Ben, sorry for the second post on Radiant Perfume, but I just re-read what you said about seeing it at nurseries, and it came back to me that another thing I hated about it was that it had tons of blind shoots, and it blew really fast.

Susan,

Oh no! My Radiant Perfume dreams are sharttered. I’m still tempted to get her and put her in a less prominent corner. I’m not sure I can do Sunsprite just yet. Many years when I grew her and Pristine, I called them the ’Amazing Instantly Exploding Roses’.

Carla,

I’m in Elk Grove, so probably very similar climate to you. Most of my pics are from Green Acres, I have to visit multiple stores all the time since they each have their own buyer and great new stuff keeps coming in.. Your pic of Celestial Night looks so wonderful, so I’m afraid I can’t heed your words of warning. Besides, Ebb Tide and Twilight Zone burn too, and I still continue to grow them!

Diane,

I’m afraid Angel Face only has that beautiful color in your garden. I’ve seen it all over the country and more often than not its a muddy mauve bloom, sometimes accompanied with some rusty red edges. It was a weakling in Texas, and tried to commit suicide by pumping out too many muddy little blooms for the spindly plant to handle. I finally gave her away. But she was so pitiful looking that I was ashamed to even give her away for free.. So I gave away Blue Girl as the freebie, and she was the mandatory add-on that must be accepted with the freebie!

Erika,

Must be nice to have your own spy to give you advance notice of which varieties are coming in!

Ben, no, Angel Face is one of my most beautiful roses. I won't believe she is so awful looking until you post a photo of those muddy little blooms. Impossible! Diane

Angel Face and Young Lycidas

Oh my goodness Ben-- you're in Elk Grove??

You MUST go see the rose collection at Thompson's (formerly Silverados) and the ones at Fair Oaks Blvd Nursery. I especially like to go look at them when we're in the 90s so I can see how specific roses hold up in the heat.

Carla in Sac

Ben - thanks! I'm excited about it! I'll let you know what I think of the fragrance. It won't bloom for quite a while though. Oh, I really love lemon scented rose blooms!!! I wish you could pipe the fragrance over the computer. :) Your SS is captivating!

Erika - what a lucky break that you get advanced warning of new roses!

Diane - oh those colors on your Angel Face blooms!!! Exquisite!!! SWOON!

Carla - how can you say no to that fabulous color? WOW!!

Ben - I know, only Diane gets the incredible colors on so many of her roses...fabulous!

Celestial Night after one day of heat.

Carla

Carla, there are lots of roses that can't take our heat and dry air, but the heat is even worse for your plants. So sorry to see this happen to Celestial Night. Heirloom did the dry up and burn thing here, among other roses, but not Munstead Wood. Diane

@Diane Brakefield Diane, I think you live to tease us, lol. You AF is gorgeous, but I'm with Ben concerning Angel Face. It was horrid here. But I didn't have to shovel prune it. It just died! Both times I tried it. The couple of years it languished here, it had a paltry few miserable, muddy, mauve flowers. From the time it put out new leaves, it started dropping them from BS. It never managed to keep more than a few by June. And this was when I sprayed religiously. Ugh. But I'm not picking on just AF. ALL of the early lavender HTs are horrible here...well, except for Lila Vidri, which you can not for some reason find today (well, maybe RVR, but...). Lila is wonnnnnnderful. But you ain't gonna find her at your local garden center, sad to say.

John

John, the key is I grow Angel Face in a very dry climate, semi arid desert. I mentioned that we don't get black spot, so that helps a lot. But Tennessee or Texas--I've done some traveling in those states and the rest of the South. Humid! Totally different climate from mine. But you have a longer growing season than I do and lots of rain (what's that stuff?). I'm sorry that AF isn't a good fit for your climate. Diane

Carla,

Yes, I’m pratically your new neighbor! Thanks for the tip on the two nurseries, I wanted to head to them immediately! But I will wait for the weather to be more reasonable tomorrow. I was wondering if there was anyone else besides Green Acres. I think they do a extraordinary job with selection and prices , but a different nursery with different suppliers, buyers etc is always welcomed.

