Ingrid, you must have it! The powdery mildew has been terrible this year on almost every rose I grow, except Mel's Heritage. Not a speck of it at all! MH is planted on my hot dry slope, and only gets a deep watering once or twice a week.

Thanks for all your wonderful comments, although I feel the compliments should all go to Paul Barden. I did nothing special for for this rose, it's just a good one, plus it loves my climate. I only chose one big rambling rose, and after much research, MH was my choice. I'm so happy with my choice. I've become so happy with it, that I considered purchasing one or two more, and just letting that whole problematic slope be taken care of by a few Mel's Heritage's. Seeing how quickly it's been growing, I better hold off. This one plant may take care of most of the slope by itself!

As Mr. Barden said, the canes are very flexible. I definitely chose the right spot for Mel's Heritage. I cannot imagine it as a free standing bush, unless you want a ground cover. It needs support to go up and trail along. If it wasn't so hot I'd fasten more to the fence now. It's certainly ready. I love that MH can both be fastened to the fence, and be a ground cover at the same time. At this very moment I'm spying a spray of blooms that look more apricot/peach up there. I just may have to finish my coffee, change clothes,(something with pockets) and venture up there to take a picture. I should cut it to bring in while I'm there.

What brought me to starting this post was, oddly enough, counting my roses. I should say, I began counting them. I was in the front yard, where I only have a "few" roses. I counted 18 out front. In my mind, I had a TOTAL of 20-30 roses, mostly in the backyard. I stopped my counting. I don't want to know, maybe later, but not now in the heat of summer. Not in the months that I question my sanity with each rose I hand water. Instead I shifted to choosing my very favorite rose. This is what led me to posting about Mel's Heritage. After the top 5, top 3, and so on, Mel's Heritage came out the favorite. I knew all along it would be, but because this is the ONE rose my son,(for those of you who know our 3 legged Millie, he is her rescuer),actually knows by name, and shows some interest in, I needed to make sure that wasn't the only reason. I put aside the fact that my son planted this rose for me because I couldn't. I put aside that he marvels at the quick growth and "boatloads"( as he says, among other word "loads") of flowers. I focused on MH, just as any rose I grow. It's my favorite by a long shot, without the connection to my son. That connection is just frosting, and sweet frosting it is! For now I will stop here and submit. A few days ago I spent a lot of time on a Mel's Heritage post listing all the things that made it a great rose. I lost all of it after about an hours work. I'll edit later. For now I'll try to reach that peachy spray of blooms, and add the photo later. Lisa

Wow, perfect timing, Lisa. I'm planning my fall order of roses, printed out some of them to match color-wise and Mel's Heritage was one of them. But I had no idea how I ended up with this rose from the first place as it doesn't seem to be often grown or mentioned rose on this forum. And now you come with this post telling how good it is! I think it meant to be the one and If I go to visit Angel Gardens this coming fall and they have it in stock I will definitely buy this rose there. You, Lisa and Jeri, are more humid though... How thorny is it?

If I wasn't convinced before (which I was) I most certainly am after your last post, Lisa. The position I have in mind not only has the deck railing next to it but there is a steep dropoff behind it where it can also drape downwards, facing towards the road. May I ask where you obtained yours?

Natasha, I'm no expert but it has some thorns. They are not wicked nor overly abundant. Too bad I didn't see this before my trekking up the slope. I did take a few pictures, perhaps one will show some thorns. I will say this: We have a handicapped kitten that must be supervised outdoors. Every morning I take the cats outside for a little while. The blooms in the vase above were "torn" from the plant barehanded. The kittie went up there, and I went to go get her with no gloves or clippers in hand. The moment I reached her,(and Mel's Heritage) she scampered down the hill. It's difficult for me to get up there, so I felt I needed something for my efforts. I was able to twist those sprays of blooms off on long stems, without any blood loss. I know that's no way to treat a rose, but what can I say. If Mr. Barden see's this, I'm sure he will tell you much better than I have about MH thorns. To me, not bad at all. Lisa

Ingrid, mine came from Burlington as a band. Great for us. All leaves don't need to be removed for shipping and the shipping cost is so reasonable. I like knowing my rose came from a place hotter than blazes, too. Visalia is really hot!

