By early November, several of my bushes have had their first 'flush' of blooms. Some, like Kardinal, are already preparing their second flush while others are bringing on a steady production of flowers. It depends on the variety.
Of my established varieties, these have been the quickest to rebloom:
The 'slow but steady' crowd includes:
It's been interesting to observe the roses I relegated to pots for this year. Sexy Rexy is quite at home in a pot, producing an enormous flush. White Lightnin' is also doing well, but the hybrid teas Black Velvet and Hot Chocolate are sulking a little. Perhaps this proves the theory that floribundas do better in pots than hybrid teas, although I don't personally believe that. We'll wait and see.
Some of my new plantings are beginning to flower this month. In most cases their late start simply reflects that they are yet to fully establish. One exception is the remarkable Guy de Maupassant, which has broken out of a long budding period into one of the most generous flushes of huge blooms that I have ever seen:
As you can see, the branches are so weighed down that they are almost on the ground. Meanwhile my new David Austin rose, St Swithun, is also starting to produce big heavy blooms:
These two roses highlight similarities between David Austin's 'English Rose' breeding program and Meilland's 'Romantica' series. Both of these bushes are cross-breeds between modern varieties and favourites from the 1800s. St Swithun has a hybrid rugosa, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, as a grandparent. A popular hybrid perpetual, Mrs John Laing, is behind Guy de Maupassant. Both are strongly disease resistant, vigorous varieties.
Austin shuns hybrid perpetuals as inferior breeding material, but maybe he shouldn't. Guy de Maupassant has inherited the best of that class of rose, surpassing most of the Austin roses I've grown. Check out the reviews section for more on this outstanding performer.
My favourite bloom for the month is the lovely Gruss An Aachen, which is German for 'Greetings to Aachen', a city in northern Germany. I wish Sydney had such a rose in its honour:
Close behind it is this beauty from Black Velvet, a truly beautiful red cutting rose with a perfect bloom form. The bloom doesn't change to crimson or purple as it ages, and it keeps a velvety sheen on the thick petals. It also lasts a long time when cut. If only it had a stronger fragrance!
Below is Duchesse de Brabant, a very fragrant and floriferous tea rose on trial in my display bed this season. Its blooms are said to be tulip-like, and the photo does that justice:
Another trial rose, Triomphe du Luxembourg (a rare French Tea rose from 1835) has a messy centre of thick folded petals. It's hard to photograph in a manner that brings out its beauty in three dimensions.
Enjoy November - it's a great month for roses in Sydney. I'll update the site again soon. Remember, you can be automatically notified of changes by clicking the link on my home page.
Daniel