John and Diane,

I’m so glad John chimed in about little miss mud. I’d hate for someone to buy Angel Face with expectations of Diane’s celestial charmer, only to be sacked with our sad earthtoned urchin. Sterling Silver actually has pretty good color everywhere I’ve seen her, but in less ideal conditions she’ll hari kari even before Angel Face. I agree most roses are at their best in arid and mediterranean climates, provided adequate water is suppled. The cool night, warm sunny days, dry air bring out their best color and overall development.

Carol,

Did I read that you also got Sweet Delight from Palatine? Please report back on her fragrance, too! She just bloomed for me today and reminded my what an extraordinary fragrance powerhouse she is. At her worst her smells like strong and heady rose. At her best, when all the fruit scents come out, she smells like a whole exotic tropical vacation!

She looks rather like Princesse De Monaco (the older HT named after Grace, not Charlene).

Ben, I think you should try Radiant Perfume, since you seem to have plenty of space to try roses, and you are someone who grows exceptionally good roses! I'd love to hear your report. Before I ditched it, I considered making cuttings to try it own root, b/c I so wanted it to be good, but I just let it go. Totally understand your reluctance with Sunsprite, and I am in a much cooler summer zone than you are in Elk Grove now.

@fig_insanity Z7a E TN John, I love Lila Vidri. I bought it as Leila Verde way back in the day from Arena. I used to have 3 plants of it, but 2 eventually died, so I got on the waiting list for RVR for it, along with several others. That was 4-5 years ago, with no notification on any of them. In the meantime, I've made 2 successful cuttings of it from my remaining plant; it's very easy to root. Then a few months ago, RVR sent me an email saying Lila Vidri was now available. I used to buy from RVR years ago, but nowadays, I'm too scared to buy from them.

@susan9santabarbara Susan, isn't LV a lovely thing? Here, she's always beautiful, doesn't "grey out", and in the cooler weather of Spring and Fall, she's drop-dead gorgeous. The only thing I have that is "bluer" is Blue For You, and the blooms on it are just so messy. I love single and semi-double roses, but BFY just isn't a graceful flower. LV, on the other hand, is the epitome of grace.

Ben

Fair Oaks Boulevard is where I got my Lady Emma Hamilton a couple of months ago. They had a selection of Austins I've never seen anywhere recently.

Carla in Sac

@fig_insanity Z7a E TN Plus, her incredible fragrance! I just hopped over to the RVR website and she's still available, which is surprising since she's been so hard to find in recent years. Honestly, the only reason I signed up for the wait list at RVR was because of my crazy work schedule... I'm now retired and am making cuttings of my ultra-rare roses. I actually made a lot of cuttings of her back in the day and spread them around to friends. This is one of the most under-appreciated roses I know. Glad to hear of a fellow fan!

Carla - it sure doesn't like heat much. That's a shame.

Ben - I laughed when I read "but in less ideal conditions she’ll hari kari even before Angel Face." :) :) Yes, I have Sweet Delight. I tried it last year and it died on me because of problems I created. This year it's growing leaves on its bareroot canes. I really hope mine has fragrance like you described and that it does well. :) Your bloom is wonderful!

Ben, I’m jealous of your fabulous local in stock! Our Lowe’s and Home Depot rarely carry anything beyond Knockouts and Drifts, or Iceberg. A few years ago they must have had a different orderer, and had some Austins and Kordes. Some lovely Plum Perfect bushes. Alas, that was a one time event. Since then it‘s been back to the sea of green pots.

Menards sometimes stocks interesting things; last year it was some of the Easy Elegance line and Moonlight in Paris. Ace Hardware always pulls a nice selection of unusual perennials for a fabulous price. The roses aren’t very unusual but they did have Julia Child and Dancing in the Dark (which i have and love).

