Thanks for sharing about this new rose. What is the fragrance like if any? What degree of sun exposure does it get?

It's a lovely rose, thanks for sharing.

So far disease resistance is excellent with Desdemona, better than Lady of Shalott and much bettter than Golden Celebration (which suffers bad from rust every year here in SF), I've been using Serenade Spray this year which has helped significantly on the GC...I'll keep you updated

Oh forgot to mention the fragrance and sun exposer for @totoro z7b MD- it's a very nice lemony tea rose fragrance. Austin says it's a very strong myrrh, but to my nose it's a medium citrusy rose fragrance. Nowhere near in strength as Golden Celebration, but stronger than Lady of Shalott.

She's in a sunny spot -- getting direct sun all day until about 4pm.

I love your pics of desdemona. My first few didn't have many petals but the last few were quite lovely.

Beautiful

Here's some more pics from this morning while deadheading ... very photogenic & classy (you can see Lady of Shalott growing next (and starting to overtake) it:

Thanks for the info. Sounds like this rose has it all. If only I did not already have so many white and blush roses already...

The Rose that keeps giving...very photogenic...here's some in full bloom (with LOS growing:

Wow! Ready for mine to do this!!! Gorgeous!!

I just ordered DA Desdemona roses. It’s nice to see yours are growing so beautifully in pots. I have two questions:

1. Do they do well in windy conditions?

2. What planters are you using? I’m trying to find large, tall planters with drainage holes and saucers but not having any luck. Most of the ones I’m seeing are self watering and I do not think they will do well with roses.

3. At this point have you had to transplant it to a bigger planter? Or you just started with the large planter.

thanks any advice would be appreciated.

Wow, what a gorgeous rose. Another must have

hi @oujua chen - answers to you questions inline below:

I just ordered DA Desdemona roses. It’s nice to see yours are growing so beautifully in pots. I have two questions:

1. Do they do well in windy conditions?

I guess it depends on how windy, but I would put my location in SF as moderately windy, foggy, and cold-ish most of the year. It's been doing very well...blooming near year round (we don't have frost...so roses grow near year round).

2. What planters are you using? I’m trying to find large, tall planters with drainage holes and saucers but not having any luck. Most of the ones I’m seeing are self watering and I do not think they will do well with roses.

Its's in a 17.5w x 21.5h ceramic container. I only use E.B. Stone's organic rose grow for the soil and Dr. Earth's rose and flower once a month.

3. At this point have you had to transplant it to a bigger planter? Or you just started with the large planter.

Just started with the large container (from bare root body bag). Definitely did not have to transplant and will not have to transplant. I prune them back every year.

Here's a picture of it today....it's doing wonderfully ...even better than the first. It's in the grey ceramic planter in the center. You can see the buds shooting up in the center....can't wait for first blooms!

IMHO you can skip the saucers....as you can see they just get kind of crummy and I'm not sure they serve a purpose....

thanks any advice would be appreciated.

Wow I'm so excited for this rose and happy I gave it a primo spot ! Lovely photos!!

Can’t wait to see it flower this summer !!

That Desdemona is quite pretty. I am curious as to how well it repeat blooms. Thanks for the look.

I succumbed and got this rose from DA this year!

It is a toss up between Desdemona and Earth angel

Wow! Just wow! Absolutely beautiful! Is she in full sun for you?

New Desdemona Pictures from the first May 2018 Blooms (2nd year in the pot)...have to say...Desdemona has far exceeded my expectations...it's like a white rose flower bomb...awesome lemony smell...can't recommend it enough as a potted rose (photo bombs from Lady Shallot - I'll post some awesome pictures of her later):

Is that just one plant? It is glorious

Gorgeous. My new bare root has buds!

@kristin - yes, that is just one plant...

I got two Desdemona bareroots in pots. I’m in zone 6a and the weather has been crazy. Anyway one is thriving with lots of buds which will likely bloom in 1-2 weeks. And the other one is dying... I think it has verticillium fungus or something. The new growth on that one just keeps dying, two shoots have turned black. The one that is thriving has some caterpillers which I had to hand remove... anyway we will see if it will bloom. It’s been a bit difficult. I hope they make it

Oujua, the same thing is happening to my Bolero. Darn it. I'm sorry about your Desdemona. That is one I can't currently find. Something to look forward to next year I guess lol

Here is my bare root Desdemona on Huey from DA new this year. First blooms

Totoro, do all of the Rose's that come budded from DA use huey?

