White Pet (aka Little White Pet) is one of my favorite roses in my garden. I have three, and they just bloom and bloom and bloom. Need little care. One of the few roses in my garden which stay around 2 ft high, instead of shooting up like I put them on growth hormones.

Why are you planting it in the shade? I have 2 in sun, and one in partial shade, and the last one is way smaller and less blooming than the other two.

Jackie

White Pet is very heat/sun tolerant. I have 3 that grow in full sun. It is a great little workhorse!!

I know very few roses do well in total shade. This spot will still receive enough morning sun to bloom, I thought. My morning sun area needs some roses, so Little White Pet was purchased for this spot. I hope it does well. I'm looking at the spot right now, and it's still sunny at 11:30 AM. That should be fine, right? The rest of the day it's very bright shade. Almost every rose appreciates a break from the afternoon sun at my place. This spot just gets morning sun. I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. I always call that side of the slope, "The shady side" and I didn't explain the details. How much full sun does the smaller of your three receive, Jackie? Although my son already dug the hole for me, I could place a perennial there instead, and scoot Little White Pet over a few feet. That way it would receive a few more hours of sun. Do you think this is necessary? I would like LWP to stay 3 x 3 at the MOST for this area, but I don't want to significantly reduce blooming. I would greatly appreciate your opinion,(or anyone else's) before I put LWP in place. I'm not a fan of moving roses once I've planted them. Thanks for the help:)

I saw White Pet displayed at the county fair a few weeks ago. It made me extra happy with my choice. It was absolutely charming. Lisa

Lisa, I just saw it at the Ky Arboretum over the 4th and it does really well here, too. Yours looks great. I love everything I got from ARE. They've grown like crazy since May.

If it gets sun from 8 or 9AM to noon, and then bright shade, I think it will be fine in your very hot zone. I have several roses in my way cooler (zone 9 three blocks from SF Bay) which mostly get moring sun, and they do fine.

Jackie

Great! Then I can use the hole that's been been dug for it. May I ask how large each of yours are, Jackie and Desertgarden?

Vaporvac, I'm happy with my order too. What a difference after I've grown accustomed to receiving band size roses! Lisa

They are about 18"- 2' tall, Lisa. They were received as bands about a year and a half ago. I placed them toward the front of the bed behind low growing shrubs and annuals.

I received a beautiful LWP as a gift from a friend from ARE. They sent me an incredibly healthy rose with lots of buds. It is in a pot in partial shade and it is growing and blooming like crazy. I absolutely love it.

Mine tolerates our heat very well.

Yay! I'm so glad it can take the heat. I've got plenty of that! I can't wait to see the buds open. Lisa

Lisa, in our conditions your spot sounds perfect for White Pet. I had one until the rabbits ate it. It wasn't my favorite rose but many people love it. With the present temperatures I suggest you plant it at midnight with someone holding a flashlight!

I should mention that I recently received two tea roses from ARE, also devoid of leaves. The one I planted in the ground still has no leaves while the one I have on a bench with only a bit of morning sun is fully leaved out. However, the one in the ground gets more sun than your position although it's covered with a shade cloth most of the day.

I know, Ingrid. Today the heat is awful. I think I had better wait a few days, for my sake and White Pet's sake. Incidentally, I heard a chainsaw being used next door today. I'm not sure how much they plan on trimming, but my afternoon shade area is already a lot smaller than it was yesterday. This is not a particularly welcome event:( Lisa

Is your location near Ingrid's, Lisa? I ask because it becomes really toasty where she is, in part due to elevation... What kind of heat/geography are you dealing with in S.D. and what works best for you (drip irrigation, mulch, etc.)?

Lisa, please take it easy. No rose- not even 'White Pet'- is worth getting heat stroke for...

I am sorry to hear that your neighbors have chainsaw fever. The house next door to us used to have some beautiful trees... one was struck by lightning and had to be removed, but other healthy trees also have disappeared. The dinky Japanese Maples are pretty enough, but no substitute for tall, shade-providing oaks...

