Yes, drat on black spot on your RC. I've thrown out about 7 roses that have Downy Mildew. It gets disheartening. OTOH, I'm glad that you've got roses that are clean. :) :)

So true, Carol. Reminiscent Coral will be given enough time to see if as it settles in the black spot disappears. Truly though, my experience tells me it will be a persistent black spotter. Hope I will be surprised with good news.

Moses.

I hate to read this. I really hope it improves. I love that shade of coral.

Moses I visited the Birmigham Botanical garden yesterday and noticed two roses that looked particularly healthy. Polar express and Sweet Jane, both Kordes. Sweet Jane was particularly pretty and it was not in my radar

Sorry did not take close ups of the blooms after being so inpressed with the foliage. It was about to open buds.

Dianela,

I had Polar Express back when it was introduced, actually two of them, planted next to each other. The flower is nice but small, 2", really a miniflora more than a floribunda. I planted them in the front of my garden, right behind the Drifts. The height given is 4', and it soon became apparent Polar Excess was too tall for its location, also having a small bloom on a tall lanky bush, the growth habit it displayed for me, looked out of balance. It was rock solid black spot free if my recollection is correct. It is an ADR winner. I removed them because they did not fit the space correctly, which was my fault in planting them where I did.

I recall our Rifis posting a photo of Polar Express which was a sight to see, grown to perfection.

I have had my eye on Sweet Jane for some time. It's not ADR, but it obviously fights black spot excellently if it isn't sprayed, going by the photo you posted. Does the Birmingham Botanical Garden spray for fungi?

Moses.

Moses I could not find a single worker that could answer that question yesterday. My impression is that if they do spray they don’t do it on a regular schedule since most other roses had mild to moderate blackspot. Most notably the Christian Bedard intro “All Dressed up” grandiflora which I had on my list to try only had leaves at the top.

They had sweet Jane a few years ago at many of the big box stores and I sorely regret not buying her she had beautiful flowers and a lovely scent. I had said I wasn't going to buy any more roses. I've never regretted buying a rose just not buying 1.

Dianela,

As prolific a breeder of beautiful roses as Christian Bedard is, their black spot resistance is not too good. What an excellent grower, abundant bloomer, and great winter hardiness Bedard's Pretty Lady Rose is/has been, n and fragrant, too! Alas, it black spots pretty badly.

It seems that Ping Lim is light years ahead of Bedard in this regard, as is Radler, but Radler's bushes are commercially oriented. Lim's roses are directed to the interests of the home rosarian. I'm waiting for the day when Ping Lim produces a hybrid tea of such perfection of bloom, yet has excellent disease resistance, and winter hardiness to its tips in zone 5, that it becomes the top winning HT at rose shows across the USA. It can happen.

Moses.

Sweet Jane received high scores at a Univ Georgia at Athens rose trial several years ago. The trial garden posted the month by month scorecard for each rose in that trial (that one year, roses from Kordes, Meilland, and a few DA, if I remember correctly) after it was completed, at its website. It was there for years afterward, but I don’t see a link to it or any of their other rose trials now.

Perhaps Rifis will post that remarkable photo of Polar Express. Please!

Moses.

Yes rifis please 😁. I definitely need to add polar express to my garden. Great whites are hard to find.

Sorry to hear Moses! Thats a bummer!

Nice photos Markay & dianela7analabama....

Right now, July 15, 2026, all the leaves below the first dead head cut, the first flush blooms' support foliage, have dropped! I don't want to be too hasty, but things are not going well for Reminiscent Coral. It has been a tough year so far, hot, hot weather wise, but it has not suffered from lack of watering, by no means.

Moses.

Markay - is that delicious looking peachy rose to the left Peach Swirl? Wonderful!!! Ooooh...Your La Perla gives some really large, impressive blooms.

Moses - oy vey, that's too bad. I would be hasty if I were you. But that's just me. You're more measured and fair. :)

dianela: I don’t remember posting a photo (of PE) nor do I see one fitting Moses’ description in my photo archive.

@rosecanadian, that is Sonnenwelt to the left, Laguna in the background and Anglia Love in the foreground.

Three blooms on Reminiscent Coral just reached perfect, exhibition form today. They are stunningly beautiful. The coral color is like no other. Would you advise me to break out the sprayer and go back to my bi-weekly spray schedule? What do you think?

Since I no longer have to spray for Rose Midge Fly, the intensity of spraying need not be at that feverish past level that had to be maintained. I also need to resume spraying regularly for saw fly which are really hitting the growing tips hard currently. I did not realize how much additional collateral protection the roses were getting from other insects when I regularly, religiously sprayed for Rose Midge Fly.

Rain is predicted for Saturday, so Monday evening looks good to resume spraying. This way, my soon to be remaining two Apricot Candys (two left out of the original four), will get a permanent reprieve. Their blooms are just too lovely for me to completely eliminate them from my rose bed.

So, my prime directive to only grow roses which need no spraying, especially for black spot and Rose Midge Fly, has to be rethought, taking other nasties under consideration.

Ah! I thought the sprayer could be retired!

Moses.

Markay - Sonnewelt! What a beauty!! Hmf reviewers give it stellar marks. :)

Moses - that's too bad. I have lots of ants, and they're known to eat midges. Maybe that's why I don't have any. I know that I used to, many years ago.