I have two potted DA Desdemona on their first year. This one seems to be doing well aside from the caterpillars and spider mites. I’ve decided to try Bayer Insect repellant. That’s what DA recommends, have any of you tried it? Or have better recommendations for pests repellants? The flower buds already smell wonderful.

On the other side the other Desdemona is dying :-( I think it’s verticullium wilt or something as the new leaves dry, wilt and die and now the cames are dying back? Anyone has any recommendations to cure this.

Hi oujua...yes...I spray with insecticide and fungicide (Bayer all in one works well)...I would not be able to grow Austins in SF without doing so. Rust, Powdery Mildew, Chilli Thrips, regular Thrips...you name it.....they would have consumed my roses long ago. You can see the SF fog in some of the pictures...cold, fog, and roses in general do not mix that well...

Kristine, i don't know for sure, but I thought that was the case.

1 out of 2 finally bloomed! The other is definitely gone... I’m gonna have to reach out to DA about their warranty. Sharing some pics. The smell is wonderful! A little more pink than I anticipated and less petals than i envisioned but pretty happy all in all. I noticed they open with a lot of sun but as soon as the sun is down they close back up a little. Have you guys noticed any small changes as they mature? Maybe more petals/fuller or perhaps whiter color?

So the surviving Desdemona rebloomed. This time the blooms were whiter. Didn’t get as many blooms though. Also the blooms are not very full and they are tiny about an inch in size.

I’ve given the rose the Bayer 3 in 1 since the caterpillars returned. The thing is the leaves do not look healthy and I’m worried about canes turning black and wilting.

Anyone have any recommendations? Perhaps reapply more of the Bayer 3 in 1 even though it says to reapply every 6 week’s? It’s been 2 weeks since the last application.

The surviving Desdemona rebloomed. The blooms were whiter this time but not very full or big (only about 1” in size)

I’m a little concern since the leaves don’t look healthy. I did apply Bayer 3 in 1 two weeks ago. Should I reapply sooner than the every 6 weeks recommended application?

Any ideas what is wrong with the leaves? Thanks

Sometimes potted roses really throw tantrums about watering. And it can be out of your control if you get too much rain . I would not give another dose until the time it says to . Check your drainage ? I hope the rose does well for you! :)

Please use the Bayer 3 in one sparingly It does kill bees. There are many great organic fertalizers

Kristine,

thanks for the warning. Do you have any recommendations? The reviews online for some of the organic products are very bad.

Hi Oujua - the first blooms on my Desdemona we somewhat like yours...they were kind of small, few petals..now it's literally the healthiest bush I have. I also concur you probably just have to get in rhythm with it on watering, fertilizing, etc...

BTW, I can't tell how big your container is? It look like a small square kind?

Oujua, for fertilizing kelp and fish emulsion are great . Alphalpha tea is also a good one. For black spot aaand powdery mildew Neem oil spray or a spray of milk, I know, weird but it has worked for me. Aphids and spider mites you can get rid of with a good blast of water.

Sometimes roses are not going to be perfect without sprays but for me I am trying to find solutions as safe as possible for the bee population.

I think the key is healthy well balanced soil.

Good luck with your garden. It is fulfilling yet challenging but when you end up with a much anticipated bloom and it is perfect, it makes it all worthwhile

Thanks Kristine. I am

definitely going to try that, as it happens I just bought some

neem oil as I have read it really deters Japanese beetles which currently it’s something I am tackling elsewhere in the garden.

Hi EasySqueesy,

The container I used is a large tall rectangular container. Measures 28” H x 15” W x 15” D. It had a false self watering bottom that I took out so the roots had all the depth they needed, I believe. I did put some stones in the bottom 2” of the container. Most recently I drilled several addt’ drainage holes at the bottom and I think that has helped. The leaves are starting to look healthier and the 3rd flush of shoots are starting to grow. The canes currently are very thing, not as thick and upright as yours but I think that may have been my error for not pruning more heavily and lower after the 1st blooms.

After each flush of blooms and when I see new growth, I have added DA Rose fertilizer. I think I’m going to try Fish Bone Meal or Compost Tea which I heard works well too. So far it seems to be making it through. Haven’t figured how to make thrive yet. Probably I should have planted her a bit higher up too.

May 2021 First Blooms

@easysqueezy beautiful photos! The orange and white really look good together!

@Ann-SoCalZ10b SunStZ22 mine is own root as well. I got it from Fresh Garden Living on Etsy in 2020. If it's a slow starter like you say then it's no wonder why it hasn't done much yet. Here's what it looks like now:

Verticillium wilt is in the soil and there is no cure or fix. I have found it is in certain spots..so one area might have it and others don't.