Curiously, our Home Depot stocks Angel Face despite it not being well suited for our climate. Too bad.  Diane, yoursis spectacular.

@Ashley FL 9B Ashley, it's really no surprise HD, and all the other big box stores, would sell AF. It's out of patent, therefore cheap to produce, and it's "blue". If it's a body bag, it may not even be AF. And if it's potted, of course it looks gorgeous coming straight from a greenhouse. They sell THOUSANDS of them to unsuspecting beginners (and even naively hopeful pros!) who just think it's their fault when it dies, lol. Who's going to take advantage of HD's one-year plant guarantee for a $5 body bag? It's a win-win for Home Depot: money in the bank, no blame!

Right Fig? All I can say is "been there, done that". Haha. A sale is a sale is a sale. Ours are all potted and $20+.

For that price, I might even succumb, Ashley, lol. Well, maybe not. I'd like to think I have more willpower than that, especially after experiencing AF's willingness to die!

Fig, it might be $30. Can't remember. The challenge certainly keeps things interesting!

Just wanted to comment on the earlier bit in the thread about the small but floriferous Edens. Here is a cutting rooted last fall. About 18” tall. One of the buds was already plucked off by an eager todder. No special care whatsoever; quite the opposite.

I don't think any of our big box stores stock Angel Face (appropriate for this climate), or anything interesting, for that matter. As I've said before, we get the dregs at the BB stores and I don't bother to look anymore. Maybe I should. The last big box rose I bought was Heirloom about 15 years ago, a turkey in this hot, dry climate. I got rid of it years ago. Blueberry Hill didn't do well for the same reasons, either. Does anyone even sell that rose? Our best local nursery, Edwards does sell Angel Face, though, in five gallon pots for about $33. They all sold out long ago, as well as any silver, purple, lavender rose they stocked. Diane

Which is which, oh my?

Diane, you are sooooo mean, lol.

Gold Medal was a happy Home Depot find.

BenT, I'm new to roses and take photos often. I bend down to sniff every rose if they are in bloom as I've been trying to understand which rose fragrances I like. This forum has been very helpful. It's helped me discover Boscobel. I was worried about the myrrh smell but Boscobel smells fruity and maybe old rose aka damask scent in there too along with something else. It's still early but I'm super happy with it so far. Likewise, Eden and DeeLish! Many store roses are not in bloom yet but here are some pictures from a couple of weeks ago. I'm very grateful to now live near such a nice nursery with so many choices. I would have purchased a Sweet Mademoiselle if I hadn't already purchased one from Heirloom Roses. I took home The Poet's Wife the other day because the fragrance impressed me with strength and fruitiness. I don't/didn't care for the color yellow but it's sort of a bright buttery color that fades gracefully. I am newly addicted to roses!

Dilly - very lovely...I'm sure it will grow really well for you!

Diane - happy purple dance!

AshleyFl - oh, I love that 2nd picture of your Gold Medal...perfection in porcelain!!

Kit - it's such a fun addiction! Beautiful yellow rose!

Nursery just received their shipment.

Overview

Stripies:

Neil Diamond and Oranges n Lemons

Pop Art

Marc Chagall

Frida Kahalo

George Burns

Peace

easy going (this is only 3 plants)

Easy does it

At Last

Polka

Mercury Rising

Tequila Supreme

Fragrant cloud

I’m not one for pale roses but this was exquisite;

Silver Lining

Frau Dagmar Hastrup

New bloom

Frau w/bee

Chrysler Imperial. Biggest blooms I think I've ever seen. Smells nice. My camera can't handle the intense color.

All Dressed Up

Angel Face

Kit,

What a great local nursery you have nearby. They seem to have a big selection of Austins, which is rare. The Poets Wife you took home looks so cheerful and healthy.

