Well spring is well and truly here and on what is the warmest day of 2017, my thoughts are drifting towards summer and to my most favourite time of the rose, the rose season! How I look forward to seeing the first rose, slowly opening and filling my garden with its heavenly scent, sometimes this joy is short lived in the case of the once flowering ones, but their delight lingers in my memory and the photos I enjoy.
So this year, I have decided to try and start a #rosewatch updating every few days on the progress of my chosen rose opening, from the first sign of colour in the bud, to the full glory of the first fully opened flower
The rose I have chosen for this, is a rather difficult hybrid perpetual rosa called Louis XIV. This deeply coloured and highly scented rose was bred in 1859 by one of the most famous of rose breeding family’s, Jean-Baptiste Guillot. It came as a seedling from General Jacquieminot. It does need a nice warm but slightly shady spot in a garden as per all the really dark roses are best out of full sun as it causes burn to the flowers and shortens the life of each bloom.
That plant I have came from Trevor Whites roses and was planted last spring. He’s doing very well and looks like it may make the full 90x90cm size by next summer.
So would you fancy joining in? Please post your pictures on twitter and Istagram and tell me a little about the rose you have chosen to follow. #rosewatch!
That’s a very early bud! I’m looking forward to watching it progress. None of my roses is yet showing any signs of budding but then I wouldn’t expect them to just yet. Some of the older ones are only just starting to produce new shoots, trying to catch up with the juveniles!
It is, I will admit with this one I only lightly pruned it and it’s in a warm but sheltered spot so is pretty advanced already, it won’t be long though will it, just love seeing the buds emerging from the new growth, that promise of summer