Paul - Earth Song looks like a great rose, it's on my list, yours is lovely.

Wow!! What a lot of gorgeous flowers!! Love the color too!! Wow!!
Carol

So tempting! Beautiful photo, thank you.

Beautiful pic!!

Great looking rose bush Paul!

Thanks all. I have two Earth Song growing in the same spots for about 25 years. Always reliable. Repeat blooms until October. No BS to speak of. Interesting they are both virused, and this doesn't seem to affect their performance.

Wow!! Twenty-five years??!!!! That's amazing longevity. We keep moving, so that's unlikely for us. :(
Carol

I love the name of this rose, and it looks like it lives up to it. It's just beautiful.

Paul, is your Earth Song own-root or grafted?
How tall and wide does it get Paul?
And can you please take a pic of the entire bush?
I'd love to see its shape. Thanks...

Jim: Good question. I planted them at a time when I was a novice and own-root roses were hard to come by. I cannot remember if they were own-root or grafted. If they are grafted, they still perform like own-roots - have never seen a rootstock sucker. Nowadays, I only plant own-roots - the difference in longevity is undeniable.

The plant is roughly 4' tall by 3' wide. I prune it back in Spring to about 8". There often is some die-back on top but the plant is completely crown-hardy in zone 5. I will take a pic of the whole bush and post it here.

Thanks Paul!

Wow, that's gorgeous, Paul!

As requested, here is a bush shot of Earth Song. Now in its second bloom cycle. Nothing like the first, but still respectable I think. -Paul

Nice bush shot paul_zone5ct! I already ordered a Earthsong for next spring... :-)

That's a significant amount of bloom. I love it!!
Carol

Here's a better pic of the second flush from this morning:

Wow that Earthsong bush looks great Paul! I can't wait to get mine! :-)
I'm also getting Prairie Harvest to try...

Just beautifulâ¦don`t have that one,either! 25 years..amazing. I have a 17 yr. Gold Medal. Very special to me as the first rose I planted here. Your Earth Song is lovely. Lesley

do you trim all of your rose bushes back to 8" in the Spring Paul?

What a beautiful bush and an amazing amount of fantastic blooms. How's the vase life and do the blooms hold their form?

jleak: No, I prune differently for each variety. Over the years I have found Earth Song does best if pruned hard. Technically, I think Earth Song is classed as a grandiflora. Kentucky_rose: I believe vase life is average. I will say the flowers look good at all stages, from bud to fully open. And petals usually fall cleanly. But each bloom will form a hip, so I pinch off the deadheads to encourage repeat. It is a great long-lived rose. After 25 years, the thicket of canes from the base is so dense, I could probably divide it like a perennial, maybe using a chainsaw!

Thank you Paul. Would you mind sharing where you like to order your rose bushes from....is it too late to plant at this time of year in zone 5

In the past, I have ordered from Rogue Valley, Angel Gardens, Roses Unlimited, Chamblee's, Antique Rose Emporium, Heirloom, Northland Rosarium, and Countryside Roses.

Also, nurseries such as Edmund's and J & P will sell some own-root roses.

I believe it is too late to plant a small own-root in zone 5. From experience, I have learned that small own-roots need to be coddled for a full year before planting in the ground. Frequently I pot them up and tend to them till they get bigger, then plant.