Wednesday, February 5, 2014

January Roses

More than time to come in with the post about my roses that were blooming in January! Last month started off with a little bit of craziness weather-wise. In parts it was as hot as it is in summer here. That, of course, promotes rose blooms and I had quite a bit of roses still flowering even though it is winter. But I haven't fertilized my roses since last year October, hence the bloom quality wasn't that great and the leaves of the bushes, well, what can I say, they are more than ready to go.

It is very much a concern here in Southern California, and as a matter of fact, for the whole state of California, that we haven't had any substantial winter rains so far. The much needed rain, that everyone was hoping for also didn't come in January. I read an article in USA Today recently, which reported that the governor declared, we are having a "mega-drought" and that water restrictions are to come this year. Surprisingly, the article stated that water restriction wouldn't be reinforced in Southern California yet, which, of course, was a big relieve for me, because there simply will be no roses without water, period. Nonetheless, my husband and I try to do our best to conserve as much water as we can in the house and in the garden. One new strategy is to mulch way higher than I ever did before and I hope that will help.

January is traditionally the month where I deleave and prune most of my roses, but somehow this year I am particularly late. I am still not completely done yet, but hope to finish the task by the end of this week. Then all roses need to get fertilized and mulched. So February will continue to be a very busy month for me here in terms of rose care, but I guess the reward is near. It could very well be, that in March I will have already plenty of roses blooming, again.

Here are the best photos of roses what were flowering in my garden in January:


The first one is 'The Prince', a very beautiful dark crimson red shrub rose, bred by David Austin (United Kingdom, 1990). Besides the gorgeous color, the strongest asset of this rose is its unmatched fragrance. It is not only very strong but particularly delicious. 'The Prince' does stay relatively small for me here, maybe 3 x 2 feet by now, which is a good thing, since many of the David Austin roses get humongous in California and don't fit in small gardens very well. 'The Prince' does come with some flaws, though: It gets a bit of powdery mildew from time to time and so far it isn't very floriferous. The rose needs to be shaded from our brutally hot afternoon sun, otherwise the flowers will crisp.



The next one is 'Memorial Day', a lovely medium cool pink Hybrid Tea rose bred by Tom Carruth (United States, 2001). It comes with a very strong damask fragrance. Mine is still in a five gallon container, but the rose was putting out a lot of new buds already and I was so looking forward to them, but a rat discovered that this is a very tasty snack and is "pruning" it each night. How do I know? We set up a night vision motion camera and the culprit got captured on video! Now we are trying to trap it, but so far no success. It is really upsetting to get out each morning and see that there is less and less of the rose there each day. Grrr...



This is 'Halloween', a yellow-orange Hybrid Tea rose with very full big blooms bred by Arthur P. Howard (United States, 1962). Honestly, I don't know why I have ordered this rose, because as nice as it is being by itself, the intense yellow-orange color clashes with all the more muted, pale roses that I have in my yard. It gets even worse when 'Halloween' really shows its orange side. Right now it is still residing in a container and I don't know if I am able to integrate it into my garden. We will see! It seems to be a good rose, so I guess if I decide to part from it, there will be no problem to find a new home for it. 



Besides 'Iceberg', 'Our Lady of Guadalupe', a light pink Floribunda, bred by Keith Zary (United States, 2000) was my most floriferous rose bush last month. It just keeps the blooms coming and coming. Too bad, that it has its issues with powdery mildew, which really gets to me more and more, since I know now, that I can grow completely clean rose varieties in my no-spray organic garden. 



'Iceberg, Climbing' faithfully blooming along! It is an old standby Floribunda rose here in California. The shrub form was bred by Reimer Kordes (Germany, 1953) and the climbing sport was discovered by Cants of Colchester (United Kingdom, 1698). It is very weird that I have shrubs and climbing forms of 'Iceberg' that are completely mildew free and others mildew at times. I wonder, if this is not only due to their location in the yard (micro climates!), but also to the fact that some of them are grafted on Dr. Huey rootstock and others are growing own-roots. The 'Iceberg' roses that are grafted on that rootstock seem to be more prone to powdery mildew in my observation. I am curious to know, if there is scientific evidence to back up my theory, but so far I haven't had the time to do some research on this topic.



