They are very small, larger with age. They are sweetly scented, tho, rather hard to describe sweet China scent, nothing old rose or Tea about it. Good shots on HelpMeFind, if you ignore the beauty shots of atypically perfect high centered blooms. I don't get that obsession.

I'm having the same problem. I have 3 Ducher roses, that I planted this spring. They are from Chamblees in TX. The blooms are pretty, and it repeats reasonably well but they are so tiny and not a lot of fragrance. The bushes are low and spreading, doesn't seem to grow upwards very much. My minature rose in a pot (a gift) is more upright and has bigger blooms

Does anyone else have this experience? Should I have bought a different white rose (maybe Madame Joseph Schwartz or Devoniensis), or should I just wait a year or two more?

Ducher is my favorite rose. It has a lovely scent, and the flowers are about 2 inches across when fully opened.

nova novice, you don't say what you bought the rose for - did you want a huge rose, cut flowers, bigger blooms? If that's what you wanted, maybe you do need to replace Ducher. But before you do, look at the website bluesibe recommended and see Kaye Kettrey's full bush shot. I'm posting a link to help you out.

Ducher is a consistently healthy, good performer for me. I wouldn't trade it for anything. In fact, when I get my yard planned out better, I plan on getting more Ducher to add to it.

Good luck to you both!

Here is a link that might be useful: ducher on helpmefind

Mine is a nice healthy bush from Antique Rose Emporium. The flowers are not real huge, maybe only an inch and a half in diameter, but it is a young plant. It has pretty red new growth, and the flowers are pure white. I think I have it in too much shade though, and that it would bloom more profusely if it were in more sun. It should probably be moved to a sunnier spot before I evaluate it.

It sounds like you have lukewarm feelings about Ducher. Don't feel guilty about that. I have a Spice that is very healthy, blooms frequently, but thrips love it and turn the flowers a grayish brown color. It does not shed cleanly right away (at least Ducher does). When Spice is at its best it is lovely and looks like it is covered in snow drops. The rest of the time..... just not too sure about it at this point.

Maybe we shouldn't keep roses we are not totally delighted with. I seem to visit only the ones that I really, really like, such as Maggie and William R.Smith, and some others that I have. They are the ones I want to want to check on all the time. The others are ...well...just there.

Sandy

Sandy / Rainlily

Thank you both for your advice. I am unsure of what I want to do, but for this season at least, I will just continue to feed and water Ducher and see how they grow. It is still a small rose, it is probably too soon to judge its potential

Ideally, I would like a very free-blooming bushy white rose, with a powerful fragrance, and which gives me blooms of a decent size for cutting and taking in the house. Maybe when Ducher gets older it will do that. At least it is disease resistant (my last remaining hybrid tea is being undone by blackspot). I don't want to be rash, but then again there are other white/off white roses worth considering!

Nova, Ducher needs time to mature. Teas are very twiggy and it takes some time for them to develope a "strong backbone" Give it a year at least. I actually planted them as a hedge and they do wonderfully and would be at least 7 ft tall and almost as wide if they weren't pruned back. By the way - it gets a hair cut with hedge clippers fairly regularly and doesn't bat an eye.

As the plant matures the blooms will be somewhat larger and in the spring and fall I notice that the blooms are larger.

{{gwi:223909}}

This is a photo of mine. I believe the actual bloom is 2 inches or a little less.

I have to chime in and give my vote also. Ducher is a wonderful little plant in my area.

Reading your description of what you were hoping for makes me smile, because those are the very attributes that keep me searching all the white roses I find! This year I am trying Jackson and Perkins rose Pope John Paul II. It is one of their new generation of roses being bred for disease resistence and is sold own-root, which is sort of new for J&P. It is only in the ground about 3 or 4 months so far, so my opinion is still unfixed.

Good luck with Ducher!

~Allison

Allison / Garden Party / Rozannadanna / Sandy / Rainlilly and anyone else

That is lovely picture, gives me something nice to ponder. Thank you all so much, you have given me much to think about. This forum is a wonderful source of information.

I think maybe my tastes are starting to change a bit over time (annoying, but normal I suppose). I think I am starting to place greater emphasis on big long-lasting fragrant blooms. That being said, I have to be fair and give Ducher its chance. I want to see how it does over the rest of the summer and the fall. It is pausing now in its blooming (probably the heat), but the bushes look very healthy.

It's nice to know that others share my (new) obsession with finding that perfect rose. Roses are so much fun, I just need a bigger yard to accomodate all the ones I want to try out.

-Basil

Hi Basil, maybe you could move Ducher in the fall to a spot where you can accent it with some other plants or flowers. That may be all it needs. On the other hand, you'll know for sure (eventually) if it's a rose that YOU want to keep. The ones we end up loving are such a personal choice. Don't feel guilty if you look at that bush, and despite how you THINK you SHOULD feel, still don't like it. I have a few I feel very lukewarm about, have gone through the guilty phase, and finally have decided that when it cools down enough some evening, will be removed. It will make a spot for one I will smile at every day. It sometimes takes a while to be sure, but you'll know the answer if you trust your gut enough to listen to it. Maybe you can find someone who will want it. I've given lots of roses away. You honestly don't sound as though this rose is giving you enough enjoyment. That's O.K.

Sandy

Sandy, that was very well said ... I agree with you 100%.

Randy