It’s beautiful, Cambel! So far I would say MME ERNEST CALVAT, it was very beautiful at its peak, a week or so ago, and so healthy looking. If we can name more than one I will say ZAIDE too, it’s amazing in its second season.

ZAIDE

Campbell - your cl. La France is wonderful!!!! It's huge!!! And it's STILL fragrant after all that rain? Wow...you've got a winner!! :)

Sara-Ann - Your two bushes are amazing!!! I especially love your MEC...so many full blooms!! Zaide looks amazing too!! You can grow roses!!!

Carol

Which nursery sent you your Cl La France treasure, cambel?

I love the colour of Chocolate Sundae, Karen

Cambel, La france isn't stingy and the leaves look soft..

Sara-Ann, MME ERNEST CALVAT, is just so full of blooms.

I just planted Oklahoma and am blown away by the dark dark color

Kristine - beautiful!!! I've got a new Oklahoma this year too. :) It's got buds.

Carol

I had never even heard of this rose until my friend started growing it. I am overwhelmed by its color.

Not really picking up the blackness of this rose.

Carol, I can't wait to hear how you like yours

Thanks, Kristine!! :) :) What do you think of the fragrance?

Carol

Nice fragrance

Karen, did you climb up that tree to get the Chocolate Sundae blooms for the bouquet? They are so pretty, I would too!

Climbing La France looks scrumptious, Cambel.

The rose that surprised me this year is Plumb Perfect. The second year blooms are so much better than the first. I'm not just talking about the size of the blooms. They are longer lasting and better quality all around.

Kristine, your camera seems to pick up the detail of reds well. Red shades seem to blend into each other with my camera. But of course seeing a rose in person is always the best thing. Oklahoma is a favorite.

Wow Karen. I’ve never even heard of chocolate sundae. I wonder why it’s not more popular.

Wow Sara. That Mme Earnest Calvet is amazing. I just platen one along with Isaac Perrier. I hope mine looks like that some day. How long has tours been in your garden?

Jasminerose - haha - i did go up into the tree to get the bouquet. I decided to prune her to about 7', which she responds to well, putting down more blooms and foliage lower, and I was surprised to have almost all her blooms up in that tree where I couldn't see them!

SoFL Rose - I do know cl. Chocolate Sundae is supposed to be a hot weather rose - but for those in our climate, not sure why more don't grow her. I had never heard of her when I found her at Reagan Nursery, but when I saw those chocolate blooms, I had to have her. She's not the most prolific bloom producer, but then again, I do have her in sub-best conditions - I bet she'd like more sun that I give her. Blooms up in that tree at about 10' are great!

That would be this one- Mister Lincoln! I did not expect the flowers to be so perfect and the color is gorgeous! I got him at Lowe’s last fall from the sale rack for $5 and had no idea of the color : )

Everyone’s selections are gorgeous. Thanks SoFL, I planted MEC in 2014.

Jasmine - oh!! Those are lovely Plum Perfects!!! Drool!!

Diana - clicking on your rose picture really showcases the mesmerizing colors!!! Gorgeous!!!

Carol

Another rose that doesn't bother me with bugs or fungus is Malibu. Such a wild color.

Kristine !!! - I love that color!!! Oh wow!!

\Carol

I only see a wholesale source listed for Chocolate Sundae on Help Me Find Roses and it isn't on Reagan's plant list. Maybe you were lucky to get it when you did, Karen. It's a beautiful color.

Diana (zone 8, AL) I am jealous of your Mr Lincoln - it was my first ever rose, and I've killed it twice here. It just wont live in my cold canadian climate (zone 2-3)

Yeah, zone 2 is tough. I used to live in Fort McMurray...zone 2. I didn't know much about roses at the time...so I mostly had hardies. I really loved Therese Bugnet.

Carol

Carol, Malibu is much more two tone orange than the picture shows

So many surprises in the garden, but two more I felt compelled to write about. Sorry - these are NOT good pictures to show these wonderful roses.

Interesting both are non-fragrant, and I swore I would stop buying non fragrant roses since I'm such a fragrance junkie. But these roses are just remarkable, and I am so glad they're in my garden.