Virginia

I am just 14 miles from Ingrid. She is further inland, and I would guess that I'm about 15 miles from the Ocean. It gets hot, but not as hot as it does at Ingrid's place. It cools down at night, and sometimes I get a cool breeze. I need drip irrigation! Mostly I get by with mulch and the hose. I set several hoses on "drip" at a time, by each rose. I set the timer for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the temps and when I last watered that rose. The timer goes off, and I move all 4 hoses to the next 4 roses. In the morning or evening I hand water the pots. During the summer, it's pretty much a full time job. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm home all day, this system wouldn't be possible. I do have one new bed where I'm going to place a soaker hose, and see how that goes. Did I mention I dread the summers? Lisa

We cross posted, Virginia.Yes, I'm going to wait until it cools down, hopefully in a few days. I'm exhausted already as all of my pot ghetto was left exposed in the blazing afternoon sun after the neighbors were finished with the chainsaw massacre. I couldn't leave them there, so everything has now been moved to the other side of the house. Now I'm enjoying the AC with my kitties:) Lisa

So sorry, Lisa, that you've lost some of that precious shade due to the neighbors. So many things we can't control, unfortunately. Last night I realized that the back of Mme. Lambard was pretty well gone, with the branches nipped off by the bunnies but not eaten! Some unladylike words passed my lips.

desert, in addition to being further inland than Lisa, I'm at 1770 feet while she's close to sea level, on the side of a boulder-strewn hill with lots of concrete which all radiate heat. We also had trees that had foliage almost to the ground limbed up due to the fear of wildfires, and I notice that's also made quite a difference. It was 103 here today and practically unbearable in the sun. Of course your temps are even higher and I'm always amazed that you can even grow roses.

Oh, it looks lovely! I was just noticing my RdL from ARE has leafed out beautifully. :) The dog has even seemed to ignore it so far which is helping...

They do leaf out quickly don't they? Ingrid mentioned that the one she planted has not, while the one still potted has. My Crepuscule has leaves but not as many as White Pet. Robin, my mind is slow today. What is RdL? I know as soon as you tell me I will go, "Duh!"

Desert, though so few miles separate Ingrid and I, the heat difference is pronounced. I don't know how she does it. I don't know how you do it either. I spent about 6 months in Vegas, and couldn't imagine gardening in summer there! Ingrid faces more challenges than I do. I used to garden for an "uncle and aunt-in-law" in her town. They had abundant water, from their well. Large trees for shade, and few boulders. I would leave here with moderate temperatures, only to find 15 minutes later that I couldn't cope. It started so well, but I began in January. It was a joy to garden there. It was a gorgeous old castle fully restored, complete with a vineyard, carriage house, copper topped gazebo, and arboretum. I began with the arboretum, removing everything and starting over. What a pleasure that was! I struggled on for a few years, but as my illness progressed and the heat intensified my performance suffered greatly. I finally told them I couldn't do it anymore. I have a feeling they were grateful I decided this on my own, as they probably didn't want to tell me themselves, with the family connection and all. Well, let me rephrase that. HE would have no problem telling anyone anything. I think his sweet wife was the one that didn't want my feelings hurt. (Ingrid, because you live in the same town, you may know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, without me naming any names.) This man actually wouldn't care a bit if I did mention his name, that's just how he is. He is quite a character, to put it mildly.

I'm rambling and getting off topic. I'm going stir crazy with the heat keeping me indoors. Ingrid has been so helpful to me, as I know if it does well for her, it surely will do well here. Also, if she even thinks it might do well for her, but struggles, it still has a good chance here.(Sorry, Ingrid. I wish this worked both ways.) I follow all her posts, and search her old ones for ideas. It also helps that we have the same preference for pink, lavender, white, soft colors, with an aversion to reds and hot colors in general. The only drawback is I know she doesn't want my rejects that turn out too bright for my tastes:) Ingrid, how very frustrating about your Mme. Lambard. It's bad enough when they actually eat the rose, but to waste it adds insult to injury. I'm not prone to cursing, but I would certainly have cried my eyes out! I'm sorry for the partial loss. It really is always something isn't it? It's a wonder we don't just give up sometimes. Then something goes well, summer passes, and we forget the frustrations and vows to throw in the towel. By the way Ingrid, I don't hear or see much evidence of rose slug damage at your place. Perhaps this is because you have such a well balanced natural habitat? I seem to be one of the only homes with a lot of roses in the neighborhood, and I do grow a bunch of other things, but they have been horrific this year. I'll show you what I mean on my Love Song tree rose. I just don't have the energy to pick the things off all my roses, and I hate to spray anything. I usually just ignore them, but this is awful. I know the advice would probably be to spray some sort of "safe" thing, but I don't feel like much IS safe AND I have enough to do just watering right now. I allow the kitties out in the mornings for a little romp, and Millie especially, takes a bite out of everything. Some roses are worse than others, and many nonroses are also affected, like strawberries and hydrangeas. I've never had them so bad or so long into summer.

