@joeywyomingzone4 that is such a pretty color!! I will be very interested in how they all pull through the winter for you.

Purple Lodge is ready to take over the pot and then most likely the deck.

What a healthy vigorous grower and repeat of blooms is very good.

The bands I got last year have had one winter now, so here's my list of how they are growing in their second year...

Outstanding : Jeanne Lajoie, America, Sparkle & Shine, Jean Kenneally, Ebb Tide, Lavender Jewel. Multiple flushes of blooms already, good winter hardiness, look nice in the garden.

Mediocre: Amiga Mia, Just Joey. Doing okayish but they still look like babies. Little blooms.

Not great: Let Freedom Ring, Ferdinand Pichard, Wollerton Old Hall. Looked like they had come out of winter great, leafed out fine, then stalled and aren't doing anything.

These are the bands i got from Freshlivinggarden:

vigorous: zephirine drouhin, Florentina, julia child

doing ok: eden, PIP eden

not vigorous: Kiss me Kate, Crazy love

All the ones from Heirloom are doing well except Summer Romance.

Rogue Valley:

Little White Pet - great (Blooming in the heat).

Mel's Heritage - great (Blooms when I give it extra water).

Blush Noisette - great ( trying to bloom in the heat).

Alnwick - very healthy but a mislabel (Gave 3+ blooms recently as well).

Velvet Fragrance - bloomed a lot in the spring but is declining/dead (water issues?)

Angel Gardens:

Diamond Eyes - great ( blooming).

Cecile Brunner Spray - great.

Pomponella - great.

Generous Gardner - great.

Ebb Tide - great ( Keeps trying to bloom in the heat).

Olivia Austin - great ( Trying to bloom as well).

Queen of Sweden - good.

Ascot - okay.

Bull's Eye - okay.

Spice Trail - not doing well.

Carding Mill - dead.

Fresh Garden Living:

Earth Angel - great.

Julia Child - dead ( probably my fault).

Joey,

Can you post photos of your outstanding ones?

I'm going to do a couple of posts since I just put together a long one with pics and it went poof. These are my 2020 plants so one year old. I didn't put anything new in for 2021

Best two:

Easy on the Eyes and Fred Loads.

Easy on the Eyes (on right) planted May 2020. Had a great first flush, then paused and is having a good second but the Japanese Beetles are taking a toll. Iceberg on the left is 4 years old for comparison.

I find the flowers on Easy on the Eyes exceptionally pretty. Easy on the Eyes was winter hardy which is why it's size compares so favorably with Iceberg.

Fred Loads is a surprise winner. Matt from High Country Roses recommended it and I'm finding I love it. So far it is tall and lean but that works where it is because I can see it over the other roses when I look in it's direction.

Bright colors work well when your viewing from a distance.

I'm really looking forward to Fred Loads filling in. Let's hope it becomes winter hardy since it wasn't last year.

Middle of the pack: Candy Land, Above All, Neil Diamond, Livin Easy.

Candy Land and Above All are climbers.

Candy Land has had a decent number of blooms. Put in May 2020. But it is small because it died back in the winter. It was from High Country Roses and reputed by Matt to be growing at Hudson Gardens (which is a local event center) where it does well. I hope it does better when established because I really don't need another rose that dies back every year.

I find I like the flowers. They are cream and white striped.

Above All was originally planted in a different location and was moved this spring to the main flower bed. So the move may have put it a little behind where it would be.

It has a tangerine color that I find pleasing.

If it turns out to be winter hardy in this location it could be a stunner.

I love Above All's color. How's the scent on that one? Thanks.

August 2020 I planted John Cabot, a very small band which did nothing last year but has really impressed me with growth this year, growing 3 new basal canes that are 3-4 feet tall. Not to mention it bloomed very well from the beginning of June through to the middle of July. Love it. The color is vibrant and it has a nice scent, plus native bees loved it. Didn't bat an eye over winter.

Neil Diamond and Livin Easy are two that I did not see the blooms in person before buying and so far I'm not that thrilled with either of the flowers.

Neil Diamond is sort of a dark red and white stripe. The flowers crisp on the bush. But it's growth is good (front center of picture). I do find the flowers clash with all my other flowers so I like to put them in a separate bowl for display.

This is the most true to color photo I have of it. The others in the dish are Dr. Huey and Denver's Dream. It seems to display better with the darker/dusky colored roses and doesn't do well with my bright colors and pastels.

