I'm glad you are getting to like it more, but I have to say I've not seen a bloom that colour on my rose so far.... I think this below is more typical.... do you also get blooms like these?

Sophia, mine was also bareroot 7 months ago, and the first flowers were deep coloured like Marlorena's. Since the hot weather kicked in mine is much paler and the flowers are much smaller, but I was expecting this, because I remembered reading comments from people in the hotter zones. We are experiencing cooler temps at the moment so my next lot of flowers should be darker. You will probably find the same occurring with yours. A very pretty picture! Melodye

Some of us commented on this color issue last year. My Munstead Wood is about the same color as Marlorena's, and I questioned if a picture that was much closer to the color of Sophia's was a real Munstead Wood--or did they send her the wrong plant?

Quite a discussion ensued. Lot of California posters had the much lighter red Munstead Wood, gardeners from other areas had the darker ones like I did.

Some of us wondered if the kind of soil made a difference. A number of the California red MW's were growing in more alkaline soil. Where I am--the exact center of the USA--the soil is neutral to somewhat acidic, and I got the dark version of the rose.

We never drew a final conclusion, but there were enough gardeners who claimed similar conditions and colors--so some of us think that must be the explanation for the lighter and darker shades.

I doubt that heat is the reason for the lighter colors. July and August in my region can get VERY HOT--like in the 100s--but the color of my MW, which is in nearly all day sun, isn't much different then than it is in cooler weather. A bit more reddish, but never a red as Sophia's.

That's the best I can offer you, but I don't really know for sure if any of that explains the difference. One strong point for MW is that, regardless of which shade it develops in your garden, it still is an exceptionally lovely rose.

My favorite Austin, in fact--seen here center front.

Kate

Maybe it is the UV intensity rather than heat....Ebbtide fades to almost pink in the sun and my yellow Queen Nefertiti goes pink....Melodye

Now that's an interesting possibility, ozmelodye.

Maybe it is the intensity of the sun that changes the color versus just heat? The intensity of the sun is greater in more Southern areas of the country. My soil is alkaline. Munstead Wood looked like this ( I am finding it difficult to capture the intensity of the color or even a good image for that matter). In person it is somewhere between the dark red/purplish colors seen on this image, and Malorena's. Mine are on Dr. Huey.

Lynn

Ah,

I was typing as Ozmelodye posted. I have the same curiosity regarding UV intensity...

Lynn

here in the sunny South with acidic soil & in partial shade, my Munstead Wood almost always looks like Sophia's. Below picture is from Spring (May). A lovely (albeit very thorny) rose with nice fragrance, but not the dark purple coloring I had hoped for...

I think that it might have some bearing, because I have found that as day length shortens the roses return to the colours I expect them to be. Of course that also brings lower temps so it is feasible that we attribute the colour change to the wrong cause: ie heat. My soil is neutral and I'm pretty sure MW is on a multiflora rootstock. Melodye

For the record, my MW is on Dr. Huey.

I haven't seen any pattern of rootstock affecting the blooming of MW, however.

You can see some of the lighter shades appearing as "highlights" in this picture, but the blooms retain their "dark" hues in my garden. If I don't catch the light right, MW will often just appear dark and subdued--but I usually don't bother to take picture of that "look."

And like I said above, the blooms can lose a lot of the dark quality in the middle of a hot summer, but never have that clear pinkish-red color some of the above pics have.

Kate

Kate, your MW is on Dr. Huey, but is your soil alkaline too? Acidic soil and Dr. Huey would be a "difference" if that is the case, but I do not know if that makes a difference in terms of bloom coloration? Although, if Pat's MW is on Dr. Huey with her acidic soil...it could go back to UV or some other factor...

Lynn

My MW is on Dr Huey

The longer you grow it, the better you'll like it. My Munstead Wood blooms always have been dark burgandy. I always keep my soil slightly acidic and it is on Dr Huey. I'm going to try grafting it onto Fortuniana root stock and see how it behaves.