Oh yes, Little White Pet. That's what this post was about wasn't it? I had a moment of disbelief last night when I went out to visit the garden. White Pet had a couple buds the day before or that morning, I don't remember which, and they had progressed significantly last night. PINK! I didn't remember anything about pink buds, so I thought maybe I had a mislabeled rose. I looked WP on HMF and there was no mention of pink in the description or comments. The reference page did mention crimson or pink buds and I found a few pictures, so all is well. This morning this bloom is white. It's very tiny, but I'm very glad I saw it recently at the county fair. The blooms displayed at the fair were still small but easily twice, if not three times larger than my first tiny bloom.

Here is what White Pet looked like last night, causing me a bit of concern about its identity.

And now it looks like this.(back out to the patio I go)

While I'm out here, Mel's Heritage is beginning to bloom again. I dearly love him! He is a monster, only in the ground 6-9 months and huge, with no signs of stopping.

Lisa - I read the part where you said you left hoses dripping on plants, and then set a timer to move them, etc. Do you use a normal kitchen timer, or a timer which is attached to the hose and actually turns it off? I used to just use a kitchen timer, and turn the hoses off myself. However, one time I missed the timer bell, and went to bed with the hose still on and dripping. Well, it must have turned itself up a bit (they do that sometimes). Long story short, I got up the next morning to discover that for some odd reason our next door neighbor had 6 men digging up her front lawn! I went over to see what was the matter, and she told me they had some sort of underground leak in her ancient sprinkler system, or the main water supply to the house, she did not know yet. The men had dug very deep holes... Then I remembered my hose....It was in an area of our garden which was directly next to her front lawn. So, I ran back and looked, and sure enough, that part of my garden was under water! Of course I turned my hose off, and ran back to her to tell her that her flood was coming from my garden - not hers. Of course, I apologized profusely, and I felt such a fool. She was polite (actually more polite than I probably would have been if roles had been reversed), but not happy.

That is when my DH decided to install a drip (we had to change all of the emitters later to either tiny soaker hoses or sprays - the drip thingies were useless) system, and put all of our ancient sprinkler system and the new system on programable timers which did not rely on me.

In a few places, we do have soaker hoses which are not on the programable system, but all of those at least have those timers you can buy which attach to the hose, and turn off the hose themselves. You turn a wheel to set the amount of time. The only thing that happened once with one of those was when we were away and I had asked a neighbor to turn some of them on periodically. Well, when we came home after 4 days a different part of our garden was under water. I had NO IDEA that an option with those things is that if you turn them past 2 hours, there is an "infinite" setting! She somehow had turned one on to that, and it just never went off! $1300 water bill later... Never a dull moment in the garden!

Jackie

My LWP often appears pink in the bud but open to white blooms. I remember having the same questions you had when I first began growing it.

Wow, Lisa. When does the weather give you, and everything else living there a reprieve?

Recent temperatures will subsist here until mid-August, but then the change only means high temperatures in the low 100's. The weather does not improve to a more humane temperature until September, followed by amazing and/or comfortable temperatures.....

I do not know what the timers are like that run the drip systems there, but the clocks are always in the garage and plugged into an electrical outlet here. If it is that style, making sure the lithium battery is in it can come in handy. We returned from a three day Summer trip and looked out the window to see that just about every plant in our yard had died.... never again...

Our previous yard was flooded on one side by the neighbor, some issue with their equipment. My in ground drainage pipes moved excess water toward the street, eventually. My plants benefitted from the flooding!!! I could not be upset...

Did this power outage just happen, Lynn? How horrible. I hope it was in the past.

Oh no. About 13 years ago, Sheilah. Lesson learned years ago...