Livin Easy's blooms last alot longer than my old Playboy. The flowers are pretty but not as beautiful as Playboy's were. I will get used to it if it decides to become winter hardy (which it was not last year). I probably would have loved it if I'd never had Playboy's flowers.

My big loser is Souvenir de St. Anne. The only thing that can be said of her is she isn't dead.

This was her big spring flush. Her blooms crisp within the day. This was a poor choice for my area.

How could I forget Hula Hoop!! It was completely tip hardy and has been blooming nonstop. Champlain is showing on the edge, it isn't a large bush but very hardy.

Sparkle and Shine...photo doesn't show the whole bush because I was trying to show my sister the lavender lol.

Jeanne Lajoie. Very vigorous and healthy

Ebb Tide

Strawchicago,

I dare not take off my N95 mask to smell Above All. We are so polluted here with ozone and fire smoke that I probably couldn't smell it anyways. Here is another photo of it, but this one is in the shade.

I looked on Helpmefind and it says salmon-orange. I agree with salmon in the shade but to me it is more a beautiful tangerine in the sun which would match up with their description of orange.

Also, here is a bush picture of Bright and Shiny since you were interested in that one. The blooms are not showing true to color because the sun was on the wrong angle.

Above All has a faint honey flower scent for me.

@portlandmysteryrose yes I believe it was you that nudged me toward Indigo 🙃 And I am very glad that I bought it! I mean, it's sitting there like a lump not growing, but I have faith that it will show me something lovely and encouraging next spring. I'm very much looking forward to it. Love your Midnight Blue!!

Magpie, I am so glad you have Indigo! It may require a little while to take off, but each year should bring greater glory!! If you ever lose it, I might be able to root you some of my plant from a traveling stolon. Carol

@portlandmysteryrose that is so generous, thank you 💙 hopefully I can post a first bloom pic on one of your threads next year 😊

Carol: Those are the best pics. comparing midnight blue and ebb tide. Lovely deep purple. How's the scent of midnight blue compared to ebb tide, and which one lasts longer on the bush? Thank you.

Most vigorous among my 12 bands (most from LongAgoRoses) plus 6 gallons from Roses Unlimited this year, listing from most vigor to least:

1) Abraham Darby: 2 tiny rootings (less than 2 inch. root) grew into 3 gallons solid root within 2 months, fertilized with alfalfa meal plus high calcium & potassium. Root was so heavy that I had to put in a wheelbarrow.

2) Parfum de paris (from LongAgoRoses) I pinched off at least 20 buds from this climber with exquisite perfume, bought May 12 as a tiny band. Glossy foliage pic. taken July 21, it's in the ground now .. it outgrew the 3-gallon pot.

3) Climbing America: thornless with gaudy orange color. Spreading big bush. Blooming is not as good as Parfum de Paris, only 2 blooms since received end of June.

4) Tradescant: tiny band received on June 11 and shot up to 2 feet. Root grew from a tiny band into solid-3-gallons in less than 1 1/2 month, planted in the ground yesterday August 7. Below pic. was taken 1 month after buying on July 14:

5) Golden Celebration: this is my 2nd one (1st one is 11th-year-own-root). It threw 3 feet canes within 2 months of purchase as a tiny band. Below pic. was taken in early July, it's the red pot with spreading canes:

Most wimpy are: Leander (low-thorn), Wenlock (much less thorn than Tradescant), and almost thornless Felicia which died during July flash flood (3 to 6 inch. of rain per day). Felicia has a reputation of blackspot-prone, does better in drier climate and sunny location, which I don't have in my poor drainage clay and shady garden.

Felicia is NOT hardy for zone 5. I should had listened to my many hours of research on Felicia for the past decade, but I got curious about its scent (similar to Savannah).

Thornless roses like Annie L. McDowell is also wimpy in my heavy clay. Among my 140+ own-root roses, the only vigorous thornless rose in my garden is Zepherine Drouhin.

Strawberry, thank you! Both Ebb Tide and Midnight Blue have wonderful fragrance in my garden, but MB‘s adorable little blooms may actually be more fragrant. The blooms of both cultivars have pretty nice staying power in my garden, but once again, MB may last a little longer. My life has been a bit hectic the last few years, so I haven’t cut roses for the house as often as I used to. I know you love cut flowers, so maybe someone else can speak to that. Really hot temps (consecutive days of 90s and up) do significantly shorten the life span of both varieties’ blooms, as is the case with a number of my roses. They both have wonderful remontancy, and once again, MB a little more so. Like your Zeph, my Zephirine D is a great, fragrant performer! The only Bourbon I grow now. Carol

Stormy Weather, planted 3 weeks ago, so the growth was mostly already there. Northland and The Rosarium Garden Center sell good sized bands, and this was no exception. I didn't notice any buds, so they must have been very tiny, but it has already bloomed twice. The blooms are bigger than I expected and the bush continues to put on new growth. I am pleasantly surprised since this rose doesn't get stellar reviews on HMF. I wish I had taken a whole bush shot, but this is all I have so far.

