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Kiss Me Kate Rose Not Flowering

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I planted Kiss Me Kate last spring. I am in Zone 7. It leafed out nicely with bright green leaves, but never had a bud. I planted a lot of Austins around the same time, which all at least had some blooms, as well as Belinda's Dream, Earth Angel and Lagerfeld (I had just moved to a new house and was establishing my garden).

Now in my second year at this house, my other 25+ rose bushes are either in full bloom or have at least set out buds. Kiss Me Kate has shot up a few basal canes and leafed out more with healthy looking green leaves, but not a bud in sight. Any idea what is wrong? I fed all of my roses with some liquid fish fertilizer a few weeks ago. Lady of Shallot is a few feet down from KMK and is full of blooms.

Featured Answer

nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska

4 years ago

Kiss Me Kate is a climber, and usually climbers spend longer putting down a good root system than other roses. A general rule of thumb is that it takes most roses 3 years to really hit their mature stride for blooming, and you add a year if it's a climber. If you're having healthy growth and basal canes, you get to pat yourself on the back with the success of care for this rose. Just give it time - rose gardening is a wonderful chance to exercise patience (though we rarely like the waiting...)

Cynthia

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Comments (13)

Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
4 years ago
I found this rose to be very slow to bloom for me as well. Mine was 3 years old this spring and I did have some nice blooms ! I moved so I don’t know how she’s doing but I think she is a slower to show off climber. I think I would love to try it grafted next time
Kate Sullivan thanked Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
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@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.
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Hi - I planted a KMK by my porch this spring - she is growing (canes about 3.5-4ft tall), but no blooms yet. I am also interested in how tall she has grown from folks who have had her for a few years. I see varying reports on her height from rose selling sites, Would love to hear more in general about her (height, blooming, habit/form, disease resistanece, etc) from folks with actual experience with her now that she has been out a few years. I am in 7b so do not expect a huge amount of winter die off, but always worry about BS and pests here in steamy ATL.
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I recall Pearly Gates from a Houston garden tour years and years ago - sprawled across a long fence with huge, gorgeous pale pink blooms. I finally got around to getting one in early summer when Roses Unlimited had their sale. Its potted and growing well and I cant wait to see if the blooms are as lovely as I remembered. For me to remember a rose all those years ago, it had to be really special. I have a very small Kiss Me Kate ordered as a band. Mine is doing fine but not making any great growth strides. I have a friend with gorgeous roses who bought a small one - his is now quite large and should be having its first flush this fall. He fertilizes weekly with a bit of triple 13 - and his roses look fabulous. May be this rose needs a boost of fertilizer frequently.......as Kim [roseseek] says, fertilize weekly, weakly. I am going to try it - just waiting for Kate to get a good root system going. Judith
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Mine gets full sun for most of the day, shade from about 4 o’clock on. It grows tall really fast, easily ten feet straight up under the eaves, not wider than 5 ft along the wall and I train and prune it to keep it from sticking out too far. Definitely more up than out for me. She is not flexible, so a gentle fanning out of her canes is the best I am able to do. I wish I could bend her more to encourage laterals, but I’m realizing she isn’t made for that.
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suncoastflowers
4 years ago
I second the "it's a climber". I think it's just building its toot system up to support all that top growth.
Kate Sullivan thanked suncoastflowers
Kate Sullivan
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you! I will keep my fingers crossed and practice being patient!
Christine Martin
2 years ago
I am having the same issue. It did have a few blooms. Now it looks dormant despite giving it bone meal. Sadly despite treating the leaves with a rose insecticide insects have eaten most of the leaves.
Brittany Marsch
2 years ago
I planted 12 on my split rail fence on front of house. Best location, full sun. They are huge and hearty and barely a single rose in second year. I'm going to move them all. It was a big mistake to plant them there. They look stupid and gangly. I have claire autins inbetween that flower all day long. I was looking for something fragrant, but whats the point if they aren't eye catching? Regret. Lots of regret.
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
2 years ago
@Brittany Marsch why not give them until next spring? You might be surprised by how well they do. If you move them, you may set them back.
Brittany Marsch
2 years ago
That's what my husband says. I really want to prune them hard since they don't have the weight of the flowers to cascade. They are all really straight up and tall. Bad idea?
oursteelers 8B PNW
2 years ago
A lot of people really like this one. I’m trying REALLY hard to be patient but jeez louize! Incredibly slow to do anything here!
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
2 years ago
@Brittany Marsch I wouldn't prune. If the canes were pliable, I would try pegging them instead.
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
2 years ago
@oursteelers 8B PNW I hope it does something for you soon! Matt at HCR was just telling me the other day that it's a great rose that he recommends.
Brittany Marsch
2 years ago
I'll give it a shot.
hotpepper
2 years ago
Mine is the same! Planted in 2020 from a rooted cutting. Looks like I need to wait two more years. My neighbor has a seven sister and it bloomed profusely after 5 year wait!

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