Moses

That is what I am expecting . But I am concerned about the bush size , because most Kordes roses reach 7-8 ft here in FL and need to be cut back . And some don't bloom as frequently like Savannah .

Pink Rose,

I have that fear, too, either sparse flower production per cycle, and/or few cycles. The couple photos on HMFR show a nicely formed bloom. The description there states the bloom averages 2", a little small. Height and width are listed at 4' x to 40", upright bushy. In any other color than white, I would predict the size in Florida for you would exceed the listed perameters. White roses almost always seem to be less vigorous, not wimpy, just less robust. Perhaps Polar Express would only exceed these a little for you. It's supposed to do well in heat, a Sunbelt Rose, so who knows for sure?

Only having been introduced into commerce in the USA in 2014 by New Flora, it is still pretty new, and being white, its sales are probably somewhat slow.....perhaps that's why Heirloom put it on sale last Cyber Monday. White roses sell slowly, I have found. Roses in white are my second favorite color after pink. I think one cannot have too many white roses in a rose bed, 1/2 or more white roses really show the other colored blooms off to their greatest advantage, IMHO, binding the bed together. ALso, white bloomed roses glow during dusk.

Moses

Moses

Funny thing is that I dont like white roses myself ! I bought all kordes roses available on Fort , except this one . It has a pale yellow center though . I do have one white , PJP II which I love .

I put in a Polar Express this spring--a gallon from Heirloom Roses. It was very clean for me this year in my high blackspot pressure area with no spray.

It didn't really do much until late summer. It put out about four canes 3-4' tall that didn't have much branching but a cluster of flowers at the end. I bought a beautifully shaped Plum Perfect (also a Kordes Sunbelt) this year so I'm hoping to use it as an example for pruning next February. Overall it's one I'm optimistic about.

Thinks subk3, I hope your Polar Express exceeds your expectations. The long canes it produced for you this year with blooms at their tips is typical for a Kordes shrub/floribunda in its youth. I hope its growth compacts, and goes into flower production instead of long, superfluous canes in time. Thanks again for sharing your experience with PE.

Moses

Moses, am I correct in assuming that these long canes should be pruned back pretty short in the spring to create some branching understory for a future bushy shape? Good to hear this is a typical Kordes thing, a few others new ones--Savannah and Zaire--did this two. Health and happy just immature, I'm thinking/hoping.

Pink Rose,

I liked my first Pope John Paul II so much that I put in a second one this past season, both grafted, on Dr. Huey, presumably. I have not found a more beautiful white bloom, and on a bush that blooms more repeatedly than PJP II. I specifically got grafted versions because of reports of its poor performance on its own roots in colder zones. The only negative aspect of PJP II is its black spot susceptibility. I do spray conventionally, but skip a scheduled spray, and PJP II spots up with the worst of the old hybrid tea types for me.

Moses

Subk3,

That's the recommendation Chris gave, the Kordes representative who operated New Flora, the now disbanded Kordes marketing arm, here in the USA.

Truthfully, some Kordes rose varieties are not more than just so-so bloomers regarding frequency for some of us Roses Forum gardeners. I think generally, Kordes roses show greater flower output in zones 7 and warmer.

I shovelpruned: Summer Romance, Madame Anisette, Zaide, Lion's Fairy Tale, and Cream Veranda because of poor repeat blooming, and am contemplating doing the same to my Earth Angel, which also has been reluctant to repeat bloom, producing 4'+ octopus canes instead. This coming season, 2019, is it's 4th. year in my garden, maybe EA's last, if it doesn't turn around.

On the other hand my Kordes rose, Beverly, is a blooming machine, but is not ADR (gets black spot), nor does it survive winter very well, even heavily protected. It therefore dies back to the ground, starting from SQUARE ONE every spring, which makes it hard for B to put on any size, not having gained anything near mature size yet, even after 4 years in my garden.

Moses

Moses & Subc3

All my Kordes roses throw octopus canes when they want to bloom , maybe there is a climber in their ancestors ? I have learned to cut them back when I deadhead .

Some of the sparse bloomers for me are :

Sunny Sky (beautiful HT shaped blooms , but rare . Just sits there doing nothing ) , Savannah ( a few beautiful fragrant blooms but lots of green bushy growth ) , Summer Sun ( beautiful blooms but rare , sits there doing nothing ) . I will give them a year before deciding to s/p or not since they are so healthy .

Pink rose, funny you should ask that question as I actually grew Zaide as a sort of climber this year. She bloom heavily non-stop, but this year I may cut her back and see what she does then. Summer Romance also throws long canes, but they're not quite as flexible as Zaide's. Moses, I hope MA improves for you. I so wanted that rose from Lowe's as they sold large plants, but I missed the window last year and bought others instead.

Here it is narrower than it is wide, quite tall. Very good on repeat, but I am not a good judge of it as I have midge. No blackspot, grown nonspray. I did not notice it smells. There is light yellow to the blooms, which come in cluster. Quite cheery, and very solid. Not a WOW rose, but more than earns its place in my garden. Also, very winter harry here

Pink Rose,

I forgot to mention that my Kordes, Savannah, was shovelpruned due to poor winter hardiness, strange for an ADR rose. You know, there has been a chunk of shekels spent on Kordes roses that I ended up shovelpruning. Not only the money was wasted, but the 'starting over with a different rose in that spot,' is very disheartening. Valuable time is wasted, time an old man does not have much of left. I have been disappointed by Kordes roses more than any other rose house.

Moses

Farmerduck,

Thanks for your report. I am especially grateful for the growth habit information - "narrower than it is wide, quite tall." I will site it accordingly, in a different spot than I have originally intended. I was originally going to place it according to the growth habit stated in HMFR, where the description is, "bushy, upright," which to me means, 'as high as it is wide.'. Thanks again.

Midge is a bummer, an old nemesis of mine. How such a tiny maggot can wreak such damage is still a wonder to me. My only solution is SPRAYING for it, which I hate to do, but nothing else works for me. One day some brilliant entomologist will discover its 'Achilles Tendon' with a safe and easy to implement control method, but until then.......

Moses

Vaporvac,

I hope Earth Angel begins to bloom all summer long as abundantly as her first flush is. The bush is cast iron black spot proof, and the blooms last well over a week looking great all that time. No frying and very little balling up ocurrs, too. Her fragrance also wafts and blooms don't nod excessively now, as they did when she was younger.

Moses