Moving on, I thought I'd talk about this lovely little rosebud. It's called 'Janet' and it's a David Austin English rose. It's even prettier when in full bloom, with peachy-pink cupped blooms and a nice tea fragrance. And it seems to resist blackspot pretty well. So those are all the great things about it. However, it's got one really annoying habit that I can't for the life of me figure out. When it blooms, it hangs its head down so you can't see the blooms! I planted it last year, it grew and bloomed vigorously but always planted its face in the dirt. So I pulled it out early this spring, planted it in a big pot, and put the pot on a concrete wall. I thought at least I would be able to see the blooms at face height. And that is indeed the case but they still turn upside-down. I guess it's the weight of the bloom that does that and perhaps the canes are not sturdy enough. I thought putting it in a pot would toughen it up to the point where it could face the sun, but no. So I'm wondering - am I the only one with this problem and if not, why would a rose breeder release a breed that blooms upside-down??
Hi there Jean :-D
ReplyDeleteThe blogging world of gardening is indeed a very rich and worldwide one. Welcome!! There are so many blogging gardeners with interests as similar to our own. Hello from Scotland :-D
Hey – I’ve a couple of (first time) David Austin Roses (climbing ones) and no flowers yet :-(
Mm… I can see I’ll be back visiting your blog again. Reading through your posts I see a few things in common… the birds, bees…
I have to say that ‘Janet’ doesn’t sound a dissapointment to me. I love the flowers that have flowers dipping their heads as in modesty. Hellebores in my garden do that too. I remember visting a garden with a collection of hellebores. The owners placed mirrors on the ground so the flower could be seen. It was a memorable visit :-D
Enjoy your roses and your garden… oh yes and have a great weekend :-D
Hi Shirl,
ReplyDeleteSo great to have a Scottish gardener/blogger on my blog! I remember envying how wonderful the roses looked in Scotland when I was there. I love the mirrors on the ground idea - that really made me laugh. The 'Janet' blooms are okay with me, now that I can see them better. But they were truly planting their faces in the dirt before I potted the plant up!
Have a great gardening weekend yourself!
Wow what beautiful garden! Who
ReplyDeletedesigned it?
It seems big flower heads in Louisiana have a challenge because of the extremes in weather....
the rain and humidity then terrible
drought. I too find it hard to keep
my hair up....
Maybe it is worth the effort
to grow for that "once in a blue
moon beauty"?
:-) Yep, big hair and big blooms have a challenge in this state!
ReplyDeleteMy friend Alexis Wreden designed the bones of my garden (I do the plant placements, good or bad). Alexis is an artist and a landscape architect and teaches at Louisiana Tech University. She's super talented!
I'll send her your compliments, thanks!
I have to say I know what you mean about Janet! I bought 3 this year I read they were suppose to be like hybrid teas and it turned to be a climber like rose with the roses all pointing down. Im think that next year I will add some pillars so they can climb and the roses can face up. My husband stuck a stick in the ground on one and Janet really liked it, the roses looked much better this way. So I will have to add some pillars and see if that makes them better. But you are right they do resist blackspot quite well and the roses are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI also planted "Janet" last year and was disappointed. Not only did the bloosoms hang to the dirt they didn't open. The outer petals would dry out and the inner petals would rot. I have a lot of roses that doop a bit and it's charming but laying on the dirt is too much droop. Out she goes.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one with problems with Janet. I think she'll be a great candidate for a passalong plant.
ReplyDelete