Bud of 'Moonstone', Hybrid Tea rose. 'Moonstone' is a white blend rose with pink edges and incredible big blooms. It was bred by Tom Carruth (United States, 1998). I brought the opening bud featured in this photo into the house and it became a huge lovely bloom, as it usually is the case with this rose, and lasted quite a while in the vase. 'Moonstone' can certainly be called a good cut rose!



'Vi's Violet', a lavender Miniature rose, seems to love to bloom in the winter. The rose suffered a bit from blackspot as it did last year at the same time. I like the small perfectly shaped blooms very much. It is supposed to be fragrant, but I can't detect any scent at all. 



I have praised 'Pope John Paul II', a white blend Hybrid Tea rose with a intoxicating citrus fragrance, bred by Keith Zary (United States, before 2006) enough in previous posts, so not to bore you, here are just some photos of this phenomenal rose. It is beautiful in the bud stage...



... and perfect when in full bloom.



And almost each bloom is like that, not just the ones that I select to take photos of. As a matter of fact, I like it so much, that just today I ordered a second one. And in my small garden that says something!



Last but not least, here is 'Baronne Prevost', a Hybrid Perpetual rose of a pink color that fades nicely to a lilac shading, bred by Jean Desprez (France, 1841). To be honest, this is a somewhat unloved rose, because in my garden it looks like an accumulation of bare sticks with some leaves on top of the canes, which often get mildew. But every now and then it produces a bloom, and when it does, the flowers are lovely. I think, I only haven't let go of it by now, because of the sentimental value that it has for me to grow an Old Garden Rose like this. 

I planted two of my roses out of the pot ghetto into the ground lately and they have already set new buds. I am excited about it and hope, that in the February rose post I can show their blooms to you. From one of them I haven't spotted a flower myself, yet. It always gives me such a kick to find a rose blooming in the yard for the very first time! 

See you in the garden!

Christina



51 comments:

  1. ooohh I am jalours ...roses in januari :)!

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    1. Marian, so nice to see a comment from you on my blog, again! Yeah, I know, I can understand you jealousy, it is simply great to have roses in January!

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  2. You are lucky to be blessed with so wonderful roses during winthet!! What a nice sight and such great photos!
    Thanks for sharing :-)

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    1. Alice, thanks so much for your kind words about this blog post and my photos! It is truly a joy for me to be able to have a few roses blooming even in winter and I am aware of my blessings :-)!

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  3. Wow, those roses are so beautiful...and in jauari!!

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    1. Lisa, thanks so much for your comment! I am glad you like my roses!

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  4. They're all so gorgeous Christina! Particularly taken with Vi's Violet and the climbing Iceberg. Hope you guys gets some substantial rain soon to end the drought and worries of water rationing.

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    1. Mark and Gaz, thanks, 'Vi's Violet' is indeed a lovely cute Miniature rose and it would go well with the white 'Climbing Iceberg'. I could see it planted at the feet of it, the color definitively are nice together. We got some rain yesterday, which was wonderful, but it was, I would guess, a quarter of an inch max. So, of course, not enough, but the plants look pretty perky this morning :-)!

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  5. Beautiful as always! You have such a wonderful collection. I really love Our Lady of Guadalupe.

    I hope CA gets some much needed rain soon..

    Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Lorraine, thanks, I am pleased that you like my rose collection! 'Our Lady Of Guadalupe' is a pretty Floribunda, I only would wish that it has less issues with powdery mildew here.

