I haven’t grown it, Ben, but I’m thinking I should maybe stop at HD today as well while I’m in town. You know, just in case there’s one of those waiting to come home with me too. I would hate to disappoint it.

Yes, it does look irresistible, Ben, and you're forgiven for buying it. You guys in California get all the good stuff. The dregs are left to Idaho..... We all want to see how it does in your garden. Deep red roses are favorites of mine., but why was this beauty named Red Captain--ugh? It should be called Irresistible. Diane

I'm embarrassed. So this is called True Love, as well as Red Captain. Or am I totally confused? Diane

Yes, Red Captain doesn't suit this gorgeous rose. No wonder you bought it, Ben. I would have too.

If I saw that rose I too would have scarfed it up

What a fabulous color!

Ben, you’ll really like True Love/Red Capitan - it’s a perfect mini. I bought 3 from Altman Plants through Home Depot and Amazon. They bloomed continuously all summer and stayed clean. I love the bloom form and true red color. I’m hoping they make it through their first Wyoming winter 🤞.

Dave - that's such a beautiful picture! I don't grow minis...but I'd grow that one.

Thanks everyone for the responses!

Dave,

I’m especially glad to hear True Love repeats well. HMF lists it as ’occasional’ repeat’, that’s not the most encouragaing word! Hope your Wyoming garden is growing well.

Carol, Kristine

I’m not a mini fan either, but here I am with True Love in my yard. I think I only have 1 or 2 other minis.

Diane

I suppose it’s good for Idaho to have strict restrictions for agriculture. California does too, but I bet my plant (and many roses) are raised within the state.

Judi,

I hope your local HD had some True Love waiting for you. It does look like something they brought out for Christmas!

I was looking it up and found it listed as a hybrid tea and a floribunda and you guys are saying that it is a mini

Hi Kristine,

We are discussing This Mini-Flora True Love aka Red Captain

I know. I specifically googled Ping Lims True Love and got all kinds of descriptions. I will check again. I could use a min iof that color so I am relieved that is what your rose is .

American Rose Trials is calling it a floribunda but other articles are calling it a mini flora

Beautiful either way.

I suppose if you live in New England it’s a Mini-Flora, but in California it’s at least a Floribunda maybe even a Shrub! I spent yesterday digging out an old dusty miller plant that 5x5’. In most parts of the country it’s an annual, but here it’s a shrub!

Oh, that's funny, Ben. I love a certain dusty miller called Silver Lace, and it's impossible to get this around here or even online. I would have loved for it to have grown into a shrub. Speaking of odd sized minis and others. I've mentioned before my grocery store mini (haha) that I've grown for about 15 years. It's about 5X5 feet currently and in spring it blooms full sized blooms. When it heats up, then this rose switches to mini sized blooms with fewer petals (like my old PAoK), and the color changes to a garish bright coral. Then in fall most of the blooms enlarge again. It's the strangest rose I grow. Diane

Grocery store mini, miniflora, floribunda. Take your pick.

That’s one terrific looking plant, Diane so big and full. I did not realize PAOK had petal count issues in the summer, I’m glad I didn’t try her out. Trust me, you would not have wanted my Dusty Miller, it was no Silver Lace, it was Big Gray Thug.

Big Grey Thug describes what I had as well. Actually, we had a yard full of thugs, yukky hideous arbovite and spider infested junipers.

My poor husband spent the first 2 years digging out the dead the dying and the just plain hideous plants.

And I got to start all over again with what I like

Kristine,

i can commiserate with that. I’ve spent the last 6 months digging out tree roots and large shrubs. No one really ever wants a euonymous or ligustrum, so why are the all over my yard? At some point trees were chipped down but their big roots still lay under the surface. I feel good about how much progress I’ve made, but I’d feel much better if I didn’t have to do it at all!

Ben, PAOK is doing pretty well in northern California unlike many other Austin's. I would rate its heat tolerance as good. Below are some photos I took in this July.

Unfortunately, my Home Depot doesn’t seem to carry True Love. I checked this week and there were plenty of other red roses, but not this one. Probably a good idea for me right now… I’m trying to slow down with my rose buying for now. My current beds are full and it will be some time before the next phase of our landscaping is completed and ready for roses.

After seeing True Love on this thread, I kept searching for it online until it finally popped up as available on Walmart (from Altman Plants). I've had it for a little over three months and it has been blooming nearly continously. I can see why it's classified as a miniflora, as its blooms are quite small, maybe 1.5" max for me. Its growth/blooming habit reminds me of a floribunda in the way it sets buds on nearly all new growth. The blooms have no scent, but that's what I expected. The plant has been entirely disease-free.

I grow my very small collection of roses indoors (ill-advised, I know), and some varieties take to the unconventional growing environment much better than others. True Love seems completely unbothered being indoors, at least for the time being.

they have so many at home depot today (San Diego) and selling for $10 for a big pot!

Nina, are the pots 6 quart size, in the color red, with the 'True Bloom,' logo on them? If so, $10.00 is a steal. It paying about $32.00, each, for my two, one ordered from Home Depot and the other from Amazon.

Moses

Yes they are! I found it in their discount section (usually some shelf space outside) but I am in San Diego so maybe they had an overabundance of them - lucky me!

Very nice. It has the nonchalance of Francois Rabelais, which I don’t have but maybe I could spring for True Love …

It looks pretty haarty and easy, no smell though, but that's okay, they're lovely!

Looks like it could be a workhorse of a rose. Wish it had fragrance, but so many minis and minifloras are scentless, that doesn't surprise me.

Interestingly, Ice Kordana, a Kordes mini rose is one of True Love's parents. The Kordana Series was developed by Kordes as gift mini roses that mostly were/are given as gifts and ended up tossed into the trash after they succumbed to indoor conditions. Just shows how complex rose genetics are in this modern age, after so many years of crossing and crossing and crossing some more, especially close relatives. Anything hidden in the genetics comes out to either the joy and wonderment of the rose world, or a Frankenstein horror, tossed into the compost, which is the fate of the vast majority of rose seedlings the breeders produce. I'm no bleeding heart for roses rights, just saying! 🤔

Moses