L Clark bloom pretty continuously through the summer?

That bush is gorgeous!

Oh, yeah. HFH blooms pretty much continuously. The first flush is especially glorious. So many blossoms. The above pic is a pretty indicative of what you can expect it to look like at any point July - Sept if you deadhead diligently.

There is one at a bank here in town that has "climbed" to a height of like 6 feet and it is a pillar of red at times. I'll try to get a pic of it when it is blooming.

L Clark, how big are the blooms? Would love to a picture of it climbing. Do you keep yours small or is it a young bush?

Sally Holmes 2 and Golden Wings have gone to a new home. Above All will replace Sally Holmes 2 and Love Song will replace Golden Wings.

Mine dies back to like maybe a foot of live canes. I pile snow on it throughout the winter and anything that pokes out of the snow for too long seems to die. It kind of got hammered this past year, though. We had -12 on October 8th and it didn't like that. Only two canes made it, but it grows fast so I expect it to recover well.

I think HFH would climb in your climate and become a really big bush.

HOWEVER, I think mine may be grafted (it has never sent up any suckers) so if you go 'own root', it may not bloom and grow as well. Or not? I don't really know. I planted an 'own root' one at my mother's house and it is doing well and am excited to see how it does in its second summer. I'll report back throughout the summer.

Oh, the blooms are medium sized. Not hybrid tea-like or anything, but are a nice size. What it lacks in size it makes up for in numbers and longevity.

I've seen it at hi country roses and always admired it. Gorgeous color!

LClark - I had no idea that Hope for Humanity looks like THAT!!! Those rose blooms are absolutely STUNNING!!! Oh my!!! :)

Unfortunately it looks like Hope for Humanity may have die back here. We don't get alot of consistent snow cover. Bummer!

Colorado is so much warmer and less windy I’m sure it would be fine:)

Possibly, depending on where in CO. I've never lived in WY, but I live in north eastern CO and it's pretty damn windy here 😬

I think SE Wyoming takes the cake for wind, sorry!!!

I'll take your word for it 🙃

From what I can tell our lack of season long snow combined with wind and cold is responsible for alot of my dieback. I'm hoping this thread will remind me to pick cane hardy roses in the future.

@mmmm12COzone5 I totally relate, but it is endlessly tempting to continue to try all kinds of zone 5s because there's so many and they're so beautiful. Hard to resist! Pair that with "if you never try, you'll never know" and you end up with lots of experimental zone 5s anyway 🤪

Magpie, I agree. However when I first started growing roses I did not know so many zone 5s would die back to the ground every year. I didn't know anything about Canadian's or Buck roses. Also concepts like the bush being self cleaning, the bloom's time on the plant etc. were foreign to me. So it has been an adventure in learning what I like about roses and what I don't. I'm glad we tried them but I don't think we will be digging new holes. Just replacing ones that we have with more suitable plants as time goes on.

@mmmm12COzone5 So far I've just got one Canadian and I've only had it over one winter, but even as a twig band it had no die back and is very happily growing this spring. I should try a Buck rose, but which one? Hmm. I like the flowers of Distant Drums but I've seen plenty of comments on how the growth habit is ugly. Know any Buck roses that are very fragrant? I'm trying some OGRs this year in hopes that I can find some amazing hardiness/fragrance jackpot.

Magpie,

I wish I could count on type/zone/brand but it seems to all be a mishmash.

For instance my Buck Amiga Mia is fantastic with no die back. But my Buck Calico Gal had alot of die back. Both are zone 4.

My Chuckles zone 4 is going to be taken out. They are spindly little things and never gets to be a bush. Also zone 4.

My Week's roses Pretty Lady Rose are zone 5 but are cane hardy for me and I have 3 of them. It does have a fantastic scent.

Robusta is a rugosa, zone 5. No die back.

Lady in Red is a Weeks rose zone 4, complete and total die back.

So I can't tell what is OK to try and what isn't except through recommendations from people with similar climates who report no die back or my own trial and error.

