Blizzards may be shutting down the northeast today, but in Central Virginia its already time to start ordering bareroot roses. After 2 years of waiting and hoping, four under performing Hybrid Teas on the north side of the house need to be replaced with hardier, more shade tolerant varieties that still have enough of the “Tropicana” color bling. Hopefully the English rose “Lady Emma Hamilton” will bloom a consistent orange color, which has not been the case with some of the other English roses I’ve grown like “Evelyn” or “Abraham Darby” which often look more pink than apricot or orange, though they both rebloom well with a consistently strong scent and quartered form.
I hate to transplant “Tropicana” and his HT brethren because they have taken it pretty hard in previous years when I pruned them in late February/ March, after they had already snuck up on me with their early leaflets. But that is why I’m going to dig them up and replant them as early as possible.
Though that gets at another problem this winter–the weather has been bouncing from weeks with below freezing days, to weeks with 75 degree weather. I don’t know what state the roses are in, whether they are dormant or not. A couple weeks ago several dozen out of 120 roses were seriously budding out with leaves. Then all the leaflets got frost burned and shocked, I guess, putting the roses to a rough sleep again.
Rose Leaflet spurred by 75 degree January days and shocked by return to 20 degree weather
- Tropicana. Great color but under performing on north side of the house.
A Practical Pleasure Garden 