John and Susan,

You’ve talked me into Lila Vidri. Someone wrote a really good article about her a while back, themed on how she was the best lavender nobody knows about. I picked up Old Port and Night Moss too, because I must save on shipping!

High Desert

I’m very impressed by Silver Lining too. I think only a matter of time one gets into my garden. Those are such well grown plants of Fragrant Cloud and Peace. I still think old Fragrant Cloud is just about the top performing rose overall, and Peace is as beautiful as they come.

Dillybean,

Wonderful that you got Eden to root and bloom. My friends and I have always had difficulty trying to root that one, so I’m impressed. Evelyn, on the other hand, always takes root.

Ashley and John

I think Angel Face was the standard bearer for lavender roses for so long that people are familiar with her, so the big box stores think she’s a must. Ditto on John F Kennedy, even though far better whites are now available. Sometimes they even appear twiice! first as a likely mislabeled body bag, and then late in the season as one of the ‘assorted cheap likely mislabeled potted roses’. Here she is at my local nursery

Looks better than when I grew her, but sorry Diane, I’m still going take a pass. I’d choose Love Song, Silver Lining or Violets Pride

High Desert - What a lot of roses! Peace and Silver Lining look incredible!

Kit - Chrysler Imperial sure looks great as does Fragrant Cloud!

Ben, I'm so privileged and happy to contribute to your delinquency, lol. Please do let us know what you think of Lila. She's robust for a lavender rose, so by next Spring you should have something to report ;)

I'll never understand how such a good rose manages to fly under the radar.

Ben, that was a joke. The top rose is Blue Bayou, the middle is Blueberry Hill, and the third photo is Angel Face. I agree about Love Song, which is my favorite lavender. I grow two of them. That's a very pink Angel Face in the photo of the nursery roses above. I wouldn't have recognized it. Diane

Oh my goodness, Diane....WOW!!

John,

I’ve been wanting Lila Vidri for years since I read that article about her. But you put her into this conversation, so yes, it realy is all your fault!

Diane,

What do you think makes your Lavenders so otherworldly blue? Weather, abutdance of certain nutrients, or something else? I agree Love Song is just an awsome rose!

Fair Oaks looks like such a fun place! Interesting plants and dinosaurs! And that Praying Mantis!

I’m personally not a fan of dinosaurs, but I’d take a praying mantis like that. :) Just for the whimsy, as I don’t care for most so-called garden art. I’m just saying I prefer the mantis over random pinwheels and pink plastic flamingos.

You folks from Sacramento are giving me a severe case of nostalgia. We spent 12 lovely hard years there and it still feels like home to me in many ways. We had 4 acres there with a big yard, mature trees, fruit trees and grape vines tangling through the treetops…a lovely place to raise our children. I didn’t have much time to visit nurseries but I did get to a few, Green Acres and Fair Oaks included. I had plans to expand my gardening as my children grew up, but circumstances got in the way and took us to Southern Arizona where I’m starting completely from scratch with gardening. I like to stay in tune with the Sacramento area though, so keep up the lovely photos and nursery tour reports. :) And Ben, if you get to the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery and rose garden, please update us on the current conditions there.

Ben, I love your analysis of the various nurseries you have visited, and what a great group you have to choose from. I'm blown away by the dinosaurs and mantid. What are they made of and what were the price ranges? Just curious. Did you manage to move your beautiful Love Song plants to California? I hope so. I have no explanation for the purples and lavenders I get in this garden. Our soil is alkaline, of course, and was brushy desert when we moved in--never cultivated and not very good soil, but it varies some in different spots. Most of my garden is on a slope, which is challenging when watering or it rains (which isn't often). Diane

In spring with some green, soon to be brown.Trees are planted by homeowners.

Judy,

What a great memory of California you must have had. Its on my list to visit the Sacramento City and Cemetary, I’ve heard it’s about the best collection of OGRs in the country, and also that it’s recently run into some unfortunate policy issues.