Magpie both my Buck roses, Amiga Mia and Mountain Music, are beautifully fragrant. Mtn Music also has a nicely shaped growth habit, very rounded and tidy.

Joey,

Pictures please! I think your Mountain Music pictures are much prettier than the listing ones at High Country Roses. Also would love to see how your Amiga Mia is doing this year. was Mountain Music a cane hardy rose for you?

Also is your Amiga Mia a continuous bloomer for you? Helpmefind says it blooms in flushes but High Country Roses says occasional repeat. If both you and I get continuous blooms out of it I may send off a note to Matt so he can correct his listing.

@joeywyomingzone4 your photos of Mountain Music are lovely! I'm assuming those are yours on

Yep those are my pictures on HMF. I really don't know why Mountain Music isn't more popular for cold zones. These are last spring, it was a 4-inch-tall band when I planted it two weeks before snowfall the previous fall and it put on a beautiful showing! I need to get some pictures this spring but I have a new phone and am still figuring out how to use it lol. But I didn't need to prune anything off it this spring so I'd say that's hardy :)

I don't have information on Amiga Mia beyond the first flush because the neighbor's chickens dug it up and left it for dead twice last summer so she spent all her energy just staying alive.

I've noticed that some roses take a bit to get established. The first year I grew Apricot Twist it died back to the crown. The second year it had about two inches of green stem. Subsequent years it has been completely cane hardy and needed no pruning in spring.

Fun discussion, everyone!

here is another HFH pic. It has had more blossoms., but I can’t find it grrr.

Mmmm12, Where did you read lady in read is hardy to zone four? Zone for is very cold I never would put that rose in that category

LClark - GASP!!!!! Outrageously beautiful!!!

Joey - such lovely shading to your MM!! And lots of blooms. :)

Vaporac,

Right here in the listing.

https://www.highcountryroses.com/shop/modern-roses/climbers-ramblers/lady-in-red/

Other places have it listed as zone 4 also.

https://www.springhillnursery.com/product/lady-in-red-climbing-rose

https://www.brecks.com/product/lady-in-red-climbing-rose

https://www.michiganbulb.com/product/lady-in-red-tm-climbing-rose

Joey,

Too funny about the chicken! Since you are the only other person who seems to have Amiga Mia I was hoping to compare notes but if the chicken's have it in for it then there isn't much hope. :-)

Good to hear that maybe some of my newer ones will do better in future years. That seems to have been the case with Forth of July. It was pretty much cane hardy this year but hasn't grown much at all the two years I've had it. Maybe this will be it's year.

Crossing my fingers that Calico Gal follows suit and doesn't die back next year. It is a zone 4 Buck rose so it better start acting like one. :-)

@mmmm12COzone5, I hope you didn't think I was doubting you! I'm just surprised because I would never put mine at that zone hardiness and I'm in zone 6! I think they need to adjust that. Yes it might grow back but I can't imagine it would have the energy to make much of a climber. I always ask Matt what he grows because I know that a lot of what he sells Has not been tested In his own garden. Have you ever visited the rose gardens And cemetery gardens near you? I'm sure you have, but that is what I have found most useful. I always visit the local and regional rose gardens to see what does really well there. It's not a guarantee because many of them have different soil to mine, but it has helped me And many ways. 1 rose that is done fabulously for me and I new does well And many ways. 1 rose that is done fabulously for me and I new does well and zone 5 is Misses Anthony Waterer. I think these large Roses would look fabulous and your garden. How is Darlow's Enigma doing for you?

Vapor, I was so set on trying Lady in Red because it was zone 4 so I really did expect it to do well. Maybe this is the year some canes will live? It will be it's third year.

I've seen the roses as the Denver Botanical Garden but should go see the local rose gardens. We had joined the Denver Rose society, hoping to see people's gardens but haven't seen any. The first outing we had a conflict and the 2020 didn't require masks so we didn't go. I don't think were going to renew our membership this year.

