For JohnReb - MONSTER Rose Thread #2 (continued - long)

21 years ago

JohnReb,

Thanks for the photos you sent me. At least yours don't seem to have any apricot in them. They are much pinker than mine, but I suspect that's the difference in our locations, and the fact that your pics were taken on an overcast day.

Here's a series of pics that I took today, and I hope it will clinch this if you can tell me all of this looks like your Sundowner.

Flowers:

Bud - as previously discussed, Pure orange with yellow petal bases:

{{gwi:1225384}}
Your picture is very similar:

{{gwi:1225385}}
Fresh flower, but lots of sun - yellow disappeared quick, and orange is on its way out:

{{gwi:1225386}}
Aged several days (burned edges in a couple of places. As you have remarked, left on the bush long enough, it will actually bleach to a light pink:

{{gwi:1225387}}
Bud and fresh flower together:

{{gwi:1225388}}

Here's the foliage. Besides the zig-zag stems, a very unique feature are the leaves. After turning green from their bronze-red origins, they retain red edges and veining for weeks. Here's a very fresh leaf, newly turned green:

{{gwi:1225389}}
Here's one that is a couple of weeks old, but you can see that the red edge and veining is still there:

{{gwi:1225390}}

Finally, a couple of general pictures of the bush. Please excuse my shoddy stitching on the last one:

{{gwi:1225391}}
{{gwi:1225393}}

Does this clinch it? Are these pics the same features you've seen on your Sundowner?

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Comments (3)

johnreb_va7
21 years ago
Yes ...Those pics show the same features seen on my two Sundowner bushes.

I was about to email you. The red veining and red edging on the "still-maturing" leaves is a definite match. This morning I went to the Sundowner bushes and checked, after reading your recent email. I even took some photos of the leaves for you, which I will still send if you'd like.

A couple of other (related) points:
(1) You have mentioned that your rose sunblushes to an "orange-red" color that you described as being much like Fragrant Cloud's color. In case you don't already know... Fragrant Cloud is the direct parent of Sundowner.

(2) I have two Fragrant Cloud bushes - and I checked their leaves for you. Interesting news - the red veining & edging you describe at a certain stage of your maybe-Sundowner's leaves is also a characteristic of Sundowner-parent Fragrant Cloud's leaves at that same stage.

(3) The colors in your bud-&-fresh-flower shot look absolutely identical to my Sundowner's. You are definitely skillful at capturing rose-petals' actual color. I've gotta get better at figuring out (and using) my digital camera's settings - or buy a better one.

Lastly... you live in a huge city. I think taking a look at other SOLIDLY-IDENTIFIED Sundowner bushes, blooming in your local climate, is the final confirmational step in your ID-quest. There must be *someone* else in Atlanta who grows Sundowner. I suppose that's something you could check on with the local Rose Society.

Though someone else's may not be 12' tall. ;-)

PS - If you haven't seen me mention this elsewhere... I was born-&-raised in Atlanta. Spent most of the first 29 years of my life there.

Regards,
JohnReb
rosetom
Original Author
21 years ago
A native Atlantan? Those are rare around Atlanta. ;-)

Thank you for all your help, JohnReb. They must be Sundowner's as you say. I was hoping you could confirm the leaf effect, and you have.

Interesting what you say about Fragrant Cloud - I have a Fragrant Cloud situated in the very center between these two twin towers. I have never noticed that effect. Of course, you don't tend to look at things in that much detail when you're positive about the identity of the rose. What's really interesting, is thinking it was Folklore all this time, which also has Fragrant Cloud as a parent!

I don't know about asking others around here. I have never seen one sold or on display - even in the huge Walmart body bag collection they have every year. Also, there's only one rose book I have that lists it: Botanica's.

Except for the lack of fragrance, I am very happy I got them as a result of Rose Roulette. Of course, back then, I didn't know I was playing Roulette. Yet, having had them for 5 years now, I would highly recommend them to anyone. They get a little PM on the tops where it's hard to reach with spray, but the vigor is unparalleled. Only Voodoo comes close, and it's nowhere near as productive as these things.

Thanks again for all the help. I hope to return the favor someday.
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johnreb_va7
21 years ago
Please accept that I'm saying with sincere humility, I am pleased to have been of service.

Something I meant to mention earlier this week:
Thank you for your very-kind assessment (in a different thread) of my contributions to this forum.

My purpose is to "give in return" for the helpful rose-growing information I've found here in GardenWeb's Rose Forums. The delight and serenity I get among my yard's rose-rows would be significantly less without that rose-growing info.

Regards,
JohnReb