My 2 yr. old, own root Grand Dame was not cane hardy this year, however, this was one of the worst winters we've had. She had black canes to the ground. I pruned her so severely (literally to the ground) that I wasn't expecting her to come back. It took awhile, but she's back, still small, but has buds and looks healthy - deep green, glossy, perfect foliage. I think with normal z5 winters, she will be fine. I will add that I usually lose hybrid teas to winter, but sometimes, you just gotta try. This is a rose I'm willing to pamper and coddle and do whatever it takes to make her happy. Carol, I've never seen a Grand Dame as perfectly shaped as yours. Desertgarden, those are magnificent blooms! It must be a challenge growing roses in Las Vegas.

I wonder. I have heard about "bad grafts" that just don't thrive. But some roses just take a while to get going. I do think the age of the rose and its location in the garden are two big factors. But I still think it has more to do with the variety. Some do better then others in Florida. Even grafted ones don't always thrive depending on the conditions. I have an easy does it (grafted) that did nothing for its first two years and now its hardly ever without bloom so age was a factor with her for sure. Maybe try moving it to another location? Maybe there's roots competing with her down below or something. I have Tamora as well but she's a tiny little own root thing. I got her from Rogue Valley Roses last spring and she was the worst one of the bunch when my order arrived. Her stems were yellow and within a few weeks she had lost all but the top few leaves. Somehow she bounced back however. I stuck her in the ground and she's given me 2-3 blooms. But she's still growing, albeit rather slowly. Keep in mind also that grafted roses usually don't have such bushy growth as own root since they are entirely growing from that one stem they are grafted on to. Maybe that's why she seems skimpy compared to your non grafted austins? I worry about growing them on their own roots down here (south fl), but you seem to have had luck with many of them. I have had success with Quietness and she's on her own roots. And Duchess de brabant too, own root. I had Clothilde Soupert but she died. I also have red cracker rose (2 years now) and shes pathetic. She's just three little branches, but she booms a bit even for her small size. I've been waiting for her to take off. She's older than quietness and quietness has towered over her. I got quietness from Chamblee. I like them alot. I also have a Dames de Chennonceau on her own roots that I put in the ground not too long ago and she sent out a monster basal cane that was like 5 feet tall, so I'm thinking she'll do ok. LOL You can always try rooting a cutting of Tamora. Maybe she'll be happier on her own roots. Mine isn't really doing anything so who knows. But worth a shot.

Ingrid, perhaps some of the following may help with getting your roses to last longer in the vase? :- "Collect the blooms early in the morning or in the evening and plunge them deep in water for several hours. The water and the container must be fresh and clean, at air temperature rather than cold. Commercial additives are generally worth using, but the traditional aids of copper coins, aspirin, charcoal and sugar in the water all help to keep the blooms fresh. As you place each stem into the arrangement, re-cut the stem under water in order to rid the stem of air pockets in the sap-stream. Splitting or scraping the stem allows more water to be taken up. Display your arrangement in a cool, draught-free position if possible, as the warmth of fires and appliances will dry out the flowers. An occasional fine spray of water through an atomising sprayer will keep them looking fresh." From: A Manual of Heritage Roses by Deane M Ross, 1989 (For anyone interested, this is a great little introduction to the whole subject of older roses from a local multi-generational family rose growing firm. It was my original basic 'bible' on the subject and I still refer to it quite often.) Comtesse :¬) PS Did a quick Google check and found an interesting variety of techniques suggested; one that sounded as if it might be especially good for hot areas/weather was adding plenty of ice to the water, renewing regularly - several commentators swore by this one. Has anyone else got other/ better tips?

Katy, thank you. The yellow rose is Golden Celebration, an Austin I have grown for years. It's huge and a favorite of mine. And always in bloom at least a little. Boscobel's fragrance isn't much compared to other Austin roses. GC does have pretty good fragrance. Are you asking about the description of Boscobel? I've grown mine for several years and its about 5X5 feet at the end of this season in zone 7 with no dieback from winter. It's a nicely shaped bush and doesn't produce a lot of long floppy canes (Young Lycidas tends to that kind of growth, though I like it, especially where it is located). Boscobel would be easy to control, I think. It blooms a lot. Here are a couple of photos. Diane