigorously so I am hoping they will improve with age.

Bullnose/bullhead blooms typically have to do with bud development during cool conditions. It seems like most of my roses will have bloom that will do this from time to time but A Shropshire Lad and Summer Romance were severe offenders for two years - but only one of the several reasons they had to leave.

Seems to be a few different ideas here.. and I would have just blamed it on the rose itself , but this morning I noticed my lavender lassie has it too! How odd?! I've never seen this on my roses before. Summer romance looks normal right now .

cori Ann , your roses look fantastic there!! So glad you found roses to do well in a tough area !

Dave , it just hasn't been cool here ? It's definitely summer and hot . Maybe I missed a cooler night or two . As long as it's not a permanent disaster in my garden I'll be fine :)

mindy - I'd love to see photos of Dixieland Linda!

Noseometer , how long did you give it before kicking it out ?

I agree judy , when the blooms are perfect it is wow !! Wish I had gotten a pic when I had a good branch open but I forgot to

Kristine , I cannot stand even the thought of earwigs !!! When I was a child , my grandparents had a camper in a country campground. A kid there told me earwigs crawled in your ears to lay eggs and needless to say, I could not sleep well there after that bc those bugs popped up a lot . My poor grandma had to do an earwig checkbefore bed and I begged for cotton balls for my ears ! I've heard dahlias attract them and it's always given me the heebie jeebies thinking of them. ewwwwww

Lol. Earwigs eat bugs like thrips and aphids in addition to nibbling on leaves so I actually consider them welcome in my yard, :-)

Lily, put a small tin like a tuna can or a cat food can with a bit of cooking oil and a coupleasure splashes of soy sauce. Put it out tknight under one of your roses. Check in the AM and see what you caught.

Lilyfinch - I suffered through two seasons of it before putting it out of my misery. I tried it in a different spots but no improvement. Then when the canes all started turning black I knew it was done for, and removed it.

Kristine , I just may try that ! What a gross expirament :)

noseometer , thanks ! Hope you found a great replacement. I do hate shovel pruning but sometimes it feels so good to get rid of a rose that disappoints you ! I'm glad I got mine on clearance so I don't have to feel bad if it dosnt work out. It does have a couple good looking blooms on it luckily and it's so healthy!

One of my DarkDesire buds has it now!!! It's been warm with intermittent rain. All these blooms open normally so I'm not too concerned, but it is a mystery. I had it happen last year to a smaller degree even on Viking Queen and it was hotter then. Could thrips cause this? I'm now finding large holes in my buds, but I think that's cumcumber beetles. I put a couple out of my misery yesterday. I was thinking it might just be Korde's roses, but DLL/LA is a sport of Aloha. It obviously has something to do with having many petals.