Jackie, I use the kitchen timer and/or phone timer. Just like you did, I have had a few mishaps. I now set a back up timer, just in case I miss the first one, but it's still not fool proof. I know I need to do something about it, but there are various obstacles. I used to go away for a month or two every summer, leaving my sons in charge of watering. Every time I came home, plants were dead (smaller perennials and potted plants), or nearly dead(roses). Yet, my water bill was as high or higher than the month before or after my absence. I cringe to think what sort of things occurred while I was away.

I'm noticing that the hotter it gets outside, the lazier I am. My potted plants closer to the kitchen door are receiving more of my collected bucket water, while the ones further out are looking thirsty. I'll need to switch some around so they all get a turn being dumped on.

Some of my roses near the fence line do receive some "free" water from the park next door. They run sprinklers for the grass a few times a week. Some of this runs under the fence at the top of the slope in a spot or two. Bonus! In the front yard however, there is no fence. The park sprinklers spray my row of roses with water in the night, top to bottom. They get some extra water, but they best be healthy roses in that spot. Lisa

What precious pictures. It's so romantic.

Thank you.

I love both looks. I hope mine will be just like yours! Where did you purchase yours? Lisa

I'm not sure if you're asking me or not, but mine came from ARE. They sent a beautiful, healthy plant with buds and even a barely opened flower.

I bought 3 from Burling, they were small but grew quickly, I love them so much I ordered 3 more, they're in pots until October.

Yes, I was asking you, suncoastflowers. That's where mine came from too, so I'm glad to hear it! I love pink, so it's an extra bonus to have them start out pink. I didn't know this when I chose White Pet.

Smithdale, I have ordered from Burling, and she sends great roses. The shipping is also very reasonable for me, and they arrive in a day or two. I only live a couple hundred miles from Burlington. I'm so glad to hear and see many happy reports of White Pet. I think I'm really going to like this one. I'm bound to like a rose that's happy in the heat, and I find it so cute! Lisa

Lisa.......My temps are only in the low 60's & she's blooming beautifully. A good rose for extremely different climates.

Here in Ontario I have had a LWP from Hortico since 1999. It is still doing fine, it has never grown really big, it remains a little pet. I also see red buds, but not as strongly as you all in warmer areas. Healthy as can be, I have never seen mildew, rust or BS on it. It just kept soldiering on in the years I could not take care of my garden. It is in morning sun, with shade after 12 or 1, so it should do fine in partial shade in warmer areas. Here is a picture of it in 2007. I will try to take a picture tomorrow too.

Very pretty! It seems to be a very versatile rose. It's been too hot for me to do anything but water here lately. Smithdale's temps sound heavenly to me. I'll look forward to your new picture, gdinieontario:) Lisa

Lisa, your White Pet is lovely. So sorry about the slugs, though. I have some but I think it's just too hot and dry for them here. On the other hand, the bunnies have been busy with a few other roses. I can't keep track of everything since I can't go out during the day and in the evening by the time I've done one or two things it's dark. I do what I can and have just decided not to agonize about what I can't fix.
Except for watering and some deadheading, the garden will just have to take care of itself.

I sure understand about not spending much time outside lately, Ingrid. It drives me slightly stir crazy, and after a while I start feeling depressed. It's so good for me mentally and physically to mess around in garden every day. Thankfully winters do not keep us indoors here, so that's good. Those rose slugs are so bad this year, and really selective too. Some roses are untouched, some medium damage, and one climber out front is totally naked.(Penny Lane) It just has some leaf veins left on it. Frustrating!

I go outside for a little while in the morning with all 3 kitties, but they complain bitterly when I cut things short. I can't stand it for very long, and it's not the restful routine it was before Millie came along. I keep a close eye, and the yard is well fenced, but when I'm done, so are they. Millie is getting so smart. She know understands the concept of hiding. Fortunately she still goes to hide in the same spot every time (under the 8x5 heirloom tomato). I want to get Little White Pet in the ground, but it just hasn't happened yet. The heat is exhausting. Every week day at 10 am my family meets for coffee. It's been so hot, and I've been so tired, that I've now skipped two days in a row. It's no big deal, but I always at least make sure I'm there on Mondays and Fridays, as that's when most of my extended family comes. It's a great way to all stay close. As you know Ingrid, autoimmune diseases and high temps do not go well together. We will get past this heat, summer will pass. I just wish it would hurry! Lisa

Lisa, I am sorry to hear the weather is keeping you inside for much of the day. Your summer acts like our winter :-(. I hope you get a comparatively mild summer!