Stormy Weather, slightly heat damaged.

One of his parents is Rhapsody in Blue, a rose that can't take any heat. I hope Stormy Weather didn't inherit those genes.

Joey, aren't you getting the heatwave over there? And all the smoke? My Jeanne Lajoie is brown from top to bottom. She finally reached the top of her arbor last year along with her companion, Prince Charles clem, but both are crispy and brown. Yours looks so fresh.

Carol (portlandmysteryrose) Thank you for the info. on Midnight Blue versus Ebb Tide. I could had bought Midnight Blue from LongAgoRoses but I had zero info. on its scent, so I chose Felicia (bad choice, died quickly as a band in heavy rain). I once grew purple Baby Fauraux and it had the MOST AMAZING spicy scent, but it's too small and didn't survive zone 5 winter.

I cut roses for the vase since it's either too hot outside (over 90 F), or too humid with too many mosquitoes, or too many Japanese Beetles. I cut blooms before the beetles get to them.

Flowers, my Stormy Weather is a baby also but I’m liking what I’ve seen so far for sure!

I should have put Polka in the "clear winners for vigor" category. I took a closer look today and it really has grown a lot and looks very healthy.

Tina, I'm happy to hear that. We can watch these babies together. Sometimes I question HMF's criteria for their ratings, especially knowing how roses perform in different conditions.

Flowers I'm glad to see your Stormy Weather doing well. I had it in my cart at HCR for this last order and switched it out for another one at the last minute, it will be interesting to see if it does well for you. We have indeed been getting the heat wave and the smoke (broken up by sudden thunderstorms) with temperatures in the 100s during the day and staying high 70s overnight. The gardens doing so well is thanks to StrawChicago's excellent information on the Roses forum. The combination of horse manure compost, alfalfa, and mint tea has been working wonders keeping everything growing and healthy.

Honeymoon is blooming! I'm so impressed with this rose, it has grown fast.

Hot Cocoa is another new one, it is pretty and healthy and a tidy grower

Joey , that is so beautiful!! I have one in a pot and I would really love to combine her with my James Galway . But I get a bit of shade there .. any shade in your garden on honeymoon?

Thank you!! It is behind a firewood pile right now so only gets afternoon sun. And even that is a bit dappled thanks to Le Petit Prince's octopus imitation. I would say she gets moderate sun, not full sun.

That’s wonderful news for me Joey! I think I will plant it by James then. Sounds like similar sun conditions. ♥️

Lilyfinch that will be stunning! Looking forward to pictures!!

Candy Land was looking pretty today so I wanted to update it's photos. It was put in 5/20.

Here is a pic. of the front near the sign.

It seems to be doing well for a 1 yr old rose. Looking more like a bush than a climber.

Lady in Red is also looking more bush like this year. Here is a picture from it, also today. Lady in Red was planted 4/19 but dies back every year.

Both Candy Land and Lady in Red tried to throw long climber like canes their first year but this year are more like bushes.

They are gorgeous!! I'm tempted to get Lady in Red and grow it as a bush!

Joey,

I think that is Lady in Red's best usage in our climate. I got it as a zone 4 climber. In that it is a failure. But as a pretty bush that blooms all summer but dies back in the winter it is a very nice performer.

Joey, it's only been a few weeks, but Stormy Weather continues to look like a winner. I'm hopeful for her winter survival.

Your Honeymoon is so beautiful. I've not had good luck with her. More of a shrub than climber and blooms so seldom. I'm giving her some rose food and increasing her water to see if that helps. I just want her to reach the fence, but she is planted 2' away from it, so much of her growth has to go to closing that gap.

I hope the heat and smoke has subsided for you. It's much better here this week. The roses are breathing a sigh of relief and look as though they have been saving up new growth and buds for a good fall flush.

mmmm, I hear ya! Same here. Some climbers never make it past shrub height here, too. Your Lady in Red and Candy Land both look healthy and happy.

That's good to know about Stormy Weather, Flowers! I'm glad you are having better weather. We still have smoke on and off but it is much cooler now.