1. Koko Loko. Picture doesn't do it justice as I didn't catch the beautiful light light chocolate color and perfect bloom form of fresh blooms, prior to them turning lavendar and opening as they age. This color changing rose is a magician, and truly a favorite in my garden.

2. Ketchup and Mustard (to the right, rear of Ingrid Bergman - another phenom no fragrance in my garden - danged blooms will stay on forever - after a few weeks I have to cut them off to get almost instance rebloom).

K&M wouldn't normally be my cup of tea - with small, low pedal count blooms. But this floribunda is a bloom pumping machine - constantly covered in brilliant color, with some of the most perfect dark green shiny foliage ever.

Kristine - that sounds even better!!

Karen - I'm like you...fragrance is soooo important...yest I have a few roses that I wouldn't do without that have no fragrance: Chicago Peace and Night Owl. I've often wished that Koko Loko had fragrance...it's so unique and gorgeous!! Yours looks fabulous!!!

Carol

Wow, La France is amazing. Anyone know if it is shade tolerant?

Carol, my Koko Loko has a spicy fragrance.

I wonder if MEC would do well here. So stunning.

Totoro - seriously? Is the fragrance at least a medium? I would get that for next year (if I can find it) if the fragrance is at least medium. Wow!

Carol

I had to wait until this thing bloomed to see if I would be surprised and I am because it's not a very liked rose. Here's Sunsprite...another season of constant blooms I guess. A beautiful yellow. and in a pot no less. I only pot things as a last chance effort.

mada - What a zinger of a color!!! Love it!!

Carol

Easy does it... a very common rose but it surprises with every bloom.. blooms profusely.. and the blooms stay forever..

I agree with Easy Does It, very fun rose.

My surprise rose is Grandmother`s Hat. I got her 3 years ago. The first year the rabbits ate her down to the ground. The 2nd year hail pounded her down to the ground and rabbits chewed her down to the ground too. I didn`t think she would survive, but this year, she`s back and is about 4 inches tall. She has a rabbit cage around her, and I hope now she can get strong and grow. She has been through a lot!

Carol, I do think the fragrance intensity of KL is medium, maybe stronger. Also I find the quality of the scent to be complex blend of damask and something spicy or chocolately. Maybe it is cloves? It makes me want to keep sniffing it.

Also it blooms in a lot of shade. I think the coffee color is best preserved in shade too vs the lavender. Blooms last long on bush compared to my Austins. I think this bloom has been hanging on for over a week.

Totoro - that does it! I'm going to get it when I find it!! Thank you soooo much!!!

Pat - yes, Grandmother's Hat sounds like a Timex watch...it takes a lickin', but keeps on tickin'!! :)

Carol

Definitely Teasing Georgia and Golden Celebration. They are "monsters" in my garden. Well not dinosaur proportion as in warmer zones gardens but in my cold zone these two roses are large and surprise me year after year. TG sends large canes every spring and is my only "climbing rose".

Oooh....it is beautiful...but so dangerous to your roses.

Carol

I know, Carol. I will have to get my energy up and talk to them. Most people know nothing about RRD although it is everywhere here in NJ

I'm seriously considering ripping out my knockouts and replacing them with Zephirine Drouhin. I just want a pink rose that performs well and it seems to be doing so for most people on this forum.

Farmerduck - You will have your work cut out for you convincing them to get rid of it. Good luck!

Carol

As I walk around my yard of course Julia Child is always so trouble free and wonderful but Fiji is blowing me away with nonstop blooming big beautiful Coralie pink blooms clean as can be just a sweetheart of a rose

kristine_legault's ideas · More Info

Kristine - that's a fabulous bloom!!! It is completely stuffed and swirled with petals!!! That's a fabulous look!!

Carol

I am jealous of you in warm climes! Here in 6A Massachusetts, I thought the Sally Holmes I planted last summer was completely dead after our harsh winter and I kicked myself for planting something so much less hardy than all my other roses. Well, here she is now, flowering under our dogwood tree. Can a single-flowered rose make you swoon? Yes, if she is Sally Holmes. Hard for me to capture the beauty of these huge, delicately colored blooms with a photograph. But I am ready to rip everything else out in the garden so I can plant more of this rose.

jwusauk - wow!! The opening bud form is exquisitely refined!!! I can see why you love this rose so much!

Carol