I'm resting after my visit to MH on the slope. I wish it wasn't so hot. I wanted to do much more while up there. I did fasten two canes to the fence, deadhead what I could reach, took a few pics, pulled a few weeds, and gave it a bit of "Gro power for roses". I don't think it needed any, but while I was there and all. I cut a few for the house, but those pictures will have to wait. I'm not moving anything but my fingers, until I cool off.

It definitely has thorns - the wichurana rambler type; small, hooked, but relatively few.

I took some more pictures of the blooms in the Gatorade bottle. Some show a few thorns for you, Natasha.

Stunning. I am all agog. Definitely going on my fall list.

Good! That's what I want, for this rose to be widely known and grown. I once started a thread about saving roses for family members. THIS is the Rose I want my kids to grow someday, when I'm gone. This is the Rose that is on the family dinner table and brought to my DD in a vase, always with its name mentioned. Someday, when one or all three decide to grow a rose, I want this rose available. I cannot identify my late grandparents rose. I want to make sure my children know exactly what my favorite rose is called. I need all of you to grow it, so that it remains available. All that, AND it's a fabulous rose! Lisa

Rose Petals Nursery has it in stock, if anyone wants it NOW, lol.

Well, there you are . . . Rose Petals has it on the East coast, and Burlington has it on the West coast, and these days, that's darned good. It's a wonderful rose. That's all. Just wonderful.

One caution: My friend Reggie lives near Sparks, NV. She has some fairly tough winter conditions as well as hot dry summers. She says that MH is nowhere near as happy for her as it is for me.

But remember my philosophy: If you want it -- get it and grow it.

That's the only way you're gonna know what it does in your microclimate.

We want her in Europe too!

Soncna, I see on Helpmefind that someone in Germany is growing Mel's Heritage. I don't know where she purchased hers, but perhaps you could message her on Helpmefind and ask. Lisa

If you do so, please let me know about it! I'm not a member of HMF, so I don't think I can do it myself...

bart, there's no fee to join HMF unless you want "premium" membership that lets you do multiple variable searches. Just signing up lets you communicate with other members and set up a personal journal, etc.

It must be hardier than 20 degrees F., one that soft wouldn't even last here in USDA 8.

Alright, Frances! Your news is exactly what I needed to hear, that Mel's Heritage survives so well for you in zone 6. I have pined over gorgeous pictures like Lisa's and Jeri's for some time, but previously this rose didn't overwinter in an average zone 5 spot in two tries. It definitely deserves a better spot, and I'm trying it again from Burling this fall in my virtual zone 6 spot. Paul has some truly incredible roses and it's worth the effort to find a spot where they're happy in my yard.

Cynthia

Cynthia, I think its great you are going to try it again! I did want to mention that I protected my MH in its first year (I used my leaf bag trick - cut the bottom out of a paper leaf bag so you have a tube; slip that over the entire plant. Use stakes to keep it upright; tie twine around it to keep it from blowing off. I usually add some leaves or straw as mulch, too. Paul Zimmerman always said that it was the winter winds that did the most damage, and this protects the canes from them.) But after that first winter, I have not been protecting and it has been fine, with no die back. I wonder, though, if it might be a good idea if you were to wait to plant it til spring? I bet Burling would be willing to hold onto it for you until spring (she's so nice!) and that way, it would have a full growing season to settle in before having to face the winter. Just a thought - but it might be safer that way!

Considering its lax habit, perhaps you could simply let 'Mel's Heritage' lie on the ground, then cover that for Winter. In Spring, you could uncover it and re-fasten it to whatever it will climb. So it'd be a sort-of "Minnesota tip", but without actually digging up the rose and lying it on its side.

