Where did June Go?

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June 30th – A Month is Nearly Gone

It’s June 30th (the last day of the month). What happened? Where did June go? Wasn’t I just writing about the first roses of the season blooming in my garden? Now, July is upon us and most of the roses in my garden are between bloom cycles.

Here in Rhode Island we have entered Phase II of the reopening of the state after being shut down due to COVID19. People once cooped up for many weeks now venture out and get haircuts, eat at restaurants, interact with other people in small groups, etc. (however limited). We missed an entire season worth of rose shows, seeing our rose-growing friends from around the region, society meetings, visiting rose gardens, and all that accompanies enjoying roses and rose culture in this day and age.

New Discoveries

The lack of shows this year was not the biggest void of the season. The biggest void has been the lack of interaction with fellow rosarians, being with them, and sharing stories about Monday morning queens, the intoxicating fragrances discovered among the roses, and the new discoveries that our fellow rosarians (and we) have made.

Speaking of new discoveries, I thought that I would share with you some of my new discoveries blooming right here in my garden. Some roses blooming for the first time here are very exciting, while others leave me wanting for more. Most of these roses have come through a fundraiser for the Yankee District. Star Roses, Weeks Roses, Bailey Nurseries, and David Austin Roses have all generously donated roses yearly to help support our district. I would like to thank these fine companies for their generosity and continued support through the years. Other roses blooming for the first time have come through fellow rosarians by the sharing of cuttings, runners, and layered plants. I deeply appreciate these rosarians’ generosity, and I am more than happy to reciprocate whenever I can.

Roses Blooming for the First Time in My Garden

Baby Cakes

Baby Cakes – A brand new rose for 2020 has reemerged in my garden, and I will confess that it has been here before. It is so new that there are only two plants of it in existence. Baby Cakes is a white/pink blended Hybrid Musk that is quite fragrant that I created a few years ago. I planted him in the shade and he needed a better place to mature than I had for him. I let a fellow rosarian take him, and grow him to maturity. This year we both felt as though he was ready for prime time. Many thanks my good friend and fellow rosarian, who took the time and effort to get the best out of him. I expect great things from him in the future.

Bright and Shiny

Bright and Shiny – Bright and Shiny is an apricot colored climbing from William Radler. Will has been working hard at getting different classes of roses beyond the “Knock Out” roses that he is known for. I received my plant of Bright and Shiny as damaged. It needed to recover from the abuse it endured before I received it.

It only has had one bloom thus far this season, which is disappointing. However, when it comes to climbing roses one must be patient. It usually takes three years for climbing roses to reach their full potential, and I must heed my own advice. Having it in a container holds back her potential even further. I will get her in the ground before the snow falls. I need a good yellow climbing rose, and know that Will takes great care to insure that his roses are disease-free and hardy, and hopefully, in time Bright and Shiny will fit the bill.

Cinderella

Cinderella – There are quite a few roses named Cinderella, and the rose that bloomed for the first time this year in my garden is the rambler introduced in 1909 by Michael Walsh. She has been in my garden for a couple of years and her disease resistance and hardiness are both excellent. Last year, I went on a field trip with the Cape Cod Rose Society to tour Woods Hole, Massachusetts (the home town of Michael Walsh). We saw many of his ramblers in full bloom. They are a sight to see in full bloom, and Mr. Walsh’s work has not got the recognition it deserves.

A fellow rosarian shared this plant with me who owns many old garden roses and ramblers. My specimen is growing in a container, and plans are to plant it along a split-rail fence in the front of our house this summer. When I first saw the rose blooming, I thought that it might be one of my roses. However, the dark and glossy foliage caught my eye almost as much as the blooms. Upon further inspection, I discovered what it was. Cinderella is the first Walsh rambler in my garden, but certainly won’t be the last.

Chi

Chi – Chi is a newly introduced rose from Bailey Nurseries. She caught my eye with the description on Bailey’s website – “Chi has the most amazing clusters of truly red flowers.” I am a sucker for red roses, and many of them have a tendency to be more magenta than a true red. I also admire Bailey’s Roses and their former main hybridizer, Ping Lim, for their excellent roses with great disease resistance. Bailey’s is one of the leading suppliers in low maintenance/high flower production roses. While the blooms on Chi are quite small, they seem to be making up for it in quantity of blooms. I hope that she’s fertile and sets hips. If she does, We’ll see what she sets forth to the next generation.

Darcy Bussell

Darcy Bussell – Darcy Bussell is a red blend shrub rose introduced in 2006. It was bred by the late David C.H. Austin. I saw an excellent specimen of Darcy Bussell at last year’s rose show, and the sheer size of the bloom mesmerized me. When an opportunity came to get this rose at a reasonable price, I jumped on it. Mine is growing in a container, and has already bloomed a half dozen times. The blooms have been smaller than the one at the show, but that is often the case when roses are growing in containers. The red color has caught my eye, and she will get into the ground before the snow flies this winter. Time will tell how well she does disease-wise, but I like what I’m seeing.

