Christine's Daily Rose

“ Picture yourself on a boat on a river with tangerine trees & marmalade skies… ” Happy Friday everyone! Yesterday, I attempted to return to Mesa Community College's Rose Garden, only to find out  it was being flooded for deep watering. I was so looking forward to getting a better picture of the Bolero rose bed, but as I walked along the outer edge of the garden, this beauty popped out at me. Marmalade Skies Floribunda In the heat of Summer, it's tangerine-orange blooms have faded to a pale carmine pink. The fragrance it gave off was a faint sweet smell. It's easy to see why Marmelade Skies was one of the 2001 AARS rose winners, with it's  profuse for Summer blooms, especially here in our hot desert climate. You can read more about Marmelade Skies HERE or purchase from HERE Happy Weekend! 

source Tracie Hall The other day I decided to visit the Mesa Community College Rose garden, to get ideas for what roses were really performing in our deserts hot climate. As I got closer to one rose bed, one rose bush caught my attention, all I could see was a sea of white. This particular rose bed was overflowing with a most dramatic display of white blooms. White roses aren't really one of my favorites, but this rose wasn't just a shade of white. It was white with pink undertones. What really made it stand out is it's dark green foliage, the white just really popped right out! And the fragrance was breathtaking. from HelpMeFindIt 'Bolero' it is described White.  Strong fragrance.  140 to 160 petals.  Average diameter 3".  Large, very full (41+ petals), cluster-flowered, in small clusters, cupped-to-flat, old-fashioned bloom form.  Prolific blooms in flushes throughout the season.  Large buds.  Medium, bushy, compact, s

source David Austin website It's starting to feel like Fall here in Arizona. The mornings are cooler and the evenings feel cooler when the sun goes down. About a month ago, I caught the Rose bug, and want to get back to growing roses again. About three years ago, we rented a house with three well established rose bushes in the back. Oh how they flourished! They easily grew to six feet tall, and I had to prune them back.  The more I watered them in the Summer, the more they bloomed. It amazed me. So when we moved into our house I bought a rose and kept it in a container. I don't know if it was because it was the wrong type of rose, or what, but I watered that bush, day and night, sometimes three times a day, and it barely survived the Summer. 'Lucious' rose In the Fall I planted that rose bush, and it did okay it gave me some very nice blooms. Then when winter came, it did suffer the cold a little, but again it barely survived