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  6. Ich danke dir für diese wundervollen Bilder, ich bin im verschneiten Österreich daheim, da sind Rosen im Februar sehr exotisch.
    Liebe Grüße, Brigitte

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    1. Brigitte, welcome to my blog and thanks for becoming a follower! Also thanks for your kind words about my photos. I love Austria, it is a beautiful country, and I can imagine, that with a white blanket of snow it is magical.

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  7. You have some truly wonderful roses Christina, but I love 'The Prince'. I also like it for staying small, although your climate is very different to ours.
    We still have way too much water here, I really wish we could share!

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    1. Jessica, thank you so much, I am glad that you like my roses! Out of this post, I think, 'The Prince' is my favorite. There must be a reason, why he is photo number one ;-)! Would be nice, if we could balance our climate flaws out, wouldn't it? I am happy to sent you some sunshine!

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  8. Some beautiful roses, Christina. I especially love 'The Prince'. I hope the drought doesn't have an impact on your lovely flowers. I didn't know about rats and roses, mine have been attacked by rabbits in the past but I didn't realise there was another potential predator out there!

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    1. Wendy, thanks! 'The Prince' seems to have quite a few fans here :-)! It is such an incredible pretty rose!
      Up to now the drought is not impacting my roses much since I water them by hand and via sprinkler system, but in case we should get water restriction they will be affected.
      I am surprised myself, that a rat is attacking my roses and other plants in the garden and if we wouldn't have the video as proof, I surely would have doubt it!

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  9. Unvorstellbar, dass irgendwo im Januar die Rosen blühen. Dein Schneewittchen (Iceberg) ist besonder schön!

    Sigrun

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    1. Sigrun, yes, for me it is also still a miracle, that the roses do bloom in January here in my climate :-)! Iceberg is an incredible good and floriferous rose most of the times here in California. Even gas stations are planting it, because it is such an easy going rose!

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  10. Dea Christina, it makes me happy to have a look at your January Roses! In Germany it is almost winter an this pictures are good for the soul! Thank you, Heike

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    1. Heike, I am so pleased that my photos have brought you some joy! I know by experience how long and sometimes hard German winters can be. Hope spring is reaching you soon!

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  11. I wish I lived in a climate like yours! Lots and lots of sun, sounds like a dream to me, I've really had it with this constant rain over here, your post couldn't have come on a better time. Such beautiful roses!!! Love the miniature violet rose, extraordinary colour! Enjoy your garden!
    Marian

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    1. Marian, thanks, I completely can understand, I also always have wanted to live in a milder climate with more sunshine and I am very happy that life has given me the opportunity to do so, now. Lavender roses are always very fascinating to me, unfortunately many are not so healthy. But California is such a good climate for growing roses, you almost get away with anything :-)!

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  12. I have been looking for a dark rose for my garden, so I read about 'The Prince' with great interest. What a beautiful bloom. I also have heard such great things about Pope John Paul II, and with your glowing review, I just may have to add him to my wish list. Oh, to have roses blooming in January must be magical. It's almost time for pruning here - I have been itching to get out there and do it, but one year I did it too early, and some of my blooms were frozen, so I'll just have to be patient. My garden got a lot of powdery mildew last year, but it was just in one area - almost the entire area, though, where it doesn't get afternoon sun. I bet your theory is right, though, about rootstock making a difference. Makes sense to me that different rootstocks would be sensitive to different ph's, diseases, etc.

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    1. Holley, I love 'The Prince' because of its color, bloom form, and incredible fragrance quite a bit, but because it gets powdery mildew from time to times and can't be called floriferous I would be hesitant to recommend this rose. David Austin has come out with another dark red rose called 'Munstead Wood', which I have heard only good things about. Maybe that would be a better candidate for you? 'Pope John Paul II' on the other hand I would recommend with no if and but. I believe he is a really great rose for a warm climate garden. To show his full potential he appreciates generous feeding and regular watering in my garden.
      I can understand that you are itching to get out and prune the roses, but with the danger of late frost it is certainly wise to wait until you can be sure that your roses are not getting zapped by frost anymore. Can't believe that I am still pruning my roses! I wanted to finish this weekend, but some urgent things have come up that need to be done in the garden first, for example our rabbit protection fence (similar to chicken wire) got loose and needs to be secured before I do anything else. Well, that's a gardener's life I guess ;- )!