:-)

~Christopher

Incredible color. Looks like my second Paul Barden rose coming up

I'm sure you will love it! What is the other Paul Barden rose you grow, Kristine?

For all the Europeans here: as far as I know, there is no chance to buy this lovely rose in Europe. Fellow rose fanatic had searched around Europe last year, with no success. If I remember corectlly, she even contacted this person from Germany or somehow got the information, that the rose on the pictures was imported from USA.

Thank you, Soncna. If only some nursery would show interest,maybe ask this person in Germany for cuttings...Vaporvac, thank you, too, for the info about HMF; I had no idea . Not that I mean to be cheap, and I know it's a valuable reference ,but I just can't afford to give money to charities and worthy causes.We just don't have enough!

Not long ago someone posted a picture of an adorable red mini rose called Unconditional Love. I was so taken with the form and color that I rushed right over to Rogue Valley roses and grabbed one.

It is a prolific rebloomer and I love the color.

It is also a privilege to own one of Paul's roses. There are several others that I would love to grow

Rogue Valley roses has several, I should check on Mel's.

Kristine, Mel's is available from the Burlington Nursery in CA, and Burling's prices are extremely reasonable. You can e-mail and request her list of available roses. I just ordered "La France" and "Florence Bowers" from her and the total cost with postage for the bands was just over $40.00.

I just checked with Rogue Valley roses and Mel's Heritage is available there as well. For me it's convenient because I live a couple of miles away and I can go pick it up. However, that being said I'm not sure I have room for it it looks like it can be fairly large.

Yes, it's definitely a large climber which will need a lot of room. Another thing that occurred to me is that keeping it groomed and pruned when it's growing far up somewhere could be a bit of a challenge. I can't tell you how much I envy the fact that you live close to a nursery that stocks old roses.

I know there are several really huge roses that I would love but how do I get up on a ladder to prune them ? I'm way too old to do that . And yes living close to a nursery is pretty cool.

I bet you could let it mound up next to a fence or a tree, Kristine. Some of those rambler types don't always need pruning per se, if you have the space.

If allowed to, it will sprawl across the ground like a VERY BIG groundcover.

If someone had a large area, and could let it cascade over a wall or down a hill, it would happily do that -- but you'd have to assign it a lot of space.

Keeping it tied up on a fence, or a large arbor, does take some time, but I have found it far easier to work with than "Colonial White" (soi-disant 'Mlle. de Sombreuil, Cl.') And my neighbors have remarked on the fragrance, just walking by it.

I was thinking of planting it in front of the house. Then I could hang out the second story winow to prune it lol

Come on. You know you want it! Think of the fun we will have posting pictures, and watching it grow.......

I know, it is a Contender lol

I am not big on red roses, but I have been tempted to get Unconditional Love. I could keep it as a pot pet. Yours looks great, Kristine. I dearly love moss roses, and heat tolerance and rebloom are big draws for Unconditional Love. Do you get much rebloom?

I grow several of Paul Barden's roses, and enjoy every one of them. There are more I'd love to grow. I'm very tempted by Little Grey Pearl, and it might be next. That color just fascinates me. I grow Ralph Moore's Silver Cloud, and I'm crazy about the color. I love it when Silver Cloud and Irish Crème bloom at the same time. They make spectacular arrangements together. I've read that Little Grey Pearl is a weak grower, but at least it wouldn't have to deal with blackspot here. Plus, it could grow pretty much year-round (unless it's a heat hater. I'll have to ask Cori Ann how hers are doing.) Lisa

When it's big enough for pics, I'll show you how MH's sibling 'Tajique' is doing. Paul was ever so gracious as to share a baby of it with me this year. According to him, it's more like a Poly than a Rambler. Paul bred some great roses!