Matt gave me a list of some local Gardens that I may have somewhere if you'd like to see it. I'm sure if you called he would tell you some places to go see if you are not already aware of them. I know the Fairmount cemetery is one but there are a few others. So disappointing about Lady in Red. I just see your garden filled with lovely bushy floriferous roses. You have a very beautiful space with the sunken level. Just gorgeous! I know it's hard to get that list look in Colorado. I wish I knew it Rose my in-laws grew. Very beautiful. The only one they remember the name is oranges and lemons but they have a few others that are really stunning. Not climbers.

Thanks Vaporvac,

We should definitely get to some of the local rose gardens. I'm wondering if knock-out roses do well here. I saw some stunning side of the road roses today that were large and covered in blooms. But I don't know what they are.

In reviewing this post I see I wanted to take out some of the poor performers. Here is the main rose bed on 8/26. This is for my reference next year if I decide to pull some.

Right side of bed:

Left side of bed:

We decided to put a little miracle grow on all the roses today. We do this about once per year.

Your garden is stunning!! If my young roses all looked like that I'd be thrilled!

Thanks joeywyomingz4b! I remember in 2017 trying to decide what to do with this bed and wondering if roses would do well here. It is an extremely hot rock bed with a west facing brick wall that bakes it in the summer. In the winter it is exposed to northern and western winds. It is one of the slower areas to melt snow due to lack of sun.

I didn't take a picture prior to starting to have it cleared because it was wall to wall greenery. Here it is mid-way through being cleared. The plants were so dense in it that you couldn't walk in any area of the rocks at all.

We didn't have a plan when we started clearing it. It was an impenetrable thicket of sumac and a bunch of other bushes that were everywhere. It also had a large tree growing too close to the house that we had to trim back all the time so that it started to get really lopsided as it got bigger. The tree was some type of lantern tree that attracted weird bugs that were everywhere.

I couldn't be more pleased with how it has turned out. Getting some fast growers in amongst the slow growers had helped with my satisfaction immensely.

I also remember Matt from High Country Roses looking askance at me when I asked him about doing a rock rose bed. His response was "not optimum". But his look said more than that. However, I thought I'd give it a try anyways as the bed already had the rock in it.

You can see in the first picture where we have pinned up Lady in Red to the supports. Have to see what she does with that.

I just realized Sally Homes didn't make it into any of the main bed pictures. She (in the foreground) and Dainty Bess really get decimated by the Japanese Beetles although they both appear to be continuous bloomers.

I think your zone really helps make your rock mulch work, MMMM. Here, everything would cook with a rock mulch. Your garden looks great.

Sheila,

I thought the roses might cook also. It is easily 140F out there in the summer. We have alot of hot sun along with high temps. But the roses in the regular mulch do much worse. I can only theorize that the rocks keep the roots cool and keep the water in better than regular mulch. The rocks are so hot you can't touch them or you will burn yourself. And the brick wall radiates heat into the area. It is like an oven.

MMMM, I know many roses suffered from lack of heat when I lived in Alaska. The Canadian Explorer and Morden roses wanted more heat than I had. I think inland Canada can really heat up and my property did not. Apparently your roses love heat.

I'm so glad that worked for you. I hope you show Matt at High Country Roses your photos. He would be happy to hear about it too.

I'm surprised at how much heat my roses here can take. They just need water and some canes sunburn. Maybe I need tree tape or to paint canes white.

Good info Sheila,

My rose bed has been a big giant experiment. I too thought that maybe the rocks would be too hot. What is surprising is that Iceberg didn't bloom much in mulch (where it was the first couple of years). We relocated it to the rock bed and it thrives there.

Spring flush in mulch. June 2018. Then after that there were only sporadic blooms.

Spring flush in rocks. June 2021

We thought Iceberg wasn't that good until we moved it to the rocks. Both areas it gets partial shade. Probably a little more sun in the rocks but we get multiple big flushes in the rocks.

