How do you guys choose what to grow?

Morning Debbie, I have started this as a separate topic to see what response comes from it.

What do I choose, just about any style of rose for me. I admit at present and till further notice that I am totally into yellow and am going to increase it this winter.

I started off growing David Austin's many years ago because I just loved the Old Fashioned Style and the fact that they had perfume. There was just nowhere here to buy Old Fashioned then & no internet to search. Look what the internet has done.
Now I choose what I plant by theme or colour. I have a garden with different 'Rooms' one might say Secret Gardens. I have made use of every inch of yard space.

 I have a Rose Only Garden with Whites & Pinks.

 A Perennial & Rose Garden in Pinks & White Roses & many Blue, Pinks & White Perennials.

 A Perennial & Rose Garden in Yellows, Champagne, Mauves, Purples & White Roses & many Yellow, Mauves, Purples & White Perennials.

 A Perennial & Rose Garden in Pink Roses & many Mauves, Purples & White Perennials.
I also have an Old Fashioned Roses only Garden.

And am planning a garden at the moment to start collecting Moss Roses, I know it maybe a bit warm here but I think I have the ideal spot.


Enjoy your garden planning....    

Oh, interesting that you mention Moss Roses, Dimity Cottage. I have fallen in love with them and planted two varieties in a circle around a standard silver pear. Delicious when in flower! Despite the warmth here they seem to cope although lack of rain means they are not at their best right now. The 2 varieties are Alfred de Dalmas (some dispute about Moss or not) and Soupert et Notting, both from Misty D's 2 years ago. I note that Alfred is no longer in latest Misty D's catalogue.
Onto another variety, teas. Love how bullet proof they are, but also the gorgeous flowers that change colour depending on the season. Autumn colours are gorgeous. I purchased Mme Berkeley from MD's this season and very disappointed with the flower colour - totally ruined colour scheme for that section of the garden. Photos from various sources show an apricot flower that may flush pink but my plant is a very bright cerise pink. I know the heat can cause flowers to flush to a darker colour but there's no hint of apricot in this flower! I guess I'll have to move this one in the cooler weather to fit a different colour scheme!

Heh, it's highly likely you don't have Mme Berkeley. I'd be going through the catalogue to see where the shoe fits... (Been there, got the t-shirt. In fact, I have numerous 't-shirts'. lol)

Choosing what to grow...

1) Drool over lots of books /magazines/ catalogues.
2) Start "A List" of potential candidates
3) Join a rose forum and look at the pretty pictures
4) Add more to the List
5) Vainly try to think of a "theme" to get started
6) Just buy the first half dozen on The List
7) Add another 20 to The List
8 ) Be inspired (by all the reading and the internet) to start collecting a particular type of rose
9) Add more to The List
10) Buy end-of-season bareroots "because they were on special"
11) Repeat....

Yep!! Definitely considered that I don't have the rose I ordered, Autumn Damask. Trying to give the benefit of the doubt and waiting to see if there's a hint of apricot in Autumn!
Your list on choosing what to grow... definitely relate! Those end of season specials are just too tempting!

How do I choose? Well I try to have a series of 'vistas' where you look at one area and catch glimpses of others. So areas are themed by colour, with tones and contrasts. Then I start my search and adding to my list. That never ending collection of wants, must haves, one days. I try not to buy anything I haven't actually seen flowering, but can be (and AM) swayed by rave reviews here. (You know who you are Lol).

AutumnDamask wrote:Heh, it's highly likely you don't have Mme Berkeley. I'd be going through the catalogue to see where the shoe fits... (Been there, got the t-shirt. In fact, I have numerous 't-shirts'. lol)

Wendy you are a "Dag" but a bl^^dy Good one. 

Me , i just keep trolling the internet , rose farms , nurseries or anywhere that has roses to find a rose that really grabs me , mainly hybrid teas , don't have the room for the other varieties and if it has the right perfume i'll give it a go ..... until i run out of room......

Yes, Maree, I agree about the perfume, simply not negotiable. It is the most beautiful part of the rose.

For sure Debbie , on the way to work this morning , i passed by a abondoned mauve rose , not sure what it was ,but it had a lovely citrus fragrance , i picked it , put it in a cup and sniffed it all day , lovely ........

Maree and Debbie, do you have perfume preferences? Damask, citrus, tea, myrrh etc? Do you try to have a variety of fragrances?

I love what I think is called myrrh that some of the DAs have, like Cymbeline. And tea roses... divine!!
There's a perfume I can't place, but when I smell it I'm suddenly back in the 'old house' garden, aged about 4 and running past a huge pink rose bush.
How is it that roses smell so different to different people? Or is it just that rose growers are great optimists - some roses listed as having fabulous scent, I can't smell at all.

