Bump up

I have heard both good and bad things about it. Like, some say it didnt bloom a lot for them. I would also like to hear what people have experienced here. Like you said, KMK sure has the pink right and I love climbers!

~Sjn

I would say get it grafted if you can . I had very little growth or blooms on my 3 plus year old own root rose . I bought it grafted here , and it’s still settling in . I’m sorry not more help ! :)

Thank you both! I appreciate any input. I want to place another order with Palatine and they carry it. They‘ve already sold out of roses I wanted to include with my second order, so I better do it soon!

I bet palantineS would be an awesome specimen of it !! I always found theirs to be the most vigorous of my roses . I have high hopes for mine , I really want it to look like the pictures !!

I have kiss me kate from Palatines. Second year, only bloomed once, Im hoping it will get better with time. So far Im having buyers remorse, I've bent the canes now and getting lateral shoots. Tho the canes are not easy to bend, best to get right at them when they are still young and soft.

I asked a similar question, here is the link:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5790590/climbers-kiss-me-kate-and-pearly-gates#24605482

I remember that thread. It reminds me I want Pearly Gates!! lol

Ugh my poor pearly gates is croaking. I put fertilizer on it in 100 degree weather, then the sprinkler wasn’t doing it’s job well and now it’s a Twig in life support. My Colette across from it died too. Why did I get so excited about a new fertilizer? Lol it was fine on my non babies .

Lesson learned . I’ll totally get another though!

Oh well we have all been there done that! But your right start again and your garden will be beautiful!

Lilyfinch - In SoCal roses needs some extra water in 100 degree weather, I water my roses once in the morning and again in the afternoon when I get home from work.

Lily, Don't feel bad, I burnt and killed potted roses with granular fertilzer once because I didn't realize they were so dry before I fertilized. Now I double check and try to water a half hour before adding a granular type fertilizer.

I guess with any new fertilizers, no one knows what they are going to do. I hadn't thought of that. One more thing to worry about lol.

I'm sure you are going to have a great lush garden again being you have such a green thumb. Fluorescent geen :)

Anyone got anything to update on this rose? Last year I read so many comments about slow growth, or growth but no blooms, and I'm wondering if that ever improved for anyone?

Mine only bloomed once in the spring for me so out it went . i had it for 3 years . it was very dissapointing . it did grow a lot though

This will be the last year for this rose in my garden if it does not start to bloom as advertised lol. Its currently getting all day sun and afternoon shade in a prime location, lots of time, food, water and love. The 3 blooms I got were beautiful, but not enough to keep in the garden.

Mine has been very disappointing. I just can’t make myself get rid of it. Maybe when I need that particular spot I’ll let it go.

That is definitely disappointing, it looks so pretty and I really wanted to smell it, but I keep hearing these bad reports on it :/

I’ve gotten good cane growth off my in three years, but not the blooming part. 😒 I moved her to a prime spot a few weeks ago while she is sleeping, I hope she does better once she settles in, or she’s getting the shovel.

I've heard thatthat some. climbers need several years to settle in. Perhaps this is case? I've been waiting on another Kordes climber, Laguna to settle in and leap...this summer will be it's third season for me.

I love the blooms I've gotten so far from mine, but they have been few and far between. Plus I haven't been happy with the plant form, what with the winter die back I get. I've been tempted to shovel prune this spring. I think this would be it's 3rd year in my garden.

@librarian_gardner_8b_pnw Laguna hit her stride around year three. So many blooms! Year three for Kate was still crap so I changed locations and she was a little bit better but nothing to write home about. Maybe this year she’ll shock me and actually do something

I planted one last spring. I got a single thick cane maybe 3' long and no blooms. That's not uncommon for new climbers.

Not a single good comment yet. That's interesting.

Rosylady, I hope it does great for you, at least *someone* needs to have success with this rose, and then of course share the pics for us to enjoy :) I wonder what it is that this rose needs.

I have a three year old Kiss me Kate that has done absolutely nothing in terms of flowering. It is growing reasonably well with new shoots etc. It has been pruned appropriately, fertilised watered etc etc etc and still nada. we live in sub tropical zone

Kiss me Kate is beautiful. It is only on it’s 2nd summer in the ground, and it has been a bit stingy on blooms, but tbe blooms are pretty and it has been pretty healthy for me so I’m pulling for it to leap in it’s 3rd year.