:-)

~Christopher

Frances - sorry to get back to you late and thanks for your encouragement! When I meant trying it in the fall, I meant buying it in the fall to plant in spring. It's way too late for anything I plant to do well in my zone planted for the rest of the year, since they wouldn't put down enough roots for the winter. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in helping me avoid the disappointment of losing a fall planted Mel's Heritage.

Sounds like you have a great system for your winter protection too. I use a similar method with less individual effort per rose, since I have a lot of roses and would never get protection done if I tied up each rose. In my tender rose sections on the warm side of the house, I stack filled leaf bags around the edge and through the middle wherever there isn't a rose already. This has the windbreak effect you were talking about as well as a little extra insulation. It's quicker to install (plop filled leaf bags around roses) as well as uninstall (pull bags to scrubby part of yard to use as mulch later in the year). So far I'm down to about 30 leaf bags left this summer after using plenty to mulch and giving some to my neighbors. It'll mostly last the summer but be totally gone by September, including the bags laid at the edges of beds that aren't quite as fussy as this one.

Cynthia

I had to laugh.

Lisa, you mentioned your Mel's Heritage "Only getting a deep watering once or twice a week". A deep weekly watering is what I give my heavily watered roses! The others get watered once every two weeks, some once every three weeks!

Lisa, is unconditional love considered a moss rose? It does look a little different. Its kind of got prickly buds. it's a sweet little Rose and the rebloom is fabulous it's been covered in blossoms for weeks now

I would love some of Paul Bardons Galica roses but a one-time Bloom. I just don't have room for something that only blooms once. But they are so stunning .

I know what you mean, Kristine. I only had room for one really big rose, and chose Mel's Heritage. I have one spot saved in AM sun for one more largish rose, should I ever find it.(Annie Laurie McDowell) That's it, no more big ones for me. I wish I could grow PB's 'Marianne'. What a beauty that is! I can only imagine how unhappy a rose with any Gallica sap running through its canes would be in with my nonexistent winters. I have 'Golden Buddha'. It remains nice and compact, so it can be squeezed in anywhere. I do believe Unconditional Love is both a mini, and a Moss. The reason I ask about UL's rebloom, is because of HelpMeFind's description. It says, " Spring or summer flush with scattered later bloom." Somehow that doesn't sound too generous, yet it seems to rebloom quite well for most folks.

Rosefolly, I do plan to cut the watering down to just once every week or two, if I can get away with it. Mel's Heritage is on my hot and dry slope though, and this is his first summer in the ground. By next summer, I hope he will be established enough to get by on less frequent soakings:) Lisa

Oh and Chris, YES PLEASE!!! I would love to see pictures of "Tajique", when it's grown enough. I look forward to seeing them, very, very, very much!! Lisa

Lisa, in my admittedly limited experience (I've tried ALMcD several times; long story), Annie Laurie McDowell does better grafted than on its own roots. You still have to keep it from blooming until it is the size you want. I think I'm going to let mine start blooming next year since it is getting close. That will be year 4.

Oh, and all my roses get weekly watering until they are established, even ones that will eventually be watered less frequently.

Lisa, so far Unconditional Love has been in bloom the entire season and the blooms haven't had any trouble in this heat.

New basal cane emerges . . .

'Annie Laurie McDowell' sat in a pot here for a few months, and went into the ground on my parched hillside a few weeks ago. It's just popped out its first 6-ft-long cane, and it's covered with buds, a few opening now.

It appears to be very, very happy down there.

Great news, Jeri! Beautiful.

Jeri, what a phenomenal rose.

Oh Jeri, what a beautiful photo! I had no idea ALMD would become so hard to find. Incredibly gorgeous!!! Lisa

What a lovely photo of your garden. It looks so much more green than I expected.

Cath

Cath -- It was green, briefly, following our winter rains. Now, the grass is brown, and crunches when you walk on it.

Been there, don't care to repeat it. (grin)

Cath