I had Dark Desire and yanked it fairly soon because it sent up one long thorny cane with a bloom at the top.

I have seen pictures of others and they are gorgeous . Mine sadly wasnt.

On the other hand, Blue For You is one of my favorite roses . It took a while to get going but once it did, wow . Healthy and the color of those blooms are incredible

I lost my Marilyn Monroe and Koko Loco. MM grew backwards on fortunina the day I put it in the ground. I do not know why. Koco Loco grew for several years.... maybe 10. It was own root.... but it did not make it through my flood last year. I will probably replace it because I enjoyed the color change so much. The only thing that I disliked about it was lack of scent.... and it will probably be the only replacement of a non scented rose. I have decided to get scented roses from now on.... so I guess that says a lot for Koko Loco.

Dark Desire is also an own root rose for me. I have had it for 10 plus years. I am surprised that it is still going so strong for me because I live in nematode infested South Florida.... but I say it is so robust that I have suggested once it is off patent, someone should try to use it as a rootstock. The only bad thing about this rose is the thorns. He and I have a love hate relationship because he scratched my cornea.... that is the worst hurt I have had and I have had a couple of major operations.

Out of all of these DD is the only one that has a nice strong fragrance.

I hang out with Facebook Fragrant rose group, and Marilyn Monroe (very thorny) does well for Pakistan rose growers at 113 F. I saw MM at Chicago Botanical Garden, MM blooms are large, but with faded color (beige) in full sun, zero scent. I was most impressed with Elle, a prettier color & better looking bush that day.

Marilyn Monroe was one of my very favorite roses, but I gave it to a friend b/c it got too tall. I grow most of my roses in 15 gallon pots. Perfect form, good fragrance. The vicious thorns didn't bother me. I've had Koko Loco for maybe 3-4 years, and I love the blooms, but I find it to be kinda stingy.

Sharon - scratched your cornea! Ow!!! Maybe we all need to wear safety glasses around our roses.

Dianela - that last picture is staggeringly beautiful!! And I can't believe how huge your Dark Desire is!

Blue for You has been very good for me, I’d grow her for the unusual color alone, but she also tidy, productive and has a nice apple scent.

Ben, your picture is much better than mine. It is such a gorgeous rose. Right now mine are more dusty almost grey

Just a great all round rose.

Ben - of all of your utterly stunning roses...I think I love your Blue for You the most!!! SWOON!!!

Thanks Carol and Kristine. Blue for You’s color is only that nice grape in spring for me, but it’s a good performer all season.

Sounds wonderful! :) :) :)

Carol Dark desire gets to at leastb7 feet tall with heavy prunning twice a year. it could be a nice climber here i think if left to do its thing.

I have Koko Loko and Dark Desire.

Koko Loko is not my most impressive rose, but it is not in the best of location in my garden. The color is a unique coffee during the initial bloom. When the bloom matures and opens fully it changes color to a shape of lavender that looks sort of washout to me.

Here is a representative picture of the initial bloom:

Later when the bloom matures:

Dianela, your picture of Dark Desire is very beautiful.

I have Dark Desire since the spring this year. During the spring, the blooms ball badly and none open, but in the summer it started to do better. It is already a tall bush, about 5.5 feet by 3 feet and looks like will grow much larger in my climate. I would like to mention balling because Jay posts from India - not sure where exactly in India but humidity may be an with this rose.

For some reason the blooms of mine looks a lot like a traditional hybrid tea than many I have seen in pictures and seemed different than Dianela.

Balling up could be an issue since, my place has humidity above 80% for quite a big portion of a year.

Dianela - really? That's HUGE!! I can see why you'd want to keep cutting it back...who wants a sequoia in their backyard. LOL

Rose - I think both shades are gorgeous...thanks for the pictures! I'm not sure if I want to get this rose though...I'm torn. I love the beauty of it...but I want to get roses with fragrance. Does yours have any fragrance?

What STUNNINGLY beautiful roses!!!! My Dark Desire hated me. LOL If it had been like THAT I would have kept it!!!

Carol, as far as I can tell, Koko Loko has no fragrance, and I didn't see any review that said it does either. It is a rose that likes heat and does best in hot places. In HMF, someone said it did not survive zone 6a winter despite trying 3 times.

Mine just does not get enough sun because it was shaped by 2 trees. It blooms for me here and there but never massively. Nevertheless, I still keep it since the color is unique.

Thanks, Rose Lai!! No fragrance. Hmmmm....I think I may not get it then. I'll get Honey Dijon instead. Thanks!

I've grown Blue for You for quite a few years now. I've enjoyed it in USDA Zones 9b hot inland valley heat; 10a hot inland valley heat mitigated by ocean influence and 9b coastal cool with periods of heat. It regularly has Western Flower Thrips like every other bloom in my yard (flower thrips have been a well documented issue in this area for the 150+ years it has been a heavy agricultural area). We don't have Chilli Thrips here...yet, and may never due to how cool, damp and chilly the climate is here. Its scent is INTENSE and impresses my nose as heavily spiced Honey Crisp apple. It continues flowering in heat (unlike its offspring, Rhapsody in Blue, which I have avoided because of its shutting down when the heat hits) and has been completely disease free everywhere I have grown it and in each climate I've gardened in. I do not spray anything, no pesticides nor fungicides and I seldom fertilize. Its color is highly variable, with the deeper, "bluer" tones developing in cooler temps and lower light levels, so if those are the colors you are hoping for, provide it some protection from the hottest, most intense sun levels. I absolutely LOVE this rose!

I don't spray for BS either. Sadly, you're correct about RIB. I have a 2 year old RIB and it completely defoliates in summers and even if it blooms those are mostly 4 petal ones.

I just dug up my Dark Desire and put it in a pot and plan to give it away. Kordes roses just don't thrive for me. I liked the color - but I got one bloom this year, 2 blooms last year. And it looks...if not sickly, certainly not healthy.

Koko Loco is a lovely rose and rose bush for me. I have one grafted and another own-root from Heirloom. The own root is in year 2 and already looks as good as the grafted one. I love the colors -- they change while blooming but also with seasons. Look up Grace Rose Farms and you'll swoon over her bouquets of Koko Loco!

Oh, Deborah....Deborah...Deborah. Why do you taunt me with a nonfragrant GORGEOUS rose? LOL LOL Oh, I think I'll put it on my list from Palatine. I've dithered over getting this rose for many years. Maybe 2022 is the year!!

Yeah, good riddance to Dark Desire. Blech.