Desert Rose, I was also at Otto’s yesterday … picked up a Full Sail and a Bolero.

Here’s pic of a Twilight Zone standard in their show garden. Really impressed me.

Sylvia: I also ran into Deborah at Otto’s, and we had a really nice chat!It would have been fun to say hello to you, too. I may be tempted to go back again on Saturday, and if I do, I’ll make a point to check out their Twilight Zone standard.

Ang: I hope that Raspberry Cupcake gets tougher as she establishes! On Helpmefind, there are a bunch of photos of her looking good with a caption stating that the photo was taken when it was 34 degrees Celsius, which I think is 93 degrees Fahrenheit. I’ve only had my Raspberry Cupcake for a day, and the high was only in the mid-70s, but I did notice that her color has already faded from vibrant pink to softer pink with lavender undertones. I’ve attached a photo of the faded color.

On a different note, as RC’s blooms open, so far all of them have vegetative centers. (!) I did notice one vegetative center when I bought the plant, but didn’t expect to see so many. Is this tendency variety-specific or individual plant-specific? Should I be worried that I’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future, or is this just a temporary result of the big shot of fertilizer that the plant probably got in anticipation of Otto’s spring sale? They’re definitely not making the Raspberry Cupcake look very appetizing … (!)

We had a high of 87 yesterday and 83 today, and so far, my Raspberry Cupcake is doing just fine in the heat. Here are a couple of photos from today (one with gnarly green vegetative center peeking out …). I called Otto’s, and they said that the vegetative centers are a result of the combo of cold weather and strong fertilizer, and that it shouldn’t happen again after this flush.

Ang - I'm disappointed that I couldn't find a Raspberry Cupcake rose this year. Yours looks awesome...and the fragrance you describe...the best!!

Desert Rose...oooh!!! You're right...Violet's Pride and Raspberry Cupcake look great together. mmmmm about the fragrance! Fabulous bushes...they look amazing! Good to hear that your future RC blooms won't have vegetative centers. :)

yay so glad to see this. Am very excited for mine. a little while ago Menagerie was having a flash sale and I got 5 of them bare root. Also got Top Cream and will report back when they flower.

Desertrose, the combination of Violets pride and Raspberry Cupcake is really pretty.

@Meghan (southern VT, 5b) Top Cream is on my short list and I plan to get one as soon as I can, keep us posted on how it does

Meghan - excellent snatch! :) :)

This Nursery had a Top Cream in bloom.

Carla in Sac

Carla

Were you at Fair Oaks? I was there yesterday and they had both Top Cream and Raspberry Cupcake. I thought Top Cream had a most unusual and wonderful scent, a bit like Mme A but more complex. Raspberry Cupcake smelled nice, but I think Perfume Factory’s scent is definitely stronger.

Top Cream

FWIW, I received 22 bare root roses from David Austin this March 2023 and nearly all were very good size. I ordered directly from their website in two orders: first order in mid September and 7 more in December 2022. I don't know if order time has anything to do with it. Nye Bevan took off like a rock star.

Thank you for the photos of Top Cream and Raspberry Cupcake; both are on my wishlist so it's nice to see real photos. Would love to hear about disease resistance and repeat as they mature.

LOL

Yes Ben, yours is a photo of that bloom one day later than mine!

Carla

Personally, I’m in love with the fragrance of Raspberry Cupcake. To me, it’s better than nice! If Perfume Factory is stronger, then it’s aptly named.

In other news, my Raspberry Cupcake has little brown spots on its otherwise gorgeous blooms. I’m not sure if it’s from heat (despite being in a spot that gets shade after 3pm), wind, dryness, chili thrips (hopefully not this early in the season), temperature swings, or none of the above.

All the same, I’m really enjoying this rose so far! It’s been in continuous bloom for a month (ever since I planted it), and it seems healthy and vigorous as an own root.

Mrh - oh wow!! So many Austins...your garden is going to be amazing!

Desert Rose - that's a beauty!! I really would love to have one. Maybe I can find one next year. :)

rosecanadian: I am a huge David Austin fan. Already had 21 of his roses. I’ve grown roses since 2006, but didn't fully fall in love until I encountered Abraham Darby at The Antique Rose Emporium. I remember just standing there staring, completely enchanted by its flowers and fragrance. Needless to say, it came home with me.

I moved to my new [to me] place about 3 years ago and have been slowly digging/trenching out a bunch of flower beds (I live on solid stone with only 1-3” of soil), which is the only reason I have the space for that many roses. I am now out of space, but still want more roses (not only from David Austin). lol

Raspberry Cupcake is on my wishlist, but I really want to know how it grows so I'll be watching this thread for updates.

How often does it bloom, do the blooms fade, what is the bush's growth habit, how thorny is it, and does it handle rain, humidity, and heat. Also would like to know if the flowers stay cupped or open flat.

