HELPMEFIND PLANTS COMMERCIAL NON-COMMERCIAL RESOURCES EVENTS PEOPLE RATINGS
|
|
|
-
-
|
I love this rose! I'm not sure why it's not better known?! Although listed as a floribunda, it has better form than most hybrid teas. Flowers are just a little smaller than a HT, with perfect pointy hybrid tea form that is full and holds its shape well, great for cutting. It has a lovely light-medium lavender color and a delicious lemon fragrance that's a Knock Out. It's a very healthy plant with shining leaves, may need a bit of protection in colder climes. I do spray weekly to every other week as needed. I grew it in MD & MA and am going to try it in Fremont, CA. My absolute favorite lavender rose if you could only have one!
|
REPLY
|
Reply
#1 of 5 posted
21 JUL 09 by
Lizzie
|
Hi Mitch,
I got this as an own-root about 2 years ago and it seems to be a slow starter and kind of spindly. Do you have yours in full sun? I am in Livermore and have it in 1/2 day sun. Any growing tips you have would be most appreciated.
Regards,
Lizzie
|
REPLY
|
Reply
#2 of 5 posted
21 JUL 09 by
Michifur
|
Hi Lizzie,
I should've updated my experience with Shocking Blue in Fremont, CA. Mine also gets 1/2 day sun facing southeast, but hasn't done as well as I'd hoped. It is not a strong grower and the flowers are disappointing. The color is more medium magenta than lavender, the form is more rounded with slightly ruffled edges, and the scent is NOT pure lemon and stingy at that, only slight to moderate. I suspect that it doesn't like the alkaline soil here, but Regan's Nursery told me that it's almost impossible to correct that unless done at the time of planting. I wish I had better news for you. But bare root roses do take up to 3+ years to really hit their stride, and I assume you are fertilizing regularly.
I've found that my favorite roses in MA/MD smell different here, and not for the better. They have more of an anise/black licorice undertone (like Yves Piaget), although on the plus side, the fruity roses which I don't care for, smell better/sweeter. Like the rose, Secret (white shaded pink at edges) which in MA/MD had a hint of fruitiness, here is pure sweet, and one of my top all time picks for Fremont, CA - ridiculously strong grower, disease resistant, moderately shiny leaves, beautiful form & great scent. I haven't found a lavender I like as much. Memorial Day comes closest, scent is lovely, but the pale lavender (a litttle too pale for my ideal) fades to almost blush pink/white as the flower opens. On the other hand, if you like bicolors, Sheila's Perfume (yellow-peach edged pink) is my other top pick for Fremont. Also ridiculously strong grower, shiny leaves, disease resistant, great hybrid tea-like form, flowers like crazy and scent to die for. If you had to fault it, you could say if the flowers had a few more petals, they would open a little slower and last longer, but with so many flower, who cares!
Hope that helps, take care, Mich (aka Michifur)
|
REPLY
|
|
I live across the Bay from you and to correct the alkaline situation I fertilized once with liquid Miracid fertilizer, especially for some David Austin roses that weren't doing well and it really helped. I have soil that is naturally hardpan and even worse, the tap water ( which for us is from Hetchy mixed with ground water ) these days is alkaline and even foamy and slightly cloudy due to the drought. So I think we will have to watch the pH. Our local water is pH between seven and seven and a half and roses like pH six and a half. Needless to say, I keep praying for rain!
|
REPLY
|
|
Thank you, Anita, for that tip. I also have rock-hard alkaline clay that clumps in a big chunk Does Mira-acid solution help with more blue color, rather than pinkish?
|
REPLY
|
|
I can't say. I don't have a problem with roses being too pink or too blue. I know phosphate makes the colors more intense.
|
REPLY
|
-
-
|
In Fremont, CA, Sheila's Perfume can't be beat! It's amazingly vigorous, disease resistant, shiny leaves, good hybrid tea-like form, medium petal count, flowers like crazy, and smells wonderful. The color is a vibrant to medium yellow edged peach-pink (more vibrant/deeper in hot weather/sun), gradually shaded at the edges, never garish like some bicolors. If you were stingy, you could say that if it had a few more petals, each flower would open a little more slowly and last a tiny bit longer, but with so many, who cares!
|
REPLY
|
-
-
|
In Fremont, CA, Sheila's Perfume can't be beat! It's amazingly vigorous, shiny leaves, disease resistant, good hybrid tea-like form, moderate petals, blooms like crazy, and smells wonderful. The color is a vibrant to medium yellow edged peach/pink, a little deeper in warmer weather/more sun, with gradual shading at the edges, never garish like some bicolors. If you were stingy, you could say that if there were more petals, each flower would open a little slower and last a tiny bit longer, but when there's so many, who cares!
|
REPLY
|
-
-
|
In Fremont, CA, Sheila's Perfume can't be beat! It's hardy, disease resistant, shiny green leaves, very vigorous grower, flowers like crazy, smells heavenly, and the color is to die for if you like bicolors. It varies from pink-yellow-peach, to slightly deeper in fuller sun or mid-summer, but the color is vibrant without being strident and gradually shades from the edges, never looking abruptly garish like some bicolors. The form is beautiful hybrid tea-like. If you were stingy, you could say that if there were more petals the flowers would open slower and last longer, but with so many of them, who cares!
|
REPLY
|
|
|