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  13. All of your January roses are gorgeous Christina - if I had to pick one then The Prince would just have the edge - what an exquisite bloom.

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    1. Rosemary, thanks for your nice words about my January roses! You found the best word to describe the blooms of 'The Prince', they are just that: Exquisite!

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  14. Ne pouvant admirer les roses de mon jardin, nous sommes en France au coeur de l'hiver, je viens découvrir tes ravissantes roses. Je suis admirative de la rose Jean Paul II, le blanc de ses pétales est délicieux. Je comprends ton désarroi face à la sécheresse qui règne actuellement en Californie, le paillage est une bonne solution en attendant de belles pluies qui ne tarderont pas à venir.
    Belle soirée jocelyne

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    1. Jocelyne, 'Pope John Paul II' is a truly outstanding white Hybrid Tea rose in my garden. Good white roses are hard to find and this one is not only good, it is one of the very best that I have grown here in California so far. I wonder how it would fare in your climate?
      We still hope for rain here, but there is nothing in the forecast and temperatures are already warming up, again :-(.

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  15. The Prince looks amazing and you roses are so generous. Lovely colors and shapes, again, in your beautiful garden. Wishing you a nice weekend, Christina !

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    1. Dani, thank you very much for your nice comment. It always makes me happy when my readers like my roses :-)!

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  16. Your roses are so lovely. I enjoy seeing your hybrid teas, floribundas and David Austin roses. They don't do well in our climate so I have to experience them vicariously. The Prince is just... wow. That color... and fragrant too!

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    1. sweetbay, thank you so much, you are so kind! Growing roses in Southern California is a piece of cake, if you respect a few basic rules. The climate is just catering so much to most of the roses needs, except the ones that need winter chill.

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  17. The roses are really beautiful, the leaves on the plants look healthy too.

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    1. Kelli, thank you so much! For me it is really important that a rose does not only have lovely flowers, but that it is also a healthy specimen. So I try to choose roses, that are supposed to have a high disease resistance to begin with and if they still suffer from rose diseases (powdery mildew is the worst in my climate) on a permanent basis, they often have to leave the garden!

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  18. Beautiful roses viewing! Marit :-)

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  19. I do have a soft spot for roses and intend to get a few more this year - so I am using your blog to note down those that I have taken a fancy to. Out of all those you have shown I will try and get hold of Halloween just love yellow roses.

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    1. Elaine, how nice to that you can't resist roses as well :-)! I just want to make you aware that Halloween will take on a orange-yellow color, different from how it looks now on my photo, as the temperatures warm up. I would be curious, if you can get this rose in the UK. Here in the US it is not easily available anymore. Good luck!

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  20. Okay... jetzt hast Du's geschafft. Ich sitze da und bin ganz grün ums Näschen vor Eifersucht. Grmpf... Rosen im Januar und was haben wir???? Nix, nada, niente. Lach, aber dafür haben wir ja eben die Vögel, das nennt sich dann wieder ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit :o). Die Prinz hat es mir auch angetan. Ich mag so dunkel Rosen. Die dunkelsten in meinem Garten ist die Munstead Wood, auch eine Austin Rose und auch nicht (gut vielleicht noch nicht) die grösste in Sachen Wuchs.
    Hab ein gemütliches Wochenende.
    En liebe Gruess
    Alex

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    1. Alex, I also love the very dark crimson-red roses! A friend of mine also has 'Munstead Wood' and hers is small so far and not very vigorous as well. Do you grow Gallicas in your garden? There are some fantastic dark red varieties in that class and the flowers have a very special unique charm, that only Old Garden Roses obtain. Maybe you want to look into this class?