Yes, Abraham Darby is SUCH a beautiful rose. I would be entranced by it if I saw the blooms too. :)

@Sharon z8b Texas I have had it since April 17 growing in a large pot for now and here are my latest observations:

When I first got it I was concerned about the blooms holding up in the sun, heat, and humidity. It has since laughed at my concerns, it's a TOUGH one! These blooms last a very long time, do not lose color, and stay heavily scented day after day. I have a bloom on it now that I have been tracking, it opened on May 13 and here we are at May 22 and although it's browned a bit on the edges it's still looking good. It has been humid and rainy and RC handles it like a champ! My area is very prone to blackspot, and while several of the roses I just planted at the exact same time as RC have spotted and defoliated, it is in perfect health. Thorniness wise I would say it has a "medium" amount, but they are very small. The blooms stay cupped, truly looking like a cupcake.

I will keep updating here and there as it grows, but so far I am SO impressed! Here are some photos of the bloom I have been tracking

May 15, two days after opening

This morning, May 22

Ang, Gorgeous Raspberry Cupcake! Tganks for sharing your photis & ideas-very helpful! I am looking forward to my RC ciming soon!

Beautiful photos of RC in photos on this thread! Thank you!

Here’s my RC planted last week in zone 9b. Lots of buds! I’m hoping it can withstand our hot summers!

@Ang NC_7B Thank you very much for the excellent information and photos! How hot is it there now?

@Andrea zone 9b Thank you! I look forward to hearing more from you about this rose, because I think your heat it closer to mine? Or if you are near the coast, you may be cooler than here.

I am in Central Texas zone 8b. Not dry like the Phoenix Arizona desert, not as humid as Florida, somewhere in the middle. Here, we have months and months of 100F in summer. And we don't have cool summer nights; we go through months and months where no time of day or night is below 80+.

My raspberry cupcake has bloomed. I think that our cold weather and then hot weather may have impacted the blooms negatively. Faded blooms, kinda small and weak scent right now. Just deadheaded all of the spent blooms and hoping for a better flush to come up.

Interesting. Raspberry Cupcake rose is available at Buckerfields, locally. I'm thinking of buying one. Generally I'm not a hybrid tea fan, preferring a mass of blooms, but RC has caught my attention. Buckerfields also has Sultry Night rose, which is bigger but I'm wondering about SN's resistance to blackspot? Anyone know? I really like Kordes bred roses due to their superior disease resistance.

I found this posted in HMF by Ericchn 10 days ago -- Thank you for adding it to the HMF database Ericchn!

Raspberry Cupcake just won an award for fragrance:

www.snhf.org/palmares-de-la-15e-edition-du-gpr/ 

Scroll down a ways; the rose has its French name of Mademoiselle Maria (instead of its German name of Fraulein Maria). My French is rusty, but I think it says something along the lines of

"a bushy/compact rose that amply presents the charm of ancient roses with an intense perfume that has notes of fresh citrus, green apple, fresh cut herbs & spices with a note of patchouli -- a perfume that is very subtle and original. The prize for its perfume is amply merited."

I prob. could of sent it to Google translate, but what's the fun in that? :)

N°602 MADEMOISELLE MARIA®

Ce rosier buissonnant présente des fleurs au charme ancien avec un parfum intense de notes fraîches citronnées, pomme verte, herbe fraîchement coupée, accords épicés, boisés et une note de patchouli, un parfum très subtil et original. Son prix du parfum est amplement mérité.

Ang - the outside petals have the same look as Memorial Day's outer petals...I wonder if it's in its parentage...hmf doesn't have that info. I'm glad Raspberry Cupcake is such a great rose...I want one. :) :)

Andrea - Holey Moley...look at all of those buds! So beautiful!!

Krystal - yeah...could be. Hopefully, it will improve for you. :)

Roses - I used Google translate...you did a great job in translating!

I have been tracking how long the blooms lastlay on the plant and they are averaging 10 days, no fading of color or fragrance. Incredible disease resistant so far, not a bit of blackspot or powdery mildew.

Day 11 finally showing a bit of wear

Eleven days of looking great...that's pretty darn good!

Thank you @rosecanadian @titan1

Out of hundreds of roses I could see and sniff at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose garden, this was hands down my favorite.

Fortunately High Country Roses has it available right now for mail order.

They have Top Cream in stock, too!

@Ang NC_7B @Andrea zone 9b and @KrystalW 9b SoCal How are your Raspberry Cupcake doing through summer?

My Raspberry Cupcake has been in continual bloom since I bought it on April 19, and it's now June 28. It hasn't had another big flush since the spring one (undoubtedly induced by a hefty dose of commercial fertilizer while at Otto's nursery), but it always has at least one bloom on it at all times—a great virtue in my estimation! The blooms have been saturated in color, beautiful in form, long-lasting (although we've hardly had any temperatures over 80 during this unprecedentedly cool So Cal summer), and fragrant beyond measure. I just cannot get enough of the delicious, seemingly edible fragrance of this rose—I want to breathe it in all day long. Truly, this is a charismatic rose that lives up to its adorable name!

