Only four of DA's roses have ever gotten over 4' here: Teasing Georgia, 5-6 feet by August; Evelyn, 4.5' if the winter was mild like last year; and Graham Thomas, 5'; James Galway, 6'+ (James Galway is NOT fragrant here). None of the roses get any winter protection or supplemental water after their first year. I do feed them once in early spring with whatever balanced plant food is on sale, and I try to give them one good manure / bark mulching by May.

Please note that all of these roses are over 5 years old -- it takes time to build up the root growth that will then support cane growth. I try to get growth that every year is a "little bit better".

when i focused on roses in livonia MI ...... i also had all that fall heavy cut back.. bury in mulch.. under a rose cone ...

but i also had a heavy fert regimen ... that i cant really remember 30 years back ... but it was something like a half cup of 10-10-10 or what not.. no WWW back then.. we used to wing it with this kind of stuff .. basically a handful.. scratched in with a claw rake.. a foot away from the plant ...

needless to say.. the plant usually grew to expectation .. but not over such.. meaning not over fert'd ...

i presume you dont fert that much to grow show roses???

ken

ps: i also had a spray regimen ... every 4 to 6 weeks .. bugs and disease ... i gave up roses when the kids were contemplated... didnt want to be messing with all that spraying ...

oh.. your actual question.. lol .. i had a few DAs in my collection of around 150 plants ... meh ... great marketing.. nice roses.. frankly.. nbd.. and often under performers .... not many flowers at any given time ....

ken

Dingo, I don't recall ever seeIng pictures of your garden before. It's just so stunning and peaceful.

Aw thanks Vap - it’s kind of a hodge podge!

Your Bathsheba is exquisite, Dingo. And I love your garden--not a hodge podge. Diane

Royal Jubilee is 3- 3/12 feet tall here. Mary Delany, The Generous Gardener and James Galway reach 5 feet. Mary Delany has smaller blooms than the others, but a charming rose nonetheless. All have sweet fragrance to my nose.

Mary Delany

The Generous Gardener

I have only Tamora. It's two feet tall and gives a couple of flowers, which last a couple of days. I've had it for 10 years. It's not thriving, it's surviving.

I planted the bud union 6" inches below and am too lazy to dig it up. I cut it a bit for winter. Mine by mid winter is under 5 feet of compacted snow and ice. I don't bother to protect any of my tender roses any more. I just flatten them to the ground and hope for the best. If they survive good for them if not, adios, I'll rpelace with something hardy.