Librarian,

I think I’d only want the Mantis around Halloween, he looks quite scary in person!

Diane,

Your landscape looks very much like much of Nortern California, very verdant hills in spring that turn very brown. I would imagine that all the years of generous amendments you added to your garden helps to significantly retain moisture in a hilly, dry sandy area. Do you use drip irrigation, or regular sprinklers?

I’d guess the dinosaurs are made of metal, don’t know why I didn’t bother to touch one. Tyrannosaurus was $2200, Triceratops was $4200. I’m glad I collect roses, not dinosaurs.

Ben, I was thinking the dinos were made of some kind of resin, but it's impossible to tell from photos--just looked again and it's not resin. Our soil is not sandy at all and has some clay in it. Sandy soil would be worse. I think we have a kind of cold Mediterranean type climate with months without rain during summer. I've mentioned this before, but we get only about 10 inches of any kind of precipitation. This year we'll be lucky to get nine inches if that much. The reservoirs are about empty. I use a drip system augmented with tiny sprinklers plugged into the drip lines. The drip emitters go to roses, shrubs, and trees, and the little sprinklers go to perennials and also add some water to the roses. Everything is watered. I got a lot of my college education in California, married a Californian, my daughter is a native born Californian. We lived in both the Bay area and Redondo Beach in southern Cal. Then later I went back to grad school in California--but I never gardened in California. Whew. So I'm familiar with some of the California climate. I think your drought is worse than ours right now. At least in certain parts of the state. Diane

Ben - your Love Song is fantastic!!! So many blooms...and they're all GORGEOUS!! Sigh. I really love that Moonlight Romantica at the greenhouse!! And those dinosaurs...that would be amazing to have one. LOL

Those prices are pretty decent, I'd say...they're huge! But yeah, roses are far cheaper. :)

At or Walmart picking up ink. Not a bud in sight. Except the knockouts (not pictured).

Oh dear Ashley, I don’t think Wally wants to be in the rose business! I remember an old Bette Midler movie where she gets kidnapped and everyone is so cheap about the ransom money that she yells ‘Help! I’ve been kidnapped by Kmart!’ Much llike these poor plants, held hostage by Walmart for $17.64

Carol

Maybe you should get the dinosaur. These big sturdy lizards look like they could withstand the ice age much less the great garage freeze

Diane

I am glad to learn you have clayey soil. I think I’d much rather have clay than sand, at least it can hold nutrients and water well, important for our water challenged environments. Of course I’d rather have rich deep loam but that has never been my reality unless I made it myself with tons of compost and sweat equity..

Last week Bronze Star came home with me. She wasn’’t on the list of roses I told myself I could buy. They did have California Dreamin’ which was on my list , since I’d just moved to California and most appropriately I should grow this rose. So I sacrificed California Dreamin for Bronze Star.

Well, the next week I was still in California. So it was still most appropriate for me to grow Calfiornia Dreamin! So I went back to the nursery to fetch her

On the way out, I saw the most velvety dark electric red rose ever.. This pic doesn’t even do it justice. I don’t know how I didn’t know about Love’s Promise.

I don’t know how I can resist from going back next week to retrieve her!

Those are beautiful roses which I'll check on google and HMF. I think my favorite is California Dreamin, which I've never heard of. Bronze Star looks so much like Bernstein-Rose (Bernstein means amber), I'd swear those two were related. I know Bernstein-Rose is used as a parent for a lot of well known roses. Love's Promise is luscious and velvety. Yes, you need it. Diane

Bernstein-Rose (Tantau)

Ben - I love your sense of humor!! :) :) The ruffly blooms of Bronze Star are so inviting!! And Love's Promise is one I'm always looking out for because it's supposed to have strong raspberry fragrance...you should maybe go back and get it!! :) :)

Diane - I love the first picture...it has the tightish buds with orange coloring, and the gradations of openness...lovely!