Honeymoon was planted with plenty of horse manure, charcoal chunks, and crumbled alfalfa cubes, so she's pretty good sized already. From a baby band in June, she's about 24 inches across now plus blooming steadily with big, fragrant, petal packed blooms. I'm hoping she does well this winter because then she'll be a perfect rose.

Confession and apology time...up thread I mistakenly identified my Coffee Bean rose as Hot Cocoa...sorry folks!

Oops 🙃 Coffee Bean is a similarly colored miniature, right? I love the dark shading on the petal edges.

Update for vigor: HC Banshee is not growing glacially slow anymore! It's more than doubled in height, though it won't actually get big this year since our first frost is surely less than a month away by now. I am so curious to see how these bands will pull through winter and do next year.

At this point in the year I think it's fair to declare the winners of first year vigor: 1st place goes to Madame Plantier, 2nd place is a tie between Madame Ernest Calvat and Sidonie, and 3rd place goes to Polka. Everything else is doing well and looks healthy, but hasn't grown nearly as much as those four.

Sounds like you have a few I want, I'm glad to hear they are doing well for you! Looking forward to your report after winter! Coffee Bean is a fun little mini that is blooming nonstop.

Right? Can't get too attached to a rose until we see how it deals will our winters. All that growth won't mean so much if it has to start all over next spring. Many of the roses I bought did not bloom this year (once bloomers and all) so they need to do well over winter or I'll be so sad!

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your success rate with new bands this year.

This hasn't been an easy year. Till last weekend, we were in the early stages of a drought that started in spring. Anyway, here they are.

A Reverence for Roses

Mutabilis- planted in ground, doing well

Yamatsu-Hime- planted in ground, slow growth

Sunsong- planted in the ground, I thought I might lose it but it's showing some recent growth

Verdun- In a pot. Struggling

Roses Unlimited

Rise 'n' Shine- In a pot. Struggling

Aussie Sixer- In a pot. Doing well

Mutabilis and Aussie Sixer are tied for best new band growth this season. I'll be planting all my potted new roses in the ground as soon as the days are cooler.

Magpie,

Your first year winner list are those 1 yr olds that have gone through a winter or new plants just this year?

@mmmm12COzone5 I listed the best growing bands that were planted THIS spring 😊 So how they fare through winter remains to be seen. I will certainly be updating about that next spring though!

Sidonie

Polka

Mme. Plantier

Mme. Ernest Calvat

Sally Holmes (honorable mention)

Thanks Magpie! If you could do a similar post to my Truth about Zone 5 Roses in Spring where you take a picture of each plant before you cut off the dead cane I would find that very helpful.

Also don't make the mistake we did for the first 3 years and prune too early. We always took off the really dead stuff in March or April. But this year we waited until after Mother's day. We are going to wait going forward because I think pruning too early stimulated growth which got hurt in late snow storms and freezes.

Next year I will also take some more pics of the dead canes just before pruning.

@mmmm12COzone5 I can do that!

I am going to do last year 2020 Unusually cool mid 70's most of the summer

HCR

Strike it Rich & Firefighter...looks like regular HT's even in a pot.

Earth Angel...good height and vigor, but no blooms until a zillion this spring (the new one also won't bloom the first year either) pot

ebay South Africa & Savannah....both quickly grew to full sized and bloomed..pots

This year 2021 Record hot days

HCR..March

Koko Loco...18 inches a number of blooms.. doing well in a.pot

State of Grace...14 inches 2 canes a number of blooms...doing well in a pot

Anna's Promise...12 inches only 2 blooms, struggling...probably too small of pot

Pinkerbelle...14 inches, a couple of blooms....only blooms well in cool...too wet of pot

PCDM...18 inches a couple of blooms...need to repot, might be too small of pot

Liv Tyler...18 inches a couple of blooms...too small of pot

Ketchup and Mustard....2 feet 4 canes, lots of blooms...Wow!!!! No scent but blooms and color.

Northland...April

Distant Drums,,,4 inches...really struggling...finally repotted into MG moisture control and it has sprouted 4 new leaves

Honey Dijon...14 inches an couple of blooms...doing well in a pot.

Fresh Garden Living Etsy

Winter Sun....12 inches 2 canes 2 blooms...got it in June....doing well in a pot

Michelangelo Rose...14 inches 2 canes 2 blooms...got in June...doing well in a pot

RVR..got Aug 1.....3 were very yellow, but have greened up with cooler weather....2 green and growing. I can list them, but it doesn't seem much point since they are only 30 days old.