Yes, my MW is on Dr. Huey and my soil is slightly acidic.

I was assuming in the first place that that was the basic reason why MWs get dark burgundy--but that is just an assumption on my part. I don't really know. But I sure am glad mine turn out dark burgundy, whatever the cause.

Kate

I love my Munstead Wood. Mine is on its own root. The colors run from bright pink to deep burgundy depending on the time of year and the weather. The color of this rose is very difficult to capture with a camera. It always seems that it is just not quite "right." Here is the rose in June, first year I had it.

Here it is "glowing" in the twilight in July (2nd year). Very hot weather. A lighter pink/burgundy.

Munstead Wood in December when the weather was much, much cooler.

My MWs are on Dr. Huey and my soil is acidic. They're grown in full sun. The first year blooms were the color of Sophia's first pic, actually the very first blooms were even lighter. We get extended heatwaves in the summer and have high humidity. Temps didn't seem to affect the color. For me the blooms darkened as the plants matured, and after the first year my blooms have been deep crimson. The blooms also increased in size and fullness. I've never seen the near purple that some people get.

FWIW most of my red roses are pinker than they "ought" to be.

It seems as though maturity could impact M.W. blooms and colors. I hope it is not just the soil, as it would take a very long time, I suspect, to make mine into what some have, even if that is all possible. I cannot wait to see how mine will perform going into their second season, especially when the temperatures are cooler/less sun intensity. Those deeper colors ARE gorgeous!!

Lynn

I grew it for the first time this year and loved it. Can't wait to see how it does in year 2.

Days are getting shorter, blooms were much darker, like dublinbay's, before they fried in the hot wind that blew through on Saturday. I think I will find a slightly more protected spot for it. Melodye

When the blooms are dark, are they more purple or red? I really want purple, and I'm trying to decide between MW and Twilight Zone.

Thanks for any help.

At their darkest, I would say they are a very very dark burgundy, not purple--in my garden, anyway.

Thank you for replying!

Sorry, Sophia. I didn't mean to butt in on your post, but I'm hoping my question kind of fits in.

I guess I'm too particular because I would be happy with the color of Burgundy Iceberg, and I love The Prince. I liked Tradescant, but it was a bit too red. I love WS2000 even though it's more magenta. I loved the color of Ebb Tide. Do you think MW sounds like the right color for me?Thanks,Kitty

I have not seen Munstead Wood look purple, but dark burgundy, as Kate described, especially when temperatures are cooler. Ebb Tide is a smokey purple in cooler temperatures and TZ is purple in cooler temperatures, fuschia when it's hot. I think in some places, TZ might remain purple during its blooming season.

Lynn

Mine is very much like Sophias. It's a first year plant as well. It didn't have very many blooms, and most of them weren't as nice as this one and were quite small. Although looking at this picture - wow! - there are a lot of buds!!! Mine didn't have fragrance either.

Looking forward to the coming summer!!

Carol

Thank you Kate, Lynn and Carol.

Would you say the color is like Burgundy Iceberg? If you were to choose between MW and Ebb Tide, what would you choose? I'm really having a hard time deciding.

Thanks again,

Kitty

If you want a true purple, I'd go with Twilight Zone because it keeps its color better in the heat than Ebb Tide. I have both and love them both, as well as Munstead Wood, which is a blackish burgundy for me. Diane

Twilight Zone

i've grown grown all three and agree with Diane. One that hasn't been mentioned is Midnight Blue. In my garden at least, it's been the most "true" dark purple.

I too completely agree with Dianne regarding Munstead Wood, Ebb Tide and Twilight Zone... although I grow more, strategically placed, Ebb Tide bushes, because the fragrance knocks my socks off and I prefer the smokey purple coloring. It can be kind of dreadful looking during the heat of summer if it receives a lot of sun, especially if some of that is late in the day.

Lynn