The new leaves do not even achieve full size with VW ..they come out withered and deformed. So not sure that is what you have.

I have it here and have beat it with ample soil builder and feed. The roses might struggle for a season but mine have over come it. I've had it diagnosed by an arborist..had to cut down a huge catalpa tree that was suffering ..there are several roses near where it was. they are all growing..

The pictures are stunning. I'm on year three with Desdemona and been really pleased with it. In my opinion it is the best white English rose. A few particulars. I garden in the Mid-Atlantic, USDA Zone 7a. High air humidity with hot summers and cold winters (though nothing like what New York and Pennsylvania gets). Rose came bareroot from David Austin Roses Ltd. Why I like Desdemona:

1. First rose to bloom in the spring.

2. Big, beautiful globular blossoms that open to show the golden stamens. I LIVE for this kind of flower form. The blooms also cover the plant, giving it great "presence" in the garden.

3. Blooms don't ball, a significant improvement over EARTH ANGEL, which I'm going to replace.

4. Strong stems (no nodding) and decent vase life.

5. Medium bushy growth habit with nice foliage.

6. Good, reliable rebloom.

Now the bad:

7. Needs spraying to control blackspot, but no more than any other English Rose.

8. Color is cream, not white. If you want a pure white rose then get POPE JOHN PAUL II.

9. Not a fan of the myrrh fragrance.

10. Thorns, it has them. About medium and not terrible, but I prefer low thorned roses (ala Heritage).

11. I still think FAIR BIANCA's flowers are more ravishingly beautiful. The myrrh and vanilla fragrance is certainly more pleasant.

I've got a wimpy BOULE DE NEIGE (Bourbon, 1857) that has been sitting in the same bed and never gotten above 2-feet. Tiny, pure white, exquisitely shaped blooms with rapturous fragrance, but is it good enough enough to earn a permanent spot? Not as is. Thing is even more prone to blackspot and defoliation. This is year 4. BdN had better put on some plant size or else DESDEMONA is gonna push it down the stairs like that dancer from Show Girls (film 1995).

Mine is starting to throw out octopus canes in it's second year--is that normal for this variety? Any suggestions how to deal with it? I didn't find the fragrance that remarkable, but we'll see this summer as I have heard sometimes the scent is better in year two. I feel like Claire Austin has a stronger scent, yet even that is not strong scent compared to Lady Emma Hamilton, for example, or Munstead Wood. But I do realize that is very subjective. It is quite healthy compared to some. I have been tempted by Boule de Neige but is that a good continuous bloomer or rather temperamental?

Hello Desdemonas, after years of wanting to grow roses, we finally have thw space to grow them! I purchased 11 roses from DA roses all bare root! My desdemona just had her first flush of roses and they only lasted a few days after the roses fell apart with brown edges on the petals. I noticed on my first bloom and every other, so many thrips. I am wondering if anyone has insight on how to manage thrips? After the first flush, I noticed them and applied Bio Advanced 3in1 pellets and sprayed neem oil, and another mixture of dish soap and water with some rubbing alcohol. It has helped a bit but after i stopped applying it they came back. To note, this plant sits in a large planter/pot on our second floor patio (away from other natural predators that might control them on the ground floor.) Dont let the pictures fool you, my flowers only looked this good for a few days! Appreciate the community’s insight!

Thanks to the people on this forum, I learned that roses sometimes need a couple of seasons to give their best. This is the case with Desdemona. The first year, I was a bit diaappointed too, as it stayed small and didn't give much. But it had no mold issues, but it just sort of grew steadily without much help from me, and flowered more frequently than many, so I kept it. Second year, it got bigger, and flowered rather decently, but canes were floppy (see comment below) and still didn't notice this amazing scent people were raving about. It is now starting its third summer. It is growing strong, and tall, and with canes that are straight up. The fragrance has gotten stronger and richer (which has been the case for many of DA roses, fragrance stronger the second or third year), and the flowers definitely last on the branches now.. Absolutely beautiful! A similar thing happened with Princess Ann, although that one always grew straight up, but it now has more blooms, and now they last on the plant longer. I am also feeding and watering them better. The first year, I didn't even do that. I think I have heard that for thrips, the thing is just to cut the buds and flowers off. and new ones will grow back. Interesting that the comment below mentions "myrhh" fragrance. For me this is the only white Austin that does not have that at all. Sort of smells lovely and fresh with a bit of old rose.