Please share some of your cool weather my way! I wish we had 80s!!!! We've been at 100F for weeks with no sign of relief for a few months at least. But that's normal for our summers. :(

Mine took a rest for around a month or longer and is now pushing out buds. it got a bit bushier as it was relatively small. That last flush was not impressive in my garden so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for better this time around…however, the blooms will

be opening up most likely when we hit the 90s so that worries me! I’ll report back then!

DesertRose - oh, the fragrance you describe sounds intense...what a great rose!

My Raspberry Cupcake has done well in a pot in the heat this summer. It blooms a LOT. Fragrance is great. In my opinion, it's almost a shrub version of Lavender Crush. I mean, I grow them side-by-side and while they are different, they aren't a lot different in my opinion. Somone mentioned Perfume Factory earlier, and I think it's far superior to Raspberry Cupcake. The foliage is more beautiful, the plant (PF) blooms constantly, the blooms last a very long time, and the fragrance is so much stronger. I'd happily give away my Raspberry Cupcake for another Perfume Factory.

Robert - I'm loving my new Perfume Factory. It has sooo many buds right now...I agree...great rose!! :) :)

@User I had to show my Perfume Factory the door due to terrible black spot. As great as the blooms smelled it just wasn't worth having that sad looking shrub. My Raspberry Cupcake, however, is one of the healthiest roses in my garden right now and blooms continuously. And the frilly nature of the petals is such a nice look!

I am still in mad love with my Raspberry Cupcake, which is at least 4 feet tall now with perfect foliage and a very nice bloom habit. I bought in mid-April with a big, heart-stopping flush that lasted until mid-June. After resting for two weeks, it have me intermittent single flowers throughout July. And then it started another good flush again at the end of July that’s still just getting started now in mid-August. In my garden, it’s right next to Violet’s Pride, which is a wonderfully fragrant rose, but RC has a fragrance that, to my nose, is even better and stronger. Like VP, RC’s flowers are petal-packed and abundant, but not particularly large. Both RC and VP held up well during a couple weeks of temperatures in the high 90s: they’re planted where they get sun until around 3pm, and then are shaded by an oak tree for the hottest part of the afternoon. If Perfume Factory is an even better rose, then I need Perfume Factory! I do notice that PF blooms seems to be blooming all the time at the Huntington Gardens—and its blooms are big!

More Raspberry Cupcake!

Ang - that's too bad about your Perfume Factory having blackspot. But I admire your attitude of getting rid of diseased roses...there are so many that do better.

Desert Rose - beautiful!!! :) :)

Can Raspberry Cupcake be kept around 3-4 feet tall? I'm thinking front of border?

In SoCal, it’s impossible to keep almost any Kordes rose under 6ft tall. Raspberry Cupcake is around 5ft for me in its first year. It sent up long new canes. So you may have to let them bloom and then cut it back. It is pretty narrow for me.

If you like it, Raspberry Cupcake (KORcarmsis), it has a probable sister, Carmen Wurth (KORjupvio) and its sport, Königin Marie (KORcarmut).

The pattern in codenames is actually humorous and well done by Kordes this time. Violette Parfumee, New Zealand and Caramel Fairy Tale seem to be the likely parents. So, two HT sniffers and a "flori-gusa".

I declined on these guys because it was never obvious what size they would be here. Every reference was different. Can't plan out the garden with random dimensions. But I was interested.

Oh my goodness Dave! That is the picture that says it all. what a gorgeous rose!

Maybe I'll reconsider! Wow!

Dave - beauty beyond compare!! I'm waiting for a rose list to come up...they're supposed to have Raspberry Cupcake!!! Crossing my fingers.

Raspberry Cupcake is Japanese rose beautiful but less expensive. I really love the look of this one.

Dave, your Raspberry Cupcake is beautiful, but I noticed its coloration reminds me of Young Lycidas. Do you grow that rose? Anyway, RC certainly loves growing in its pot. How do you like Wyoming? I admire your flexibility in growing good roses in drastically different areas of the US. Diane

Thanks Kristine! I really like the warm raspberry center and how it fades out from there.

@Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley - I‘ve struck out with many Kordes roses for one reason or another but this one’s a keeper. I would hope you would enjoy it as well if you decide to get it.

@rosecanadian - I hope you’re able to get one!

I appreciate it, Diane! Yes, I grew Young Lycidas in Missouri - the fragrance was incredible and the bloom color bold. It wasn’t a pretty shrub, though, but I’ve been tempted to grow it again anyway.

Dave, thanks!! Me, too. :) I've struck out with many Kordes roses too.