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  21. how marvellous to have roses in January Christina. I know I've said on many occasions that you've a wonderful collection but it would be a shame if you could not work a way to integrate Halloween into your garden. I had to cut back a couple of my climbing roses to move the arbour last week - I will need to keep an eye on the new growth - if it gets too cold, I'll need to fleece.
    I do hope you get some much needed rain.

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    1. Angie, thanks for your kind words about my rose collection, I certainly don't mind hearing your praise repeatedly ;-)! I really don't know if Halloween will work in my garden color-wise, but rest assured, I know that it will take me a long time to make a decision about it. I for sure will not part from it lightheartedly.
      Yes, keep an eye on the new growth of your climbing roses, it would be sad if they would get zapped by frost. I totally have forgotten to worry about things like that here in Southern California.
      No rain here by now, but more than enough in certain areas in Great Britain. I really feel for the people living in flooded areas. Just awful!

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  22. Such an amazing selection you have here friend!! The colors and shapes are exquisite!!! I have yet to grow any climbing roses but goodness seeing yours makes me want to try! I do hope you all get some much needed rain by you..it always frightens me a tad when the weather does crazy things like this...thank you for sharing your beauty!!! Happy weekend to you! Nicole

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    1. Nicole, thanks! When you decide to plant a climbing rose in your area, just make sure it is frost hardy in your zone. It would be very disappointing, when the climbing rose freezes down to the ground in your tough winters!
      We still haven't had any rain and there is nothing in the forecast for the next days. It actually is very frightening!

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  23. Wow! I am impressed with your winter blooming roses. If this is what you have now, what will they be like in the spring?! I also like that your roses are a testimony to how successful organizing gardening can be.

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  24. Your roses are so gorgeous and I am jealouse to see al these beauty's showing up in your garden at the moment. I hope your country gets some rain. Overhere there is so much rain and strong winds. I am longing for springtime.
    Have a wonderful day Christina.

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  25. All of the roses are so beautiful that I am having a hard time to choose which one I will pick to grow in my garden. But, guess what -- I got a coupon this year which said that if I buy one David Austin rose (I got the coupon from them only), then I will get another free. I could not let go of this offer and thus ended up ordering Jude the Obscure. I have no idea what this one is -- I love fragrant flowers. So, their website had a link like "for people with no knowledge, choose from here." I clicked on that and chose one of the most fragrant rose. I don't know what's the free rose they are going to send with that one. But, I am waiting excitedly for those.

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  26. Liebe Christina,
    wie herrlich es jetzt bei dir sein muss! So viele Rosen blühen und
    hier schauen grade ein paar vorwitzige Schneeglöckchen mit der Nase heraus.
    Wundervoll hast du sie fotografiert und da könnt ich bei einigen glatt
    schon wieder schwach werden :-))
    Ganz viele liebe Grüße
    sendet dir Urte

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  27. I know why you haven’t got much rain – all of it has been falling here in Britain! We have had more rain this winter than any winter the last 250 years, I so wish I could send you a good week of continuous rain - and I could perhaps get some nice sunshine back :-)

    I love your Prince, so much I would like to put him on my wish list even though I already have a crimson rose. I have seen ‘Moonstone’ over here, would have like that one too! In fact, love all your roses and wish I could have them all. Powdery mildew is a problem here too on some of my roses, but varies depending on what kind of summer we have. I hope you get some rain soon, have a good week.

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  28. They look great! Does that mean that you enjoy your roses all year long, or do they have a stagnation period? Either way they are all beautiful!

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  29. Hi Christina. Thanks for a very enjoyable post. Lots of food for thought , for another roseaholic (think I just made that word up!). How do you find the miniatures fare with you ? I have just planted 7 'Patio' roses , which is a new venture for me. Are they the same thing ? In the uk our miniatures are less than 30cm high. 'The Prince' looks fantastic, such a rich colour. I am obsessed by the DA English roses and visited the nursery and gardens last June. Absolute heaven !

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