Roses, Roses, Roses

In my last post, I mentioned my *mild* obsession with roses at the beginning of spring. I went almost every week to the nursery just to see what new varieties there were, and right before quarantine I ended up with 8 new rosebushes, all grafted on ‘Fortuniana’ rootstock. For those who aren’t aware, ‘Fortuniana’ is a rose variety that is typically used for rootstock in the Southern United States due to its resistance to nematodes and vigorous roots. I learned that most roses sold in big box store nurseries are grafted onto ‘Dr. Huey’ Rootstock, which is great for northern climates but will not last in the south, especially in Florida. You may only get a couple of years with a rosebush like that in this area until the nematodes shred up those roots and it’s goodbye to your beloved plant. I have 4 grafted on ‘Dr. Huey’, all of which are still alive after 5 or so years because they are in containers, which is really the only way to grow them unless you’re okay with their shortened lifespan in the ground.

You’re probably interested in what varieties I have now, so here they are in the order I got them (pictures included):

‘Double Delight’ Hybrid Tea

‘Double Delight’ is an older variety with large double toned flowers that are very fragrant and bright!

‘Princess Charlene de Monaco’ Hybrid Tea

‘Princess Charlene de Monaco’ has incredibly fragrant, apricot to soft pink flowers and vigorous growing plant!

‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ Floribunda

‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ has a spectacular main bloom in spring with metallic pink and mild fragrance; it is a workhorse since it is constantly growing and has been disease resistant in my garden!

‘Belinda’s Dream’ Shrub Rose*

‘Belinda’s Dream’ was constantly in bloom for me, it always had buds or flowers on it.

‘Don Juan’ Climbing Rose

‘Don Juan’ is probably my favorite red rose, it just keeps blooming and has a very high petal count. Mild fragrance in my experience.

‘Twilight Zone’ Grandiflora

‘Twilight Zone’s flower color varies based on the temperature; from what I noticed it will bloom a more eggplant purple in cooler temperatures, and more magenta in the heat. It was a must for me!

‘Hannah Jeanette’ ?**

The most robust rose I have, it bounced back spectacularly from some black spot and it has been pumping out several buds for weeks now. Produces small 2-inch flowers that have red petals with white undersides. Very light fragrance but spectacular cut flower for a small arrangement.

So, there are the roses! I’m currently working on a raised bed for 5 of them with my dad so I can display them, have them grow to maturity, and hopefully some nice cut flowers as well. Here’s a picture of the progress, I hope we get it done soon so they have the summer to flush out.

*I do have some sad news, my ‘Belinda’s Dream’ Rose died after its major bloom from a severe dieback issue. It was supposed to be the most robust, disease tolerant rose in the collection but all my other roses have had fewer issues than it. Black Spot got it and soon the dieback set in, and though I pruned it back to below the rot, it was too far gone. I am not sure where the fungus came from, but I was pretty upset. I would definitely give it another chance in the future because it happened so quickly I don’t know what happened.

**I want to say with ‘Hannah Jeanette’, I am not sure what type of rose it is. I am assuming it is a floribunda or shrub rose based on its growth pattern. There is only one website I could find information on it but the nursery told me it was a relatively new variety they just got, so I don’t know much about it. It is incredibly vigorous and has lots of potential, so I am glad to be growing it.

Next time, I’ll update about the things happening with all the fruit trees, it’s been crazy with all the new flushes of growth. Hint: The Jambu has small fruit on it 🙂 See you soon!

-Gabe

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