Hi,

I've had this rose for 5 or 6 years. The blooms here a light, cool, pink. In other words, there are bluish undertones, but I've never been tempted to call it "orchid" or "mauve" or anything other than pink.

It definitely reads as pink in my climate and soil (somewhat acidic). It is not a brash, "look at me now!" type of pink. It is a gentle, understated color. Kind of a cool, pastel pink, but never washed out. In other words, it will never look white.

It's a very nice rose, with graceful, lithe canes and great hardiness. I have not yet needed to prune any winter dieback, not even after last winter, which was bitter and miserable. Wish I could say the same of most of the other roses after the previous winter. You have a much friendlier climate, so I can't imagine you would have any winter issues with it.

Enjoy! it's a very nice addition to garden. You will find it pleasing, I'm sure, simply because its style is just so much different from most roses. Give it a couple of years to get established. Again, your climate is much gentler, so you can probably expect more from it sooner.

In agreement with lionheart on the color and the bush itself. I lost mine to hungry voles.

I guess that's what happens when you put a rose in really nice soil and let it grow. The predators move in. And they stay as long as there are roots to eat.

Thanks for the information, and Ann, sorry to hear that you lost yours to voles, they can be nasty. It sounds like I will love this rose! Any thoughts on whether it might be shade tolerant?

Hey lionheart_gw (USDA Zone 5A, Eastern NY), do you still have your Isabella Skinner, I want to ask questions about its growth habit and size after you've now had it for 6-7 years.

Have you looked it up on HMF (google Help Me Find/roses)? I did, and it says it is a cold hardy (to zone 2b!) shrub rose which climbs, and has good repeat blooming. Hybridized in Canada sometime before 1965. From the comments, I would not call it "shade tolerant", but one person said theirs only gets 4 hours of sun per day, and another person said theirs is doing well next to a tree. So, of course it needs sun but perhaps not the normal 6 hours.

Jackie

Yes definitely looked it up on there, I look up every rose there and I contribute quite a bit there as well, I saw one person who has one that is 6 feet tall after 5 years. So that gives me an idea of height, but not width or growth pattern. I want to know if it will make a good pillar rose.

AnneCecilia wrote
about its growth habits. You can read her remarks in this thread.

“It really wants
to be a very thick shrub, about 9' tall. Old canes became very stiff
and woody. Also, it wanted to send up many new canes at one time.”

Awesome work in finding that thread, for some reason that discussion never came up for me in search results or I just missed it. Lots of info on how Isabella Skinner grows as discussed by those who have grown it, thanks a lot!

I bought one (quart size) from High Country Rose last summer, by the end of fall it was almost 6' tall. I will have to report it back this summer.

Don't know if this post is too old to resurrect, but we bought our Victorian Memories from HCR 5 or 6 years ago. To show the hardiness of it, it was in like a 3" pot when I received it in late summer. Never got around to planting it that fall and it laid next to my driveway all winter, covered in snow. Sprouted in the spring, I planted it on an arbor and the plant is close to 15' tall now, has never died back, blooms prolifically in it's first flush and sporadically all summer with slightly larger flowers. Faint rose fragrance, never diseased. I took 36 cuttings from it this early summer and just repotted 35 cuttings that rooted and will await new homes. Not too many nasty thorns on it either. Very happy with this one!

Great to hear, summers and hartogken, since I got one this Summer from HCRs too. Doing well. I can't wait for the growth spurt.

Give it lots of room. It's more than a spurt. Will try to get a pic tomorrow.

Wow, I sure hope my VM/IS will catch up! In its first year, I tried it in a spot that was too shady, so it didn't do much. Grew it on in a pot after that, and finally planted it out this spring. Its still pretty small - maybe about a foot tall. I hope its putting down roots and will take off next season, though I fear I may have hopelessly stunted it by moving it around too much. I guess I'll find out next spring!

I'm pretty sure it will recover Frances. As I said, mine was like a twig about 6" tall and within 2 years it was huge. Thanks for reminding me. Gotta get you a pic!

Wow! That rose is a winner.

I think so too Sheila. It's a consistent performer. The flowers seem to change over the summer too. Big flush of smaller blooms in spring and fewer but larger flowers through the summer - they almost seem to change form. Best wishes on yours!

Wow Hartogken,, yours is AMAZING! I hope mine is half as beautiful some day. Its still pretty small. Maybe it'll take off next spring now that its settled in what is (I hope) a decent spot. Thanks for the gorgeous picture!

Thanks Frances. It's my favorite rose ever. I bet yours will do great!