I Told Myself I could Quit but...

General Discussion
1

For the past several weeks I have ran into sale after sale of the pre-packaged roses at several big box stores on. Each time I tell myself I’ll just pick up one or two but usually end up with 5 or 6. I also tell myself these would be the last ones I pick up - I’ll be back next week. I really need to stay out of the stores for the next few months.

Here is what I picked up (so far). Most of them are older classic HTs and FLs. I expect at least 20% to be mislabeled (they always are for me) and will have RMV. I am curious what other people’s experience with these roses have been:

Christian Dior
Intrigue
New Day
Paradise
Sun Flare
American Dream
Freedom’s Ring (the striped one)
Orchid Masterpiece, Climbing
Proud Land
Sunbright
John F. Kennedy
Olympiad
Queen Elizabeth
Red Gold
Love
Red Masterpiece
Sutter’s Gold

I also picked up a few online sale roses:

Day Breaker
Doris Day
Dream Come True
Jump For Joy
Legends
Neptune
Rainbow Sorbet
Vavoom

2

Hopefully you will have as many correctly labeled as you look forward to. I’ve never done that well. I have grown 6 or 7 of the ones you list, and the only one I have used for any hybridising (but not much) was Red Masterpiece. should have used it more but the gophers beat me to it. I have grown Olympiad since it was released. It still is a good red, and now that the gophers have eaten it to own root, it is just hanging in there, but it still blooms those perfect fire engine red blooms. I grew Sutters’ Gold at another house, long moved on, and it survived several changes of owners and abuse until it succumbed two yrs ago. Pretty sure it never got watered. Very eye catching gold. Daybreaker was a good producer of flowers, grew it before I started any hybridising, as well as NewDay. Neptune is gorgeous and takes the heat well. That is one I would like to come across in the big box stores again, but all I see is Sterling Silver. I bought Dream Come True when it was released, 6 or 7 (?) yrs ago, and have only ever seen 2 hips form on it. It is always in bloom, the blooms are great, it gets both rust and some spot type diseases, but is tough enough to bloom right through them. With a little fertilizer in the heat of summer it will be blemish free with a mitt full of blooms. Somehow the gophers have never been able to make a dent on this one. Maybe its’ neighbor tastes better because that one is about to bite the dust. Paradise loves the mildew.

3

Vavoom produced a bunch of OP hips for me several years ago but nothing much came from the seedlings. JFK has been a miserable failure for me in Oregon and California. I blame my dad because he voted for Nixon :wink:

4

The biggest problem that I have found in those pre-packaged roses at the big box stores is that the root system has been so severely cropped to fit into that bag that they do start off with a big handicap. The last one I bought a couple of years ago, mainly to photograph the root system for a program on buying roses I was working on, is still not up to where it should be. It has had basically the same care as all the rest in my garden.
John Moe

5

Andre,

I have that same problem, and it’s taken me several years to increase my willpower enough to not buy more roses! I do have some experience with a few of these culitvars:

JFK - Unfortunately a steaming pile of hot garbage. For me this rose has ugly leaves, poor architecture and is always covered in black spot. It’s definitely not worthy of the name John F. Kennedy. They probably named it that just so it would sell.

Queen Elizabeth - Supposedly sets seed and germinates very well, but to me it’s lacking in fragrance, black spots very badly in the gulf coast, and it’s already contributed enough of it’s genetics to the rose gene pool. It’s time to move on… OU “Over Used”

Christian Dior - Meh.

Intrigue - Never set any hips for me, and wasn’t very fertile as a pollen parent.

Rainbow Sorbet - I’m a huge fan of Ping Lim! but just like with Queen Elizabeth, it’s time to move away from Playboy (OU) genetics :confused: Now Rainbow Sorbet’s Parent Earth Song sets a truck load of hips, and it’s grandparent Prairie Star goes into UU my “Under Used” Category.

Love - I grew this rose the very first year I stared growing roses, and after a year or two I decided that this rose never “spoke” to me. There are much better reverse petal colored roses out there now.

Neptune - Two thumbs up if you’re into classic hybrid tea form! Also, this rose passes on its form very dominantly so that could be good or bad depending on what your breeding goals are. Keep in mind that this rose, at least in the Gulf Coast, is very weak to black spot, and cercospora leaf spot! Don’t get those two confused. Haven’t really seen any mildew though, definitely one of the best mauve/lavenders out there right now. Other points, amazing fragrance, and extreme seed parent fertility!

Proud Land - Ahh this was one of my original roses I started breeding with. Why? It’s just so darn healthy and makes the hugest fertile hips. Also it’s vigorous, has a rich color and amazing fragrance. Better than both of its parents in my opinion! Proud Land has never gotten the credit it deserves and I’ve always wondered why. This rose is an excellent choice for breeding as it gladly accepts almost any pollen you can throw at it. UU Under Used!

Hopefully that helps out Andre, all of this is just IMHO btw!

-Andrew

6

Andrew, according to the book, Papa Floribunda - The Gene Boerner Story, Boerner selected that rose to bear his name, but the J&P management over rode him after JFK’s assassination. After Boerner’s death, the selected an unreleased seedling of his to name for him. Gene Boerner is a significantly better rose in ever respect.