Cornelia is out. Never had all these April blooms before. My azaleas aren't even properly out yet!

As regards pests, aphids seem to have bee ndespatched by sparrows and ladybirds, and no sign ofsawfly yet.

Is Steve Parnham still on Instagram? I wanted to follow his account but can’t find it anymore.

https://www.instagram.com/steve_parnham/?hl=en

Yippee...after an utterly miserable Spring so far up here in the north, with nothing much showing, I spotted this bud and a few more on possibly my second favourite rose 'Belle de Jour. Happy days.

Thanks Fire!

@dasha sorry for the delay, it’s lovely to have such an early bloom but it’s a bit early to know what I really think of it though I’m liking it so far. I only started growing roses a year ago really so still finding my feet!

@Rojas I grow Eugène Fürst. Great colour on a sickly, spindly rose. I highly recommend to buy something else.

I think I mourn Love Song. Grew it in a pot last season. Planted it in October. Everything above ground turned black in winter. Then, oh joy, new leaves popped up. But 4 weeks and some frosty nights later, all that remains is the tag. Forecast says, nights in the 2 digit range as of Saturday. What's your guess: will I see another basal or can I dig it up?

On a happier note: aphids, birds and ladybugs all appeared at the same day.

Some full bush shots, more advanced than usual for the time of year...

Harlow Carr:

Mari Pavie:

Cramoisi Superieur:

Flamenco Rosita:

Munstead Wood, the red one:

That 'CS' is looking super Nollie, wish I had one..

Surprising what you can find in B and Q these days, I've just got back. They are selling a range of Harkness roses, some including Chandos Beauty, Dr. Susan Michaelis, Glyndebourne, Starlight Symphony and others I can't remember.

I did buy this though.. a Physocarpus 'Diable d'Or', just the colour I was looking for in amongst the roses.

'Desdemona' on the cusp..

Verbascum 'Violetta'..

Hi @Marlorena

I do love Verbascums and I've tried growing them a few times, but alas they never last. I've never worked out whether it's just too wet or the slugs have had 'em. But after seeing that lovely picture of yours, I might try again.

Also I've sent a pic of my Ballerina rose's leaves, do they look chlorotic to you. I've had it a few years now, but it's never been a beacon of health I have to say. It's always been well fed, but has never really responded as it should. Cheers.

That Physocarpus should look great, Marlorena, I love that combination of roses with purplish shrubs or grasses. I have lost one of my dark leaved pennisetums so have a purple-shaped gap to fill in my oranges and lemons rose border..

Yes CS has really come good this year, it's third I think, which just goes to prove the three year rule.

Sorry about Love Song, @ElbFee. Hoping against hope it will recover. I am worried about my Kathryn (Ronnie Rawlins). It was one of the few roses I moved this winter and it doesn't seem to have moved in time since then. It was my first to bloom last year, too. Looking back at my photos from last summer, it was one of my faves!

Oh no @Wams, I was counting on your Kathryn as mine died. Thanks, voles 🤨. Might as well start my TCL shopping list... I have a trip to Europa Rosarium Sangerhausen and, because their shop is small, to rose village Steinfurth coming up at the end of May 🤗.

Peter Straw,

Might be due to the weather as much as anything this time of year, but perhaps root drench with that Maxicrop might help. I keep hearing good things about Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic, I'm considering it myself, so that might be another option for you too.

@Marlorena

Hi Marlorena...it's already had a Maxicrop drench and a manure/soil improver mulch, so I'll see what happens. I don't know whether you have any experience of growing it, but I've often wondered if it is because it might be an out and out sun lover and not tolerant of any shade.

I've finally dug up 'Graham Thomas' as it wasn't responding to treatment. It's a shame because the blooms were stunning in Summer, but it was clearly diseased.

Peter S.. as you can see from this photo, 'Ballerina' tends to have lighter foliage anyway, but was healthy for me until about August then the whole plant got black spot, every single leaf.

Sorry about your GT, but life's too short and there's always something better out there.

..looking a picture of health in July at Peter Beales.. perhaps it's best grown up a tree.

Marlorena...that's a beauty. And yes, I can see what you mean about the leaves, a lot of similarities.

GT had a very small root system, and was very easy dug up, surprising considering how long it had been in the ground.

I'm only hoping I haven't inadvertently passed on what ever GT had to my 'Lady of the Lake', because that's really struggling at the moment. I'm hoping it's just a combination of this infernal spring weather we've had and a much too late prune.

Looking really lovely @Nollie in Spain Zone9, I covet CS too and the warmth that brought your roses on. It is still very cold here and the rose buds progressed so quickly earlier in the season but opening at a glacial pace now. Nothing compared to your tales of woe @ElbFee. It never occurred to me that my roses might succumb to frost and we do get some hard ones in my 8b zone. How cold is it getting where you are in Germany?

I'm finally able to call some roses open, Marie Pavie and Golden Beauty

Another tagging oddity; is everyone else seeing posters' (presumably) real names in the pop up selection when typing in their tag? With many just a user number appears under the offered tag but sometimes a name. Perhaps those not happy with this could delete the name part of their profile in their settings, maybe that would stop it.

Gorgeous Golden Beauty bloom Tack, such a wonderful colour on that rose, shame about the prickly stems under the bud, otherwise a fab rose all round.

Regarding the tagging issue.. a few years ago there was member here called Cori Ann, I used to talk to her a lot, and I pointed out to her that I could see her real name when I tagged.. She wasn't aware of it and got very upset with Houzz, that's why you might see her name on old posts as Cori Ann Houzz Violated My Privacy..

When I told Cori Ann about hers, I changed mine as well, to someone I have never heard of.. lol.. so that's not my real name if it shows up someplace during tagging.

Currently, there are 2 members on this thread recently, with presumably real names, that I can see when highlighting the tag.

