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hydrarose

Rambler suggestions

3 years ago

I am looking for a rambler for Northern Ontario zone 4b.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also would Long John Silver

survive here?


Comments (8)

  • 3 years ago

    The usual suspect is Baltimore Belle.

    Long John Silver has barely survived here. From what I've seen, it's a zone 7 plant.

  • 3 years ago

    Boy did I go down a rabbit hole I started with Paul's Himalayan Muskand found out its not as hardy to my zone as I thought it was, so I found Long John Silver rated to zone 2 but you say its hard to find the right one. Of the three you listed Geschwinds Orden rose catches my heart its beautiful hoping I can find it here in Canada. Thank you so much for the information.

  • 3 years ago

    Don't forget that if you want to acquire Geschwinds Orden, that you can order "Gilda" and still get the right rose, lol. As far as I know, the true Gilda isn't in commerce, and all roses sold as Gilda are actually G's Orden. If you can find it, you're going to love it. It's a shame it's not more easily available.

  • 3 years ago

    When in rose season does Orden/"Gilda" begin to bloom,please? and how long do the flowers last? Could it be happy in a very warm climate like mine, with it's LONG,hot, droughty summers?

    I ask because, some years ago, I tried Gem of the Prairies because I loved the look of those flowers,with the very dark centers fading to almost white at the edges. The plant itself thrived, but it never bloomed-not once do I remember ever seeing a flower on it, It suckered, too,but no flowers. I sp'd it,naturally. But it would be nice to find a rose with such a flower,though I've learned the hard way that later-season ramblers aren't the best in my climate-it gets too hot too early in the season.

  • 3 years ago

    FWIW, I SPed Geschwind's Orden because it blackspotted and balled unless it had absolutely the most prime, sunniest place I could give it. In full sun, it just blackspotted.

    We got rid of Gem of the Prairies because it underperformed, and just looked 'off'. I was a long time ago, but I seem to remember it grew reasonably well, but rarely bloomed. The idea at the time was to replace it with Queen of the Prairies, but that one never came our way.


    Have you tried President de Seze? To my eye, that color combination is a gallica look.

  • 3 years ago

    Several setigera hybrids have already been suggested, but it might be worth looking into a few more. I have 'Captain Kidd', and its hardiness here in Zone 5b suggests it might be a possibility for you. (No word yet on how floriferous it is... I just got it last year. It does have mercifully few thorns!) 'Doubloons' is another one to consider.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    @User Bart, I don't keep good records, so I can only give you comparisons to other roses, and hope that you can extrapolate from there. G'sO blooms for me considerably after Rosa hugonis, and is in full bloom by the time my spinossimas are doing their thing, which is just before the hybrid teas and floribundas are in full flush. G'sO usually blooms just after peak peony season here...but I grow mostly early types, since late Spring is so hot here. I would call it "High Spring", before the weather turns consistently hot. If the Spring is long and cool, G'sO/"Gilda" will give me almost a month of bloom. With our unpredictable weather, it's usually more like 3 weeks from the first blooms to "mostly done". Brief, but glorious.

    As for disease, I rarely notice much BS or mildew on my two plants. Rudely healthy here, which goes to show that the same rose can perform wildly differently by location. That mine are so healthy (and vigorous!) may be attributable to where they grow- up in the southeast facing side of trees - and how I feed them. They usually (hopefully) get twice yearly applications of dried, but not composted, cow manure (I have cows....and more cows). I also mulch them heavily. These two get more care than most of my ramblers/climbers, because they're worth it. This rose in full bloom is a religious experience. The one quality it lacks is perfume. Zero that I can detect, though my mom says it smells like sweet hay. But...who cares when your soul is being raptured by visual beauty? lol


    I found an old photo of Not-Gilda. This is past peak bloom, mostly faded, just a few years after it was planted. It had just started to climb at this point.