I live in France - the countryside, and I have two planted over an arch. I planted them last autumn. I am a little disappointed. They were very susceptible to black spot and hardly flowered. When they did it was magnificent but not a lot of flowers. The colour and sent is sublime

I live in Australia in the tropical zone. Been a rose grower for many years. Bought Kiss me Kate three years ago becasue my daughter's name is kate , also on its reputation. Height would be 7 feet, reasonably sturdy growth, no insect or black spot issues and I havent even had a bud!!!!!!! all other roses are blooming in extremis. Perhaps it doesnt like the tropics. We have started spring coming into summer here. If we dont get flowers this season it will be bye bye KMK

Mine is on year 3 or 4. It is planted in a prime spot by my deck. I plan to relocate it this winter. No buds at all first year, only a couple the 2nd and the other 2 years - it throws really tall canes and blooms at the top of them. It is a sturdy healthy rose but not to my liking. Its taking up prime real estate and not performing. In my opinion, there are other, better roses. I plan to replace it with Highwire Flyer - a wonderfully healthy hot pink climber that blooms ALL the time ALL over the plant. Love this one - just ordered another! For me, its a blooming fool. Dont know why its not better known and talked about. KMK for me is an underperformer with too much lanky growth with little bloom. I will relocate it in back of my barn near a once bloomer and just let it grow. If it dies, it wont be mourned. Dont often say that about a rose, and I gave it a very good chance to perform. It is going to be a mess to dig out as its so big.......

Judith

My Kate is West facing in front of my house planted in 2022 and no blooms. I did cut her back at the top a few days ago

Where are you located, HU? Without your location it can be difficult to get accurate information.

Rose Barni has begun offering this rose this year. I wonder if that means it's more adapted to hot summer climates...

BartBART, perhaps as here in the PNW its been nothing short of mediocre

I also have two KmK over an arch into my potager. I am South African but living in France. I am sooo disappointed - first year's blooms were few and far between, the leaves suffered terribly and were mostly brown and fell off. I will give them one more chance and then I am afraid they're out. So many beautiful roses out there.

I think this rose should be renamed ’No Kisses from Kate’. So many people have reported stingy with blooms and poor repeat.

It’s a bummer this rose hasn’t lived up to the promotional Literature.

I have one and she gives just enough that I haven’t completely given up on her. I also placed her in my backyard which has kind of been the wild west for me and where care and up keep has not been at the forefront. She has had to deal with questionable feeding and pruning schedules, and less than ideal watering (she has been watered by rotery sprinklers I’m planning on having her on drip by summer 2025). I’m hoping that this so-so performer will turn out to be a star with more consistent care.

I first planted her in the spring of 2021 (bottom left corner). I chose to plant her on my west facing back porch, with hopes of tying her up on the railing and eventually planting a second rose on the right side of the railing.

Spring of 2022 she seemed like she was settling in pretty nice had a small spring flush. I don’t remember a lot of flowers the rest of the season but I do know she went bezerk and sent up huge basal canes tall enough to touch the bottom of the cover porch.

in 2023 she had a decent spring flush and then just produced more basal growth. She also was bigger then anticipated so I wasn’t sure how to prune so I just let her go.

2024 a hit and miss spring flush

In July I final got to a point where I felt like I had my feet under me, my front garden was looking like it finally was supposed to so I started making small steps in the back yard.

I removed the planter boxes on the railing and ran cable from the ceiling to the railing to tie her to and create more of a privacy screen and gave her a bit of a prune. She is of course on the left Abraham Darby is on the right.

She did seem to always have a few clusters of flowers on her through the rest of the season.

I’m hoping 2025 is the year for Kiss me Kate.

Your plant looks beautiful, Christian.

Update to my Kiss me Kate saga. We cut her back HARD and lo and behold she produced 5 blooms at least six weeks ago now and nada since then. She continues to grow but.......................She has reprieve until next season and then im done with this rose. too much work for too little result