Yes. I had 2 very healthy plants that rarely bloomed, and when they did bloom, she was not spectacular. I'd seen photos on this forum that made me keep her for 4 years. I gave her away this last year. I have planted Quietness and April Love in place of Olivia Rose Austin. So far, Quietness has taken off and has a lot of buds coming on. April Love has lots of buds, but a smaller plant overall. We shall see!

I just planted a bareroot Olivia in a pot about a month ago - got a bloom yesterday. Nice gentle pink. I snipped it and brought it inside. Pretty. She's in an NE area of the garden, with late afternoon shade and seems to really like it.

Oh my goodness, @seasiderooftop!

She looks great on the beach! When I first caught a glimpse of her against the blue backdrop it almost registered like a hibiscus there for a second.

Mine too is in a pot. I will not add any more regular fertilizer for a while - neither Rose Tone nor Rose Feed Granules from Costco. or anything with N. I don't think I overdid those so far but all those big leaves tell me it's time to tone down the Nitrogen.

Last time I fertilized I did so with Alaska liquid for bloom (no N), so I hope to see more blooms appearing on her soon, considering her healthy leaves and size. It's interesting how large the leaves are but the buds are not at this relatively late point, at least compared to other roses around her. Last year she was way ahead of everyone in terms of bud number and size - covered in over 50 buds. I remember losing count.

Now I think I can only count half of that but then again, this year they all went through late frost, lost buds and had to start all over again,

I am certainly not giving up on her but I do see the point of those who say "meh."

Unless she is literally covered in large bloom from head to toe, she is not a catchy rose in my yard. I also seem to get less of that rosy touch I see in other people's pictures, yours included, and more bland white overall. And that's even at the start, not just when the bloom ages. Probably has to do with the sun of the South.

Compared to other splashy roses, she strikes me as one of those perfect children who strive to please their parents by doing everything by the textbook (good grades and all) only for the parents to end up having a secret soft spot for a naughtier sibling with a personality, if not the black sheep of the family. :) Kinda sad.

On the other hand, every time Easy Does It or Good as Gold pop up with their first bloom in the Spring, I am always mesmerized by their glow and presence.

This is the first bloom of EDI. I see it looking out my kitchen window and it literally grabs me by the collar every time. OR can't do that.

Good as Gold is a rascal, quite prone to BS and always seemingly going through drama - two years ago a tree branch fell on it and broke a few large canes; this year I cut it to the ground preventatively because I suspected some neighboring roses of RRD...and so on but it always bounces back and goes on Black-Spotting, being briefly beautiful in the Spring but not much else after that. Loses all leaves by fall then tries to come back a bit. It doesn't even fit with my color scheme in that flower bed but I sill can't do without it because of those spring glowy blooms. Then again, I do seem to have a preference for reddish-orange in the landscape - anything glowing like a sunset... and Olivia is doing anything but that.

But I am keeping her because overall, she is a well-behaved rose.

I may have lost that lovin feeling for Olivia . She has always been my favorite with huge flushes but it has gotten less blooms over the years. I will see how she does this year but she may be looking at the shovel if she keeps slacking off

Oh Artist, I completely agree with you about the perfect child comparison, that's exactly my feeling about her!  Still love her but I totally get what you mean.

I can understand your love for Good as Gold, that's one gorgeous rascal!

I've seen many pictures of ORA's blooms bleached to white by the sun, but never experienced it myself even though we definitely get our share of UV rays down here in Malta. She does get paler, but retains some pink in the center. I wonder if perhaps own root vs grafted, and the rootstock used, has something to do with that. Mine is grafted on Laxa, like pretty much all my roses. I think your bouquet looks beautiful, even with the paler shades!

About food, I agree no more N if she's already had all that slow-release. I personally don't use slow release other than what's already in the potting soil, because I prefer to have the control that a liquid feed gives to adjust the nutrients in real time. So right now I go lighter on the N and give lots of P and especially K, as well as a boost of calmag for more petals and strong stems. I guess I enjoy turning watering sessions into chemistry lab experiments haha.

@Kristine LeGault 8a pnw

Do you think it may have had something to do with the soil? In pots I am always afraid it is a year when I have to repot and change the soil but at the same time, I heard of people who didn't change the soil for many years (just topped off) and the roses bloomed greatly each time.

Do you suspect any reason for why she slowed down in bloom? Sometimes it's shade, etc.

Do they do that with age? I assumed it must be quite a few years for roses to not be able to bloom anymore because of age. I wonder what you suspect is the culprit.

@seasiderooftop

I am not sure whether she is own root or grafted - I got it straight from David Austin.

May I ask how often you fertilize with liquid in pots? What about calmag? I wonder how much is needed and how often? Is it a product you use or just separate calcium and magnesium?

Thank you seaside!

Artist, my guess is that the soil needs help. I will work on improving the soil and hope that she gets back to her former Glory.

She is gorgeous there! Do you have her in the ground or a pot?

Olivia is in the ground so probably easier to get a grip on her soil amending.