Here is LWP today, just before the rain started. Eighteen years young.

That is so cute about little Millie always hiding in the same place. I hope she doesn't wise up and vary her hiding spots.

By the way, I understand that White Pet is the correct name for this rose. I hope it will be all right being planted now. The large tea rose I planted now has half black canes in spite of my putting a shade cloth over it every day.

I almost planted my White Pet last night after watering, but by then it was nearly dark and I'm such a slow poke. Maybe I will start by mixing the amendments in a bucket and placing some gypsum in the bottom of the hole first. Then the actual planting will go faster. Also I seem to only have size "Ginormous" gopher cages left, and only a medium size hole. There's always some obstacle/ excuse. I thought maybe my new purchase of these solar powered, beeping, vibrating stakes was effective at keeping them away. I installed them in February and yesterday I saw a fresh gopher mound. Some say the stakes work, other say they're a total waste of money. I couldn't dig up and cage everything that was already planted, and the stakes are nontoxic so I was willing to try. I still believe they have helped some. I've had far less gopher activity than most years, but this time of year is the real test. It's hot and dry out and they smell the water in my yard. If you water, they will come.....

Millie went to see her Dr. yesterday and all is well. She is adapting to having only one rear leg, and she's strengthening it. For now all is well. She had another round of shots, so she is not quite as spunky today. A cuddle mood, is what she's in today.

Ingrid, I hope your Tea rose pulls through. Is it Rhodologue Jules Gravereaux? I sure hope she holds on. Is Mme. Franziska Kruger the one potted on the bench? need a break. To be continued

I'm back. I heard some commotion and after doing a kitty count, realized Dexter was involved in something. He had cornered a squirrel. This is the first squirrel I have ever seen in my garden. I put all my little hunters inside, and Mr. Squirrel left, cussing up a storm as he went. I hope he was scared enough not to come back to my yard. My tomatoes are just ripening!

Back to the roses. I don't know which one you planted and which one is waiting Ingrid, but I hope it's ok. The black canes don't sound so good. Does spraying with water help the canes in this situation? I planted a Lady Ash(aka Dixieland Linda) about 6? weeks ago, in full sun. I finagled an atrocity of a sun block for her, but she's still unhappy. Maybe she's embarrassed:) Lady Ash is supposed to be a strong girl, related or sport to "Aloha", which I know you have, Ingrid. She has no black canes, but no growth, and tiny pale leaves. She just looks bad.I keep telling her, " Hold on Lady! It's not always like this here. Your gonna love it 9 months of the year". I'm not sure if I'm saying this for her benefit or mine.

Gdinieontario, wow 18 years! Looks great. WP must handle some cold winters quite well. Does yours bloom in flushes, or always some blooming during the season? I'm so eager to get mine planted out. You may wish us a short mild summer, and we will wish you a short mild winter in return. Lisa PS. I see that your Blue hosta has also lasted at least 10 years. Nice!

Lisa, you are so good! Hang on Lady Ashe and Ingrid's RJG! It gets better!

Thanks, Sheila. I don't know about "good", but I do my best, and that's really all anyone can do, whatever their best might be. My best goes down to "strictly necessary" in the heat. I follow a list of priorities when I'm unwell/heat exhausted. It goes like this:

Feed and Water the Cats.

Scoop the litter boxes

Make the boys dinner

Water the garden

On the hard days, that's all. I should make clear that the cats come before the boys for several reasons.( I don't want to come across as a cat crazy lady that doesn't care about her children). My boys are adults in their 20's and are often not home at dinner time. There are always home cooked leftovers to heat up, or frozen "emergency" meals. They are capable of feeding themselves when necessary but the cats are not.

So I don't know how "good" I am, but it's nice of you to say. It makes me feel better when I'm having a "strictly necessary" day. Thank you Lisa

You are also very funny! Your family is lucky to have you.

What Sheila said, Lisa!

WP blooms in flushes for me, but they follow each other quite quickly. It is completely winter hardy here, handles the cold like a pro. I never do anything to protect it. I ordered it because Penelope Hobhouse spoke highly of it.