Sharlene, pretty would be an understatement, they're gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your beauties with us!

So lovely! I am impressed by your grafting.. I have bought Esperance (or at least something very similar) in the shop many times, its so great you have a bush of your own.

Love them!

Oh dear lord this is gorgeous! Love it. I think I have the florist rose and didn't know it's name. I picked up three like it last year at Kroger but two didn't make it. Love your bouquet!! Judy.

Oooh!!!! I love the colors!! Simply divine arrangment of colors!!!! Lovely!!!

Carol

Wow!!!!! Woweee!!!!!

Thanks - glad you all liked them. I'm still tickled PINK:))))

Sharlene

Ooooh, I'm jealous! Those are gorgeous! BLUE GENE is sooo cool. And believe it or not, I have ESPERANCE, but mine never looks like that!

Beth, the first blooms on Esperance were much paler! Has either something to do with the hot dry weather we're having or the new fertilizer. I'm tipping on the fertilizer because your weather is normally hot and dry, isn't it?

Sharlene

This photo was taken 16 April.

Yeah it's very hot and dry. My ESPERANCE blooms usually are much flatter and have way less pink edging. Of course they are in a bed that has been somewhat neglected over the yrs, but since the septic re-do, I cleaned that bed out (was overgrown with massive daylilies) and the roses are doing much better than before. I just haven't gotten around to feeding them yet. But here's what mine usually look like:

I know it's the correct rose, because I got it from the old florist rose supplier Carlton Roses quite a few yrs ago. Maybe I'll just try giving it some fertilizer and see what happens. The GEMINI rose a few feet away from it has perked up and given me the best blooms ever, so maybe this one will do better yet with some much needed food!! I just have so little time to get around to these things. It's awful. I'm not the best "rose mommy" these days...

Beth, your Esperance does indeed look different. You will have to keep us posted - it will be interesting to see if a feeding has any effect or if it is in fact a different rose.

Sharlene

Gorgeous!!

Beautiful. Sharlene, do you have photographs of the plant, "Blue Gene?

Lovely!

Glad y'all like them.

Jasmine, I have two very young plants right now, both grafted last year and both don't look that great because all the blooms landed up in the bouquet. I am trying to get them to branch a little more and actually shouldn't of let them bloom at all but I was impatient to see what the would look like in comparison to the original florist bought rose. Will try and remember to post again when (and if) I get the next flush.

Sharlene

Thanks, Sharlene. I hope it works well for you in the garden, because it made a lovely bouquet.

Wow, love that Blue Gene! A very unique color. Thanks for remembering to post the photos, Sharlene. Where did you learn to graft? I will have to look up the specifics of "air rooting".

It's a pleasure Jasmine. It was a case of learning by doing and lots of reading:) Actually isn't that difficult. You really should try air rooting if you have good, healthy rootstock. I'm using Rosa Canina from a standard which froze back a couple of years ago. IMO it is the easiest was to root long canes for standard roses and you can graft on it while it's rooting.

Sharlene

Such a good idea. You put your what was left of your standard to very good use.