I started with a big grafted plant this spring. It has bloomed a lot, but many on weak stems with flowers in the dirt.. It made one very strong basal that bore several, and the deadheaded branches of it are now repeating on upright stems. So you probably need to be patient until a strong framewok develops to get Willie off the ground. If then some stems continue to dangle under the heavy flowers, it will be an attractive effect.

Thanks for the info. Mine is own-root & perhaps that's why it's taking so long for it to get strong. I'll give it another summer but if it doesn't shape up -- its out. Too many really good roses out there to try : )

I have one grafted and one own root. Both have been extremely slow starters, but they were worth the wait. The grafted one is 1 year older than the own-root, and it is just magnificient this year. The flowers are twice the size they were in previous years, and several broomstick-sized basals. It took 4 years though! Very slow for here.

Yeah, I would give it four years if need be. The flowers are spectacular and it does repeat well for a shrub. I'm glad I started with grafted.

I started with a very good, strong grafted plant last year. Someone advised me to plant it in full sun. I think I made a mistake following that advice. The blooms are grayish pink, look like already in decline when they start opening. The plant is very wide but has few leaves especially in this summer. No new basal breaks I can recall but suffered cane dieback in spring and even in the heat of summer. Christopher Marlowe does much better close to it. I think I will try to find him another spot and replant it in only morning sun position. With few exceptions, all of my roses would be better off in eastern exposure L, especially in a summer like this one.