By the end of the summer my Purple Prince was ready for the ground.

This has been a stellar rose

If I can find another one I would definitely grab it.

kristine_legault's ideas · More Info

Wow Kristine!! If you see it for sale would you alert us ? I would love to try it

I went back to the Hirt nursery and didnt see it listed this year but I will keep my eyes peeled.

Moses, how did your Purple Prince do for you?

Kristine,

Deciding to see just what would happen, that little squirt was planted right where I thought it will look and thrive the best. Well, it did both. It took off blooming about three small flushes, and finished at about 20-24" tall, with pencil thick canes. ...not bad for such a tiny start.

Its moderately long lasting flower was pretty petal packed for being so young, and for blooming in the heat. The fragrance was rich, and the color held, no blueing, as well as not crisping or wilting. Disease resistance was very good, but I do spray conventionally.

It's under heavy winter protection now, and so far so good. It has been an extremely mild winter here thus far, and all the roses are looking good. The lowest temp has been 17°F., but only for a few hours overnight about a couple weeks ago.

My expectation is high for this Prince. This winter may not prove much about Purple Prince's winter hardiness though, if it finishes up as mild as it has been, but I don't expect too many floribundas or hy. teas ever not to need good winter protection here. Even my Julia Childs get heavy protection. If PP's a keeper he will get winter protection even if just as a precaution.

Moses

Thank you Moses. I knew I could count on you for a thorough review.

I am pretty impressed with my PP. It has also been pretty mild here as well so far so good.

If you see another seller who offers this rose let me know please. One just may not be enough.

Kristine,

I am looking, too. In the meantime the canes sticking up above the mulch could be clipped right now (today), and taco wrapped. Those canes look pretty good, but who knows...will see. That way by April, little starts like last year's starts from Hirt's should be on their way, Lord willing. If it works out I'll have some to share, care to get a few, Kristine? Hard to share plants that are not plants yet, LOL!, but the offer is good, all unforeseen events pending. Let me know.

Kristine,

I just wrapped 6 Purple Prince cuttings. The pith on them was white and very healthy looking. So, we'll see what transpires. Looks very promising.

Moses

I bought mine 5/29/20 through Amazon, listed as Brindabella's Purple Prince, by Hirt's, own root. It has done well all summer in the pot and is about to go in the ground.

Brindabella Purple Prince Shrub Rose-One of The World's Most Fragrant - 4" Pot

Sold by: Hirt's Gardens

$12.99

"The Favorite New Flowering Plant goes toSuntory Flowers' new Brindabella shrub roses, specifically Purple Prince. But they are all quite lovely!

(It shows a picture of a much darker purple rose than the magenta ones I've seen)

Brindabella Purple Prince from Suntory

Big, bushy roses, gorgeous double flowers, excellent disease resistance—plus such a wonderful fragrance I haven’t encountered in new roses in quite some time. The other selling points are its vigorous growth on a bush that remains under 4-ft. tall, and its suitability in both the home and commercial landscape. Colleague Jen Zurko, who saw them at MANTS the week before, notes that Brindabella has fewer thorns up toward the top of the stem. That is great news for home gardeners, for sure!" If you'd like to see the picture the link is below.

https://www.greenprofit.com/Newsletters/View/Newsletter/?article=2433

One of my Brindabella Purple Prince plants managed to set a hip! Just a solitary hip!

So far, this doesn't seem to be a common growth/development feature for BPP, therefore that was particularly exciting, as I am always exploring crossing roses to create new ones. Thus, I waited all summer for this solitary hip to ripen sufficiently, then I carefully popped it open in hopes of extracting some viable seeds. The hip contained but a single seed inside of it, though a healthy well-formed one.

I should also note that the BPP plant which set this solitary hip was growing right next to a Mutabilis rose (Rosa chinensis) - a very special kind of China rose, because all of its "butterfly"-like blooms transition through multiple colors, on the same shrub, and simultaneously! When in full-bloom, the bush (from a distance) looks like a massive swarm of butterflies landed on it! That is why it is informally referred to as "The Butterfly Rose." And since this plant produces blooms continuously - Spring to frost - this rose is a must-have for rose collectors who go after the unusual and the unique.

Back to talking about this sole seed which I extracted from the solitary hip: So, I either ended up with a viable cross of the two (Brindabella Purple Prince and Mutabilis), or not. Time will tell, when I begin to attempt to sprout this sole seed of mine by taking it through all its cycles to break dormancy (warmth, moist cold, then warmth again.) Wouldn't it be amazing to end up with an extremely fragrant Mutabilis-ish rose?! Or something else, entirely?

