Autumn Reflection.

That is gorgeous Thee. Can't believe its the same garden where we all sat in that seat

Abbi and Dee have been looking at roses for my posts, and the first rose beds.

My list is totally out of control and keeps getting longer instead of shorter, but the posts are sorted........two climbing gold bunnies, 2 westerlands, one pierre de ronsard and a pink perpetue. Dee is very generously giving me a pink perpetue and several floribunda roses.

i'm thinking of ordering Many happy Returns, Merry Maker, Ebb Tide, Jubilee celebration, Mainau feuer or Summers evening, Bright eyes, Afternoon Delight, Innocencia, Perfume Perfection, Jane McGrath, Parkinsons Passion, Maggie, red Pixie, Orange Silk, Victoriana, White Spray, Victoria Gold, Bold Seduction, Love Potion, Make a Wish, Pink Parfait, lillian Austin, Christopher marlowe, molineux, cabana................................you see my problem?

Any of the above that anyone recommends or doesn't think will be any good. I want up to 1.2m round bushes with repeat flowering for one bed and up to 50cm size for another bed.

thank you so much for your help and advice Dee, I feel I'm heading in the right direction now.

Abbi, I feel there might be a third bed in the making, could be sitting in the back of the mind. You will be sitting inside at dark and read cat's or look at rose books and you start the planning process, hope I have not planted the third bed "seed".

This place is a completely blank canvas atm, roseman, so many, many beds are lurking in the dark corners of my mind.

Roseman, do you have any opinions on any of the roses listed above?

Sexy Rexy is a nice rose Abbi, and thanks to you and Dee for your lovely comments, and Dee usually energy spent

My new fav. rose ATM is McLeods Daughter

McLeods Daughter is beautiful but too tall for the beds I have now....I'll add that to my wishlist.

Sexy Rexy does look nice, but catalogue doesn't say how tall. How tall is yours, Thee?

I think Dee has that one too?

Yes, I have Sexy Rexy. It is a beautiful rose, WHEN it flowers, for me, at least.
You have got a very exciting list there Abbi. There are a lot I do not know so I would love to see you buy them so I can have a look too!! How's that for being cheeky! But seriously, that is really the only way to find out. It seems every year I cull a few roses after having high hopes for them in a previous season. But there are always some real winners that are very rewarding in every way, ie, quality and quantity of flowers, healthy, good looking bushes and perfume.
On the other hand there is White Spray in your list Abbi. I culled that one for black spot and weak performance of flowering.My Pink Parfait defoliated with black spot too.
I think Simon must be correct when he says that a variety that is good in one district is not necessarily good in another district and climate, so experimentation is always ongoing. Even though we both live in south Tassie our respective climates are very different because of the hills and valleys between us. It will be very interesting to see how the same rose performs in each area over time.

Biindee, are you still here ? I was wondering if you had any cuttings strike from the ones I sent you ? I am sorry I never got around to sending you anymore yet but I will when you want me too ? I am really looking forward to watching my Marilyn Munrole grow on, I will make sure I look after it real well.

Hmmmm. So sexy rexy may not be repeat flowering.

White spray was left off my final list, mainly because I hope to have lots of white groundcover in the low bed anyway. Pink Parfait was listed as very disease resistant in helpmefind, but as you say it's a local thing really. However, I've chosen several pink roses so i'll leave that one out for the moment too. Thanks for the tip.

Tequila Sunrise and Red Gold look gorgeous in the catalogue. i think they're a bit tall for the current positions , but maybe later.

Anyone got any preferences between those two?

I got Tequila Sunrise from Dee and it did really well this year. It was a stanrard and after I planted it, I wondered if I'd done the right thing as it is in our 'wind tunnel' - but the whole garden cops the wind and it did very well.

Thanks Blossom. Thats good to know, as I have a bit of a wind tunnel on one side of the house too!

The below info is only my opinion.

Abbi, sorry I have not got back to you on my thoughts. I know all but 7 of them. So what I have done is check those, so to save time and space I will use initials and part of name. MF is nice, SE is also nice, I am not one for ground cover roses, Innoc, did not get me,PP did not jump at me, Victoriana & VG get a big yes, cabana is another that did not inspire me. Floribundas for me need to blousey and big. The rest of the list is good. I like beds with say rugosas, or Ht's only. My other style is running one colour through a bed, mini's through to anything tall. We have just started a bed with only DA's in it, in the shape of a tear drop, throw in some annuals, perennials and water, enough ramble, Abbi you asked for my thoughts and here they are.

Thanks for that, Roseman. I need all the ideas i can get at this stage.

Thats an interesting idea of running one colour through a bed with different sizes. do you vary the shades of colour say from dark pink to pale, or all the same depth of colour?

The Estate, you certainly have got some beautiful blooms and plants there in your garden.

Maybe I could posts few more even though they not roses

Post as many as you like thee. Love looking at your pics.

I dropped Pink Parfait and White spray from my list, Dee.

I want proven black spot resistance. thats optimistic, isn't it?

Abbi, since you have dropped white spray, could I place one that does not get mention, "pax".

thanx roseman...all suggestions gratefully received

I'll check it out on HMF. is it smallish, repeat flowering and disease resistant?

Abbi, if you like the look of 'Pax' I have about 15 cuttings in that look good so far and one grafted specimen that looks ok too. You are welcome to one or two of these... but be warned... Pax is quite a large rose that will spread over at least 6ft or more in diametre. Having said that, it is truly beautiful for those trying to kick the HT habit. it has gracefully nodding flowers in a lovely creamy white.

Look at this photo of 'Pax'. This is one of my favourite rose photos: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

That is a lovely rose and perfumed too. Lovely photo too, as always.

I don't have room in the current beds, but more beds are planned, so would love a cutting Simon.

You know, I tried hmf earlier and it told me there were no photos of Pax, don't they put the favourite pics on 'search and find"?

Hi Abbi, That's not my photo... wish it was. My plant of 'Pax' is only new and hasn't flowered for me yet. Will next year though. When it arrived a few weeks ago it was too long to fit into the box they had, so they lopped the top off it, cut them into cuttings, wrapped them in moist paper towel and sent them along with the rose. Was a pretty good idea I reckon and all the cuttings look to have struck... so I have about 15-16 of them now if this is true. I got my information on it from Botanica and HMF. It's a Hybrid Musk rose so I am expecting it to grow long bending canes that arch down gracefully to the ground and as they do it will add bulk to the top of the plant (because it is like pegging it down) and over time it will form a substantial rounded mound-like shrub. That's the hope anyway.

Don't know what's going on with HMF and its photos though... the pics always come up for me. I haven't rated this photo or made it my favourite... maybe no one has and that's why it didn't come up (if I understand you correctly).

I have grown Pax for several years. It gets blackpot in my garden and defoliates at least twice a year. I grow it as a climber and it is about 15 ft up a peach tree. It has flush in spring and a lessor bloom later in the year, a few flowers scattered in between, never a lot of blooms. Frangrance is nice, flowers are short lived. I would not rate it in the to 40 of my roses.
It may grow totally different in another climate. My climate is long hot dry summers and frosty wet winters.

HMF has a lot of pics of Pax, just go to the Pax page and click on photos.
Here is a pic of mine
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks Simon and Cree. Don't know what i did wrong when i searched hmf.

Thanks for link to your pic cree, its a lovely rose.