Peony pop!

[tsubasahome]

It was too sunny to take pictures, but Coral Supreme and Buckeye Belle both popped today. Buckeye Belle is the most amazing color...dark blackish-red without a single hint of purple. I've never seen a red like that on a peony before. Maybe on some Chinese tree peonies, but on herbaceous peonies what they pass off as red is more like red-violet. I guess Paula Fay would be most aptly described as "cerise".

As far as the roses go, I planted Evelyn and Margo Koster today. I've heard Evelyn is finicky but at least I'm starting off with a good plant. I made sure to keep it out of the hot sun because I hear it doesn't like it. Funny...on the label it says Evelyn is not vigorous and prefers warmer climates, but from what I've heard from rose gardeners, it does better in colder climates! Maybe that's why it has a bad reputation? Northland Rosarium has it listed as cold hardy to Zone 2!

It makes me wonder if some of the harder to grow David Austin roses would do better in cooler than warmer climates. I've heard some are susceptible to rust but we don't get that here...we just get blackspot and powdery mildew. I'm very attracted to Glamis Castle but I've heard it's a horrible rose. I'd love a rose with white cuppy flowers...but I do NOT want a grafted David Austin rose. Especially not from the DA website. They've been sending people roses with RRD, for God's sake!

Heirloom, it seems, only has a fragrance in the morning.

Comments

[gothiclibrarian.livejournal.com]

WTF with DA? I hadn't heard about sending diseased plants out???? Totally shocking and horrible!

I have had terrible luck with DAs up to now, but I've planted Sharifa Asma this year. My other failures were at the other house, and, frankly, when I was new to roses so maybe it was just beginners dummyness.

[tsubasahome.livejournal.com]

The RRD report was from 2010...must have been infected rootstock. I read it in the review section of Dave's Garden. Other than that, it was mainly problems with canker on the bareroot roses, and shipping problems...

It's a shame because I'd really love an own-root Carding Mill...I know they offer it own-root from the David Austin Roses, but I don't really want to deal with them. I've heard more bad things about them than any other rose nursery. I was a little miffed about RVR sending roses with aphids and powdery mildew, but for all I know, that happened in transit. ^^;;;;

I just planted my first 3 David Austin roses yesterday, so I can't vouch for how hard they are to grow, but I'm happy with the own-root DA roses from Chamblee's. Which DA roses did you try growing before? I heard Sharifa Asma is one of the more resilient ones.

[gothiclibrarian.livejournal.com]

Gertrude Jekyll I grew and had success with but ended up removing her because I didn't like her color or growth habit (replaced her with a Gallica).

I successfully killed a Prospero and an Othello.

::nods:: on Sharifa...that's why I chose her! That and her scent...and she isn't one of those giant lanky DAs either, as was GJ.

[tsubasahome.livejournal.com]

I remember Paul Barden saying that Othello can be used as a weapon. ::laughs::

Of my three DA roses, Evelyn is supposed to be the lanky one...or not. I've heard very mixed things about the growth habit. If she actually grows and thrives, I may peg her.

Lauren likes Heritage, but I heard it's a disease-riddled octopus that will get every disease a rose can possibly get. So we got Scepter'd Isle instead, whose only shortcoming is having flowers that explode if you just breathe on them. In addition to Carding Mill, I'm dying to get Jubilee Celebration...it's a darker version of Wildeve(and a pink version of Golden Celebration) I've noticed that a lot of the newer DA roses are inbred? I hope it doesn't make them more susceptible to disease.