Girl’s Night Out

Girl’s Night Out – Girl’s Night Out is a pink blend introduced in 2010. It was bred by Alain Meilland. Unfortunately, when she bloomed I was not around. (I was probably at work at the time.) There has only one bloom so far. Time will tell if she gets more prolific in the quantity of blooms and how she does disease-wise.

In Your Eyes

In Your Eyes – In Your Eyes is a yellow blend shrub rose introduced last year. It was bred by Tom Carruth, and is one of the descendants of Hulthemia persica (of a close relative of the rose). While Hulthemia persica is not a rose, it was discovered that it could be bred with roses to create an inter-genus hybrid. Through much work of some great hybridizers through the years a long line of hybrid hulthemia/rose has become true roses in every sense. Tom has created a rose from this line that has larger blooms than most of the ones that I have grown. I bought the rose because it was from a different breeder than most of the people working with hybrid hulthemias. Diversity is often a good thing when it comes to breeding roses, and my wish is that Tom has infused different genes that I can exploit.

As for In Your Eyes – I love the larger blooms. In my garden, they did not full open, but remain slightly closed and “cupped”. There were quite a few blooms that have opened on the plant. Flower power seems to be there, however, the blooms are phototropic and change from yellow when they first open to pink as they age. Some people like this effect – while others don’t. I’m okay with it, as many of my hybrids age the other way (start out pink and change to white). Time will tell how she does disease-wise, and I am hopeful that she is fertile, and I am able to make good use of Tom’s hard work.

La Belle Sultane

La Belle Sultane – La Belle Sultane is a dark red Gallica that was introduced before 1801. It was introduced by an unknown nurseryman from the Netherlands. I received this rose as a runner from a fellow rosarian a couple of years ago. It has been in a small container outside with no winter protection. I feared that I might have killed her by not getting her planted, but that hasn’t been the case. La Belle Sultane has great color, excellent disease resistance, and strong fragrance. She is one of the most photogenic roses that I have. I need to get her in the ground and finish my old garden rose bed along with the other Gallicas, Mosses and Centifolias.

Pink Brick House

Pink Brick House – Pink Brick House is a pink floribunda that is new for this year. Jim Sproul bred it. People know Jim more widely for his work in the descendants of Hulthemia persica. However, Jim has introduced many roses in many different classes. Heather Sproul is great exhibition miniature rose, and one of my favorite roses is Jim’s floribunda, First Impression. When I originally bought Pink Brick House, they presented it as Brick House (Alain Meilland floribunda). It initially disappointed me, as I wanted more red roses in my garden. But, as soon as the first bloom appeared on Pink Brick House that all went away. What a color! What a display of blooms on such a small plant. And, they stay there for days. No disappointment from me in the wow department. Time will tell how she does disease-wise.

Stiletto

Stiletto – Stiletto is a deep pink hybrid tea introduced last year. Alain Meilland bred it. She has bloomed a half-dozen blooms, on long straight canes, and is a real eye-catcher. She caught my wife’s eye as well and one day after Stiletto bloomed in the container I had her in, she was in the ground right next to the main entrance to our house. My wife cut a bloom, and has touted the fact that after a few days the bloom is still intact and going strong even though our kitty knocked over the vase the first day with the bloom inside. Color is this rose’s main attraction and attraction she gets. Time will tell how she fares disease-wise.

Tuscany Superb

Tuscany Superb – Tuscany Superb is a mauve Gallica that was introduced in 1837. It was introduced by Thomas Rivers & Sons over in the United Kingdom. I received this rose as a runner a couple of years ago from the same rosarian that gave me La Belle Sultane. Tuscany Superb has been in a small container outside with no winter protection. I feared that I might have killed her as well by not getting her planted, but that hasn’t been the case with Tuscany Superb. She has a great color, excellent disease resistance, and fragrance, and like I have said before, I do need to get these roses in the ground and finish my old garden rose bed along with the other Gallicas, Mosses and Centifolias.

Tabasco Cat

Tabasco Cat – Tabasco Cat is an orange red miniature rose introduced in 2009. David Clemons bred it. I received the rose as a cutting last fall at our local society meeting, and planted it then. It spent the winter unprotected, but came through this past spring quite well. When she bloomed, the first thing that I noticed was the color. All I can say is wow! Amazing color! Then I noticed something that I wasn’t expecting – exhibition form. I snapped a picture and immediately uploaded it to Facebook. The picture was very well received, and I didn’t think much else about the bloom because the shows were cancelled, and there was no way I could use her in the shows anyway. But, something I didn’t expect happened. The next day she was still holding her own on her exhibition form. And, the next day. And, the next. I didn’t expect her to keep her form nearly as long as she had in the 85+° heat. She is the first David Clemons rose that I have grown, but if all of his roses act this way, I know Tabasco Cat won’t be the last.

Well folks, that’s all of the roses that have bloomed for the first time since my last blog on the 12th. July is coming soon and the official start of vacation season is upon us. Hopefully, some new seedlings will bloom by the time my next blog comes out. Until then, enjoy the summer, keep yourself (and the roses) well hydrated, and remember to stop and smell the roses.

Epilogue

This blog was originally composed with the Cross pen that I have before on my blog. I found this one at yard sale, and really like the way that it flows. I know that it won’t be the last blog written with it.

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