I will report back on this project.

In the meantime, I'm wondering how common (or uncommon for that matter) it is for BPP to form seed-viable hips? Anyone else have some insights or experiences?

I have to give BPP a huge thumbs up.

It has been in the ground since a bunch of us purchased them from Hirt.

In mid summer I noticed that the lawn and planting bed where BPP was planted was mucky wet.

All of a sudden this summer we have water coming from somewhere above us and soaking my yard. Poor Purple Prince sitting in water and blooming its beautiful head off.

We finally got it moved to a pot this last weekend and the soil was really wet yet this rose continued to put out new growth and lots of blooms.

Such a trooper

My first attempt at posting a photo so hopefully this works.... I got BPP at a local nursery at the end of August. I knew nothing about it but it was full of big, gorgeous blooms and looked very healthy. I also got Cinco de Mayo, to replace the CdM that died on me. I planted them next to each other. CdM died a rapid and dramatic death (this rose hates me apparently). BPP grew and bloomed and has stayed very healthy in my blackspot world of humid NC. I am very impressed! And it smells amazing!

@lotus_z8nc,

I have Cinco de Mayo plants, as well, and all of mine have done pretty well once I placed them in a more protected spot from the blazing-hot afternoon Sun, here in central Mississippi (Zone 8A) where I live. These CdM roses seem to be more fit for a half-day/morning-sun placement in the landscape, if one particularly lives in hotter zones.

What's more, CdM appears to be especially adept at soils on the dryer side - a near-xeriscape rose, I dare say. It would almost certainly give up the ghost in soggy soils, and I saw that happening early on in my purchase of these (caught it just in time before root rot set in), therefore moving them to a drier while simultaneously more Sun-protected location. So, it appears that CdM is finicky with location and soil medium (whereas a number of other roses are more forgiving.) At least, that is my personal anecdotal experience.

Even so, CdM is so unusually sublime in its colors, hence totally worth it for me! I have it grouped in a circular bed (surrounding a bird bath sitting in partial shade/dappled Sun) with Hot Chocolate roses - also an unusually unique color. They (CdM and HC) get along very well in close-quarter mass plantings, and are of a similar height class.

By the way: Lusciously delectable photos of the Purple Prince, those photos of yours! Your's too, Kristine LeGault! However, Kristine, some of your earlier photos appear to show roses which seem far more fuller in petal count (very double, just about "cabbagy") to be the *Brindabella* Purple Prince. Could these by chance be the *other* Purple Prince, from New Zealand, and not the Australian-bred Brindabella line? Are you able to confirm these as BPP, and not just PP? (Have you saved the plant tags, by chance?) You have me very curious in what seems as high variability in flower form. The other possibility is that pehaps BPP's hybridization and/or parentage was not fully stable when brought to market? Causing some specimens to revert to characteristics of one of the other lineages? Shrug. 🤷‍♂️ Then again, my BPP's are but barely two years old, and so are juveniles which probably have not shown their full potential. Because as of now, all of the flowers on my BPP's open to *somewhat* double (not fully double), and exhibit a prominently protruding yellow "button" stamen center. Yours, by contrast (the earlier of your photos), show no prominently open stamen center at all, and instead the stamen appears to be fully submerged in an ocean of cabbagy petals upon petals.

Mine wasn't too full petaled because of the mukky soil

Here is an earlier picture

kristine_legault's ideas · More Info

Igor THANK YOU for all that information on CdM! It is very helpful and will hopefully keep me from killing the one that I have ordered for the spring. The first one I killed had been moved from an area in the front of my house where it had been neglected (hardly ever watered). When I moved it to one of my backyard beds, of course I watered it...as it dwindled away, I kept watering it, thinking that was what it needed. Oops. The second one that I bought with Purple Prince succumbed to a flooding situation that bothered no one (Purple Prince, Plum Perfect, Champagne, others) but I’m sure caused CdM’s dramatic demise. I really love the colors of this rose so hopefully with this new information I can properly take care of the next one! Thank you again!

Igor - I'm so excited for you that you got a viable seed!! Have you ever got a rose seed to grow into a viable seedling? I'm always looking for new ideas on how to do that.

Kristine - GORGEOUS blooms...but I'm wondering, too, if it's not a different rose. But what do I know, I've never heard of this rose before. LOL Stunning!! Also, your earlier photo did have less petals...so maybe yours is more mature or you have the secret to growing this rose to perfection!

