Hi. Thanks for reaching out. Roses are a very fun hobby once you get the hang of it.

I have been gardening in the Treasure Valley since 1999. Back then Julia Davis Park was a site to behold; quite breathtaking. It is saddening to see what it has become in comparison now. We used to go there for date night, and one year with the kids to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. I'm glad their roses inspire you today. Many of their older roses that have since been removed, inspired me way back when I was getting started.

There used to be many nurseries in the Treasure Valley that sold roses. Now, most of them have closed. If you want to purchase roses, April is usually the time to buy them at the nurseries. The hobby of growing roses isn't as hot as it used to be and you may have trouble finding roses that you see and think are pretty for sale. Generally I find roses for sale, and then research them to see how worthy they are. It's hard to do it the other way around these days.

In regards to your questions, Tournament of Roses was the rose of the year when it came out. It is a stellar rose. I have it right up front next to the sidewalk. As a grandiflora (tall roses) mine is currently 5½' tall, however it would be taller in my yard if it didn't get so much shade. I love it because the blooms last a very long time, both on the bush and in the vase. For me, longevity (on the bush) is the #1 most important thing. What good is having a beautiful rose if it only lasts 2 days? That's my opinion anyway. I don't care that it is not fragrant. ToR acts like a typical grandiflora. Several blooms at the end of one long cane here and there. It reminds me a lot of Queen Elizabeth which is a little bit more of a bluish pink, but the blooms don't last as long.

Of the baby pink roses, Sexy Rexy is my #1 fave pink. It has one of the highest ratings of All of the roses. As a parent it is amazing. {‘Fabulous!’ a floriferous pristine white rose that was also rose of the year, had Sexy Rexy and the famous 'Iceberg' as its parents.} Sexy Rexy was a name that made fun of a rosarian named Rex. Since it is a floribunda, it is supposed to be a round bush full of roses that stays short. It has always been around 4' here. (Floribundas are my fave type of rose. For a colorful garden they work great.) Now my poor SR did not bloom this year. Unfortunately I planted it under a cute tree way back that is now a monster, and SR is in complete 95% shade.

IdahoRoseLady used to grow Elle. She was a member of the Idaho Rose Society, but they moved down to Arizona where it is too hot for roses. Whenever I saw the rose at her house, or at a public rose garden I was not impressed. Yes, it won rose of the year, and if you just look at one bloom for a half hour you would see a pretty bloom. I see a pink that is too light, petals that are too thin, a bloom that is too small and blooms on the bush that don't age well. Again, just my opinion. It has a lot of favorite votes due to the shape of the bloom when it first opens. Not something that impresses me anyway.

You mentioned heat. Roses are not overly fond of heat. We get a spring flush when they all bloom at once, and then some of the more hardy ones might put out some blooms during the summer when we are in the 90ºs, but basically we are waiting again for it to cool down for the autumn flush that happens around Sept. In order to keep roses alive during the heat of the summer, they must be watered often. If they do bloom, the flowers will be smaller. That is due to the sun and heat. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the rose. It is trying its hardest. Do not fertilize during the heat of the summer; it will make them work too hard.

You mentioned worrying about how tall the rose gets. Make sure to put it at least 3' away from your house. If you prune it down at the beginning of each spring, if the rose is meant to be shorter, it should stay short. I allow many of my roses to grow taller, simply because they are near a backyard fence and it doesn't matter there so much. I just don't prune them in the spring and they continue to grow larger around and taller.

I used to purchase my new roses from www.heirloomroses.com. I have been to their place in Oregon and they really know their stuff. Of what they have available right now, in the pink category, I do see that they have Sexy Rexy. I would 100% recommend it for its color, height, and how much it blooms. (Takes a couple of years to reach full size though.) Now earlier this year I discovered that they are selling their 'in-stock' roses on Amazon. Although they are a higher price on Amazon, when you take into consideration the free shipping (with Prime), the roses are $10 less. Just an option if you have Prime.

Good luck in finding the perfect rose for your spot. If you find a rose to purchase, and aren't sure about what it is like, feel free to contact me. I have had many roses over the years, photographed many more, and have friends that have experienced growing others that I don't have. Yup, apparently I still like yapping about roses. :-)

Hi,

My soil is alkaline about 8.1 ph. It is a mixture of clay, sand and silt. My house was built on what used to be working crop fields.The top section is pretty nice. About 2 feet down is solid clay. I try to get rid of that when planting large plants.

I have put Mills Magic Mix mixed in with the mulch for quite a while. I also like Bayer 2 in 1 in the early spring. I have gone as far as putting alfalfa tea on all of the plants, but decided it just wasn't worth the smell and effort.

I water the roses more than usual. Especially on days over 95º. Sometimes twice a day.

I have probably at one time or another had about 500 roses in the garden. Through the process of elimination (winter death, black spot, mildew, short bloom, etc...) I have pared the garden down to about 150 roses. Most of which I am very happy with. I learned a lot from our local rose garden as to where to start and what I liked, and then research on friends gardens and finally just buying what ever I liked and shovel pruning many each year that I wasn't thrilled with.

Thanks very much for the compliment! and Good luck in building your garden. (It takes several years...)

Jean Marion
decobug