@Nollie in Spain Zone9 and @Tack UK both your Marie Pavie’s are looking lovely, it’s still on my list although I have no room for any more roses!

Thank you @Marlorena and @agnasia. Both GB and MP are roses I would recommend, yes, GB's prickliness is noteworthy.

I can see a name associated with your(old?) tag Marlorena but relieved you know about it. As you say there are others.

@Tack I am in zone 8a. We had one week of nights at -10°C in December and again in January. Recently it only went down to -2°C. Therefore I am not sure what exactly killed the new leaves on Love Song. More likely it drowned as we had at least 150% of the monthly average of rain every single month since October. This month we might have twice as much. I know, it was way too dry. Deeper layer satuation etc. But can we please change it to rain at night only? Like something for nature as well as humans?

Gosh @ElbFee you are having a tough time of it. Cold and wet is clearly no more liked by roses than by us. The rain has mercifully gone back to normal levels here this month, just yearning for some sun and warmth now.

@Marlorena

Just like to know if you are familiar with 'Buff Beauty' and it's growing habits.

I do actually have it growing in a pot already and very impressed I have been with it so far (3rd season coming up), but I'd like to buy another one and grow it as a climber to replace my 'Graham Thomas'. Have you any knowledge as to whether it would actually work as a climber, with it's canes tied onto a trellis.

This is it last year but growing as a shrub in a rather relaxed arching manner.

Peter S.

Peter, I've not grown Buff Beauty so I cannot help you with that, but I believe it will grow as a climber very well if needed. I've only seen it as a large shrub.

I think Nollie, Fire and some others may have it.. ?

Peter, I have three BB in, trained as climbers. They are new in and I am hoping for good things this year (or next). They are in awkward, less than ideal places, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I'd love to see people's pictures of BB, of the whole plant.

Peter I’m afraid I got rid of my BB, probably too soon, but the blooms were unremarkable and tiny in my hot summers, barely rambler size. It did throw up two very long and trainable canes though and I have seen photos of it grown as a huge climber in the UK - on the old GW rose thread in fact!

My new 'Katherine' Renaissance rose arrived today... recently potted so too soon to repot, but looking good..

Thanks for that Marlorena, I know TW and DA say it can be grown as a climber, but it's always better to try and get first hand experience from people, because as I've found out, suppliers can be a tad guilty of overstating.

@Fire, how old are your BB's, and are they trained on a trellis. The photo accompanying my last post shows mine as a shrub in it's 2nd Summer, full of vigour and blooms.

Has anyone grown Carolyn knight? Just wondering if I should order it before it disappears!?

Peter, mine are coming up to their second summer, they will be on trellis when they get big enough. They are still pretty small at the mo.

Fire...mine went crazy in the 2nd year, tons of new growth and blooms. I wasn't sure I would even like the colour at first, but once the blooms were out...wow, absolutely beautiful. And they're rain resistant, and disease free so far.

@peter straw - I have BB. this is now its third season. I have it growing up an obelisk. It forms a large shrub or a short climber.

I will upload some pictures when it starts blooming.

*not my BB

@Alfie...going off that it really does make a first rate climber. I wouldn't mind knowing what the red one was either.

The pic below is of Mottisford Abbey. The red climber is Crimson Glory.

Had a frost last night, but quickly dissipated this morning. I've had two lovely Dunnocks in the garden recently, eating all the aphids, but today I was wow'd by the sight and sound of two delightfully chirpy Long Tailed T-i-t-s, flitting through my roses..

I managed to photo one of them.. note the pinkish plumage..

'Marie Nabonnand' is my only rose making an effort in these cool conditions.

'Desdemona' just starting, with various Verbascums.. they were all meant to be purple.

Can anyone see the post I just made with the photos of birds? I have a feeling it's not showing up.

I can't see anything

@Lorna Osgood is Carolyn Knight still available anywhere in Europe? TCL do list it but are closed for orders now until July so no idea if they actually have any stocks. It’s proving nigh impossible to get many back catalogue DAs these days, since DA clamped down on European rose sellers.

Astronomia starting, one of my healthiest, most reliable bloomers. Blooms are more pink early on:

Fab Astronomia as always.. I thought C Knight was still sold by DA here?..

So now we know, if a post of ours doesn't show up to others - it will be visible to ourselves but not anyone else, it's due to some word or other than has been censored so the whole post becomes invisible to everyone else. I added hyphens.

Just testing. Posts are not showing up.

Ok, my original post should now be visible.

@Marlorena...if you mean pics of Dunnocks and LTT's and MN, I can see 'em.

I can see them too now Marlorena

It is:

https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/products/carolyn-knight

I did not realise it was a sport of 'Summer Song', which I have this year and really look forward to its lovely burnt orange/tangerine colouration.

..thanks for checking.. so if you want to say ''it's all gone t-i-t-s up'' you know what to do..

You never hear of anyone with C Knight do you? only SS, yet I think it has a better colour from photos.

Ha, I should check the actual DA website more often! I stopped doing that because I balk at paying their ever-increasing prices. CK seems difficult to get over in mainland Europe, always seems to be sold out (often a code for we don’t actually have it). I like the colour.

It seems it’s easy to fall foul of the censors on here. Great photos of the LTTs, Marlorena, they flit in and out of the olive tree in my front garden but never seem to stop long enough to really appreciate them.

Finally something to share…after a truly monumental hailstorm, it’s now cleared up and sunny.

Wild Edric, lovely strong wafting fragrance even from just this one blossom.

Hi Omori...Wild Edric looks to be a bit of a stunner, how long have you had it and how do the blooms stand up to rain. Looks to be the right colour and size for what I'm after at the moment. But I've become a bit reluctant to buy a DA over the last few years because of their fondness to droop.