In my personal experience, ALL roses in that color class have a Death Wish, but Sterling Silver is the worst of the lot.

It is a rose that would (should) have been dropped from regular commerce long ago, were it not for the name.
It probably has the lowest rating of any rose, with ARS, and in this case, it deserves it.

Yes, yes. I KNOW there are a few vigorous ones. One determining factor seems to be that, as a bare root plant, the roots must NEVER have been allowed to dry out. That's a rare circumstance.
My sister owns one which, last I heard, was growing and blooming well in her almost ideal climate.
But it is not a strong-growing or dependable rose.

Jeri

You might have better luck with Stainless Steel. Mine is growing nicely despite being a bad location (not enough sun, but I'm moving it soon). Blooms are big and fragrant, canes are large and sturdy. I usually hear people reccomend stainless steel over sterling silver more often then not. I've posted a link, you can check photos and a bunch of info here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless Steel

Neptune is the lavender that you want. I killed three Sterling Silvers and 2 Stainless Steels. All of them will require regular treatment for blackspot if that is a problem in your area.

Plant with the graft union 2 - 3 inches below the soil Water deeply and less often, but the soil for new bareroots need to be kept moist (not wet not dry, moist). No fertilizing until after the first bloom, and try something like Espoma Rose-tone, an organic fertilizer that also helps to condition the soil.

If don't mind a darker lavender I'd suggest Simply Marvelous. We have had ours for 7 or 8 years--we removed the tree roots around it and it rewarded us with four new basal breaks, so it now has seven strong canes! Good fragrance and form, but the blooms are small, as you might expect from a florabunda. Moon Shadow is another possibility if you need bigger blooms, but high centered form is extremely rare and fleeting. Ours is down to one massive single cane that puts out a big flush of blooms. But, both have survived many tough Z6 winters, even one or two before we learned how to winter protect.

STERLING SILVER is the first rose I ever planted. It is also the first rose to die on me. I N-E-V-E-R could get the thing to thrive. I have to agree with Jeri, most mauve Hybrid Teas have a death wish. As a group they are extremely prone to black spot, show poor vigor, and don't grow on their own roots. I can't respect a rose that is so weak it must be grafted in order to be a viable garden plant. The sole exception is the Grandiflora LAGERFELD, which IS vigorous and does grow on its own roots. But don't get too optimistic, because LAGERFELD is just as prone to black spot as the rest of them. It will completely defoliate without the help of a fungicide. I have heard good things about CHARLES DE GAULLE, but haven't had the opportunity to test it. I read somewhere that Neptune has trouble growing on its own roots.

Frustrating, so frustrating...

Here is a link that might be useful: What is your favorite mauve Hybrid Tea?

I never considered planting 'Sterling Silver' because of its horrid reputation and rock-bottom ARS rating. Then I saw SS in a garden in WV that instantly made we want to try it after all. The owner of that plant said that he decided to attempt growing SS only after reading comments posted by Kim Rupert at the HMF website. (See link -- scroll down to Rupert's comments of 9 April 06 and 10 April 06.)

I'm now growing SS myself & am following Mr Rupert's recommendations. The jury's still out as I continue the bud-pinching regimen, but the plant is coming along very nicely. My WV enabler recommended manure-rich soil & fertilizing primarily with organics, so I'm following that advice too. And, yes, it does get sprayed regularly.

I was able to get Vintage's virus indexed selection, but it was a pathetic, wimpy little thing so I ordered SS grafted from Garden Valley Ranch.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Sterling Silver' Reviews & Comments

Thanks to everyone for the wealth of information. I suspected this wasn't the rose for me. I guess I'll try feeding it again and pinching off the buds -- if any grow!
I think if I don't see any growth within the next month, I'm going back to Oakland and asking them for a different plant. Their warranty is up in December, and I'm not going to just wait for this plant to die in the spring again!

I gave up on SS. I don't think this variety has the will to live. May be in a green house. I have bought cheap bags of this variety to grow as an annual when I find them 'cause I love the scent but never expect them to be around next year, and they aren't.

LOL...it is so true. The more unusual and beautiful, the tougher it is to get it to survive. I grow LOTS of roses as annuals.

Miracle Gro is a salt based fertilizer. I personally would never use that on young or even older mature roses. Just my opinion.

JIM

I had Sterling Silvers for ages. I loved the color, but what I found out with them was that they would go through brief periods of growth and then just sit there. Finally after a few years the plants seemed to get more vigorous. I've heard similar stories with the Rose "Lucille Ball". These periods of growth were always inspired by Miracle Grow. The compost, the slow release, Rose tone etc... were great for my other roses, but SS needed the boost of Miracle Grow.

So for the first few years I would get one beautiful spring flush from Sterling, then a few scattered blooms, then a meager fall flush.

Now, I tried Stainless Steel, was nearly white, I wasn't a fan. BUT Blue Girl, is somewhat more vigorous than Sterling Silver AND has absolulty Gigantic Blooms, give it two years and you'll be very happy with the results.

I've heard similar stories with the Rose "Lucille Ball".

*** FWIW, L.B. set new standards for rust, in Coastal Southern California.

Jeri

Oh, okay . . . Well, Jeri's comment re. 'Lucille Ball' brings it all into focus for me. I've long wondered why a rose as fine as LB was withdrawn from commerce and is now practically impossible to find.

I've long suspected that when it comes to modern roses, it's always been about how they perform there in rose Nirvana (southern California). I note that LB set new standards for rust in Coastal Southern California; here in the Coastal Midatlantic, however, it has set other (much more laudable) standards.

I agree with cambel, love Blue Girl and the fragrance is like grape laffy taffy.

I have very fond memories of the blooms on the Sterling Silver I grew as a teen. Mine gave me a wonderful initial flush, scattered blooms after that, then suddenly died in the fall, in mild weather no less. No explanation. It's hard to quite match that sterling color, but the plant is not worth the headache, IMO.

As for Stainless Steel, like Lagerfeld, the color is just too "blah" washed out grayish lavender to really be a valid substitute for Sterling Silver. I'm curious to try that Jackson Perkins featured Grandiflora; what's it called? I'm cultivating a young Blue Moon from Heirloom. Jury's still out on vigor and blooming, but the color is certainly a pleasant lavender, and it IS fragrant. I probably won't have a concrete opinion on it for another 2 years. Tried Blue Skies, the Buck rose; what a spindly underperforming plant. Too bad, as the color is lovely.

IIRC, Sterling Silver has always had a notorious reputation for being an uncommonly weak grower for a commercial release, but it was also the very first "lavender" hybrid tea (or at least, the first widely released one). No other hybrid tea release has ever quite matched its stunning color (yes, I'm a fan of that color). I've never grown it and probably never will, but I think the reason it's still available (in spite of all of its very real weaknesses as a garden plant) is that it is still the only one that blooms in that exact shade of lavender.

Stainless steel approaches it, but it's not the same, either.

Oh, and as an aside. I don't know if it's actually true, but I've read before that the lavender/"gray" roses exist due to the introduction of Rosa foetida into the hybrid tea breeding line (via the Pernettiana roses, if I recall correctly). Apparently those lavender/gray roses also inherited more than a few of foetida's weaknesses (hatred of pruning, extreme susceptibility to black spot, etc.)