The picure with the full bloom wad taken last year

The less petaled bloom id a rose under extreme duress with mucky wet feet

Hopefully it will be back to its beautiful blooms once again

I just stopped at my local Home depot today, I told myself that I would not buy another rose (yeah right) but they had purple prince! All of a sudden I'm driving home and there's a prince in my passenger seat.

Is everyone still happy with this rose? It is quite fragrant.

Looking back at the picture of the very full rose with the cabbagy form, I realized that it isnt BPP. The only reason that I know for sure is that it is in a different color pot. Geeze, I wonder what that beautiful rose could be lol

So sorry for the misrepresentation

The rose I purchased today has a very similar look though.

Are you aware that home depot used your photo?

Or bell nursery rather.

I love the Brindabella roses so far. Brindabella Purple Prince is robust, floriferous, has a stunning color and the intense damask fragrance with overtones of citrus and hints of tea is EXCEPTIONAL. Disease resistance is stellar. Its faults are that the lovely buds blow open rather quickly and that the wonderful perfume diminishes once the blooms are fully open. It has a pink sport called Brindabella Pink Princess which is just as good.

My other favorites so far are Brindablla Dawn (very double, exquisitely fragrant peach color) and Brindabella Crimson Knight (very double, exquisitely fragrant dark crimson/burgundy with black shadings). I recently found and obtained the latter and am very impressed so far. The whole series seems excellent!

Thanks Chris, how has the cold hardiness been for your rose?

I'm actually in zone five now since I moved to the new house, need to update my user name.

I overwinted a potted one in my unheated garage and it sailed through with no die back. I have heard it overwinters well outside in cold zones and has enough vigor to rebound well in spring as an own root plant.

Do you know if all of the Brindabella roses are own root? I see that they are offered bare root but are those grafted?

The one I picked up is growing in a three gallon brindabella pot but I can't tell if it's own root or not and I'm not sure if I should plant it deeper than it is currently growing.

Awaiting Moses’ followup to his last update from 3 years ago, when he reported PP would be given a prime spot.

Dirt digger, too bad tbey are using a picture that isnt Purple Prince after all. I dont know if I should be honored or irritated?

Thanks for the heads up.

Showing the wrong rose as advertisment could mske purchasers pretty irritated when that is not the rose that they recieve.

I will get puctures with the next flush. It is a great rose, even in a pot. I have never had a bit of disease or die back.

I just emailed Bell Nursery to let them know that they were using an incorrect image of Brindabella Purple Prince.

I felt like saying " that is what you get for stealing pictures" but I didnt.

Oh and I tried to copy my picture and it says that pictures are subject to copyright. What !!

Kristine, Edwards here in Boise was using a photo of Helen's on its list of roses available. And Helen's photos are all well identified and labeled. I told Helen about it, and it was a surprise to her. But Edwards did remove Helen's photo because someone must have let them know about it. You were too easy on the nursery. Diane

I emailed them again and if I dont get a response tomorrow I will be giving them a call.

Im getting less nice by the hour.

Thanks for the info on Edwards using Helen's pictures.

Kristine, why are you not calling them out for stealing? If you keep being nice I bet they just ignore you and play ignorant. Send emails and leave a voicemail letting them know you've got documentation of your attempts to contact them about it, and that if they don't take it down you're going to put them on blast all over social media for intellectual theft. Watch how fast they suddenly see your emails. It's not as if they aren't aware that they shouldn't lift other people's online photos without permission.

Oh, they sell to big box stores? Eh good luck, they probably won't care about social media stuff if they don't even sell to the general public.

I think photos are purchased en masse from photo services that are not too careful about where the photos they sell come from. I'm sure that's where Edwards picked up Helen's photo. Edwards is one of the most ethical businesses I know of--run by a local family since the 1930s. Diane

I took a screen shot of your photo on the website to show you here, you could try that.

Forever - man, oh man!!! That last pic is a beauty!! Really refined looking bloom...and you say that fragrance is amazing? Ooooh! I want one!!

Rosecanadian: I hope you can find one in your area. The fragrance is absolutely lovely, old rose with fruit. It is stronger than the nearby Blue Girl and Sheila’s Perfume, which I consider are very fragrant already.

And I love the swaying form, not so rigid, but not nodding much.

Even the color of the leaves is lovely. :) Mmmmm the fragrance sounds amazing!

Forever, yay you got a Brindabella Purple Prince . Mine has been moved a couple of times and it hasn't skipped a beat. It' such a perfect rose.

What a fabulous Mother's Day gift.