Here it is blooming again Aug. 3rd 2021:

It is prepping for another big bloom cycle right now.

We took out Gourmet Popcorn from the mulch and gave it away. Maybe we should have tried it in the rocks first.

We have Chuckles in the mulch and it fried in the sun for two years. So we moved it to the shade/partial sun and only blooms once in the there. We are planning to give it away when we get replacement plants and not try it in the rocks. We feel we've spent enough time already relocating it once. Also it is always a spindly couple of canes and never looks like a bush.

Souvenir De St. Anne's is poor in mulch. It is frying in the sun so we probably won't try it in the rocks. When it dies we will likely not plant a new rose in the mulch as it never seems to work out for us. Here it was yesterday:

So interesting, MMMM. Here, I am sorting out drought, unprecedented heat records, emitter issues, tree competition, vole damage, gopher root eating and soil variables along with sun exposure. I have some areas with better soil and some with the worst. I think I could gradually improve poor soil areas by top dressing with goodies. My gopher hunting and vole killing skills are improving.

Sometimes it is hard to know what is wrong when there are so many possibilities. Throw in that some roses take a while to get going and with the variables in own root or rootstocks it can be quite a challenge. You are really doing a great job for your roses.

Mmmmm - I'm really surprised too that your roses can thrive being grown in rocks with the extremely hot temperatures you get!!! I would have thought they would have all died. Well done...whatever you're doing, keep it up!! :) :)

rosecanadian,

It is surprising! We don't do much. My husband mixes up a batch of miracle grow and puts 1/3 of a pitcher on each rose once a year and that is it. Other than that we prune off the dead cane in the spring. When deadheading or pruning we try not to let debris fall in the rose.

So why do they do so well? One is I think we get healthy stock from High Country Roses. We did get one virused rose from Jackson and Perkins. As soon as I saw the virus we pulled it out.

The other reason may be that there is alot of air space between the roses. We have very dry weather and the roses get water through a drip system. So no humidity to really foster diseases. Also being in rocks that heat up so much probably keeps the environment hostile to rose issues.

We do get ear wigs and Japanese Beetles. The JB cause the most damage. I think I've also seen rose midges but not in enough volume to see damage.

But we will probably never get the huge gorgeous roses that I see some posting from more hospitable climates.

Sheila,

Voles can be confounding! We have had them wipe out whole beds. We ended up putting snap traps with peanut butter in their tracks and caught them pretty quickly. To keep the dogs out of the traps we put rose cages around them and pinned them to the ground. However having a bull snake around is better at keeping them in check.

mmmmm - are you lucky enough to have bull snakes?

Yes Rosecanadian,

We usually have some. I can always tell when we don't as we get vole problems or see mice in our courtyard. I saw a baby bull snake last year and no voles all this year so I think he is still around. Every now and then we see an eagle or a hawk carry one off so some times we are snake less.

Mmmmm - I just googled bullsnake to see what they look like...they're a really beautiful snake with the yellow/black!!

I have seen a couple of gopher snakes, mmmm. Now I can hope for bull snakes. I did catch a very bad vole in a trap that had almost killed a Tea rose here. That was very satisfying. We have dogs too, so it is a bit tricky.

Sheila - one vole down...many more to go. A terrier would make short work of them.

We had a bunch of ice plants die that had been living for a few years. At first we though the drip system in that area was broke but it was working when my husband checked it. Two days ago the dead ice plant material was removed and there was a distinctive animal hole under one dead one. I had seen a baby bull snake in that bed last year so don't know what was living in the hole.

Carol, we have a dog rescue Jackie that is at least 1/2 terrier and the darn things go down the holes and the dog can't reach them. I think the snakes can go down after them.

mmmmm - I have never heard of an ice plant before! :) I googled it...very pretty! Oh dang...but at least it wasn't a rose.

Sheila - well that settles it....you'll have to breed/raise bull snakes, and release some every year into your garden. :)