Silky , i especially love strong ,damask fragranced roses , a good example would be Chartreusse de Parme , would you say that is a damask ? but really i don't mind , as long as its fragranced , otherwise as i keep saying , i might as well just grow camellias ...... How about you Silky ?

maree wrote:Silky , i especially love strong ,damask fragranced roses ,

Yup, I'm with you. The damask and "old rose" fragrances are my favs. Myrrh doesn't grab me at all. ('Lilac Rose' I'm looking at you)

Mnmmnn , yes Autumn Damask , myrrh is a acquired taste i think , in a mixed fragrant garden it probably adds a different dimension .....

I love most fragrances that roses have. I'm not good at describing or differentiating perfumes though. From what I've read Damask is supposed to be the classic rose perfume that we associate with red roses. Interestingly, damask perfume is not one that wafts, as it is held inside the petals, according to the link below. Chartreuse de Parme has a delicious fragrance and I would class it as classic rose perfume (damask?) but HMF describes it as "Strong, citrus, fruity, tangerine fragrance". All I know is I love it. I wouldn't mind a myrrh scented rose somewhere so it could mingle with the others. Interesting site:
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Debbie I'm the same. Lots of roses that are supposed to be highly perfumed I can't smell at all. eg. Just Joey
I have several of these but can't smell a darned thing.
Kardinal and Red Intuition are said to have no perfume yet I can smell them, not strong but definitely there, especially in warm still mornings.

All but five varieties varieties of my roses are grown for the vase. They MUST be fragrant, preferably with a sweet, powerful scent and not sharp citrus. Big blooms and reasonably strong stems - no noddies, which rules out most David Austins - - and good production. I like frills when I can get 'em, and high-centred types and so I have very few quartered or pompom roses. After those essentials, I'd say that my tastes most nearly parallel those of silky and maree, and so I pore over their posts to see what I'm missing ;-)))

Fragrance, more about: Swing tags and official descriptions of a rose's scent can be suspiciously vague ("Bewitching!" "Sensuous!"), some are deceptive (show me that so-called "clove" scent in Sweet Intoxication and Ebb Tide!),and some are confusing (in one breath Fragrant Cloud's glorious perfume is decribed as "Strong, citrus, damask, fruity, spice") . Over many years, I have narrowed my rose varieties to suit my own olfactory tastes: Valencia for its entrancing jasmine sweetness, Fragrant Cloud for its swoon-ful sugar and spice, Firefighter for megaton power, (even if a trifle potpourri-ish).

My quest is always for more roses as good as these three superstars.

Betsy you couldn't have said it better when you say " My quest is for more roses as good as these three superstars " . Exactly the sort of journey i am on , find a rose that stands out from all the ordinaries out there , it takes time and money but its worth it . The Valencia i planted has just bloomed Betsy and i just love it , thanks so much for putting me on to it , its a lovely rose ...

Valencia is one I haven't got but I'm thinking about it. It's colour is not one that blends easily with what I've got though. Need to actually see it growing I think.
Re fragrance: Eyes for You has a definite spicy fragrance that I can detect, but you have to stick your nose in the flower. It's low growing so far, so head down, bum up, not my best angle. Lol, Ebb Tide yep I agree Betsy. Clove scent? Yeah right.

I just love the perfume descriptions that read like an entire dessert menu - "strong, spicy and fruity, with overtones of musk and berries, sweet lingering hints of apple and clove, and a suggestion of apricots".
Can't they just tell you it smells nice?
I had a vase of Kathleen Harrop inside last week Betsy. I don't usually pick roses, but I'd pruned it and couldn't bring myself to throw the flowers away. I was amazed at how the perfume filled the room.

Silky , i have my Valencia in the back garden where it is much more sheltered , the back garden is a kalaediscope of colours with all the other plant species there , so Valencia fits in quite well , the front garden i am much more conservative in colour though , my son was just here and i always drag him outside to show him whats blooming etc and he said that it was the best rose there , it is a lovely rose . I've got quite a few roses i want to check out at the Werribee State Rose garden , and i'm 100% sure that i saw Valencia there and decided for sure i was planting it ..... Debbie what sort of roses do you have , are they old fashioned or modern ?

Maree I want to see quite a few roses too at Werribee. I hope to buy a couple too if any growers are selling on the day. Replacements for Baronne E de Rothschild and Parole. I'm going to print out the map showing where the different roses are so I don't miss anything I want to see.

Thats a good idea Silky , where have you found a map ?

It's on the State Rose Garden of Victoria website, under Find a Rose.
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Click on the Tudor Rose and away you go.