Kristine, yay thank you all for inspiring me. It is an excellent rose and actually my new favorite.

I am also wondering, have you found out what the rose was that you posted earlier, which is not BPP. that is very beautiful. Purple Lodge, maybe?

!

rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)

last year

Awaiting Moses’ followup to his last update from 3 years ago, when he reported PP would be given a prime spot.

Follow up on the mistaken rose, it is Celestial Night , another great rose

Kristine,

I was just going to guess Celestial Night! I think it is probably the strongest growing and most disease resistant of the Weeks’ purples, but Ebb Tide and Twilight Zone are more purple and fragrant.

Agree that Ebb Tide, especially, and Twilight Zone have nice scents, and both are very purple. Twilight Zone is a strong grower in my garden. The Prince, not Purple Prince, gets quite purple in the fall. Diane

The Prince in late October 2023

TZ in an old favorite photo.

Wow... I missed the photo copyright piracy issue last year. Ironically, I was just contemplating posting a comment to another pertaining to their stated intention to propagate a patented cultivar -- just a gentle reminder about intellectual property...

It feels like Suntory (or whomever) might have ceded a bit of moral high ground on that one.

I would however consider that possibility that Houzz claims intellectual rights to any and all images (and text) posted on this forum. (Have any of you read the full end user disclosure? I know I have not.)

Houzz obviously purchased the Garden Forum with the intention of monetizing it. The funding, hosting, and maintaining of websites isn't free, you know.

I would not be surprised to learn that houzz owns own everything posted here as their own intellectual property. It's not entirely inconceivable they could have sold the (mislabeled) image.

I have Celestial Night, and to my surprise, it is doing failry well here in this Central Texas garden where so many of my roses fry. I might have to give in and try her half-sister Twilight Zone... I had actually acquired Purple Lodge a few years ago (sold as Angel Face by a grower who probably didn't acquire the rights to sell PL) but it unfortunately did not survive its first summer.

Wow... I missed the photo copyright piracy issue last year. Ironically, I was just contemplating posting a comment to another pertaining to their stated intention to propagate a patented cultivar -- just a gentle reminder about intellectual property...

It feels like Suntory (or whomever) might have ceded a bit of moral high ground on that one.

I would however consider that possibility that Houzz claims intellectual rights to any and all images (and text) posted on this forum. (Have any of you read the full end user disclosure? I know I have not.)

Houzz obviously purchased the Garden Forum with the intention of monetizing it. The funding, hosting, and maintaining of websites isn't free, unfortunately, and I have wondered what value Houzz gets from this forum. I would not be surprised to learn that houzz owns own everything posted here as their own intellectual property. It's not entirely inconceivable they could have sold the (mislabeled) image.

I have Celestial Night, and to my surprise, it is doing failry well here in this Central Texas garden where so many of my roses fry. I might have to give in and try her half-sister Twilight Zone... I had actually acquired Purple Lodge a few years ago (sold as Angel Face by a grower who probably didn't acquire the rights to sell PL) but it unfortunately did not survive its first summer.

" Oh and I tried to copy my picture and it says that pictures are subject to copyright. What!!"

People on Youtube made fake LLCs that go around and report Youtuber's videos as their own, where the Youtuber is even the presenter, then CLAIM the video monetarily. They get away with it, even if Google/Youtube is aware, because of how creators don't have IP protections in place. They also do this for original music. I used to find my photos in Ebay sales lol. Sometimes on a site called 1001-landscaping-ideas.

The system is immensely in favor of: first claim, first server and businesses. Creators of all types have to do the leg work ahead of time, which sucks the fun out of creating images/videos/music online.

Rifis,

Sorry for the delayed report. My Purple Prince fizzled out after giving an impressive first year. Possibly, it being such a little guy from Hirt's its first winter even protected and looking pretty good come spring, the stress was just too much for it. It just slowed down too much. The cuttings I took from pruned stems, even though having nice light colored piths, all failed. This may have been due more to something I did wrong than due to something wrong with the cuttings. I have mixed success propagating roses, more fails than takes.

I would like to give it a second try, but not unless it is a black spot fighter and winter survivor since I no longer spray for fungi nor give winter protection. Perhaps starting off with a gallon size (as you revealed to me, thanks again), or a two gallon size will be the ticket to success.

There are more reliably black spot resistant as well as winter hardy roses out there other than ADR winners, although an ADR attained rose has been a pretty reliable 'seal of approval,' for me, the other acceptable roses are ones I need to trial myself for the most part. This is a long, tedious process.

Moses