Re: Roses
dave-poole@ilsham.demon.co.uk wrote:
>
> Alessandra wrote:
>
Bracteata is one of the parents of the much too praised Mermaid that in
this climate is quite
> >disappointing in that it makes too much growth and foliage and too scarce flowers.
>
> This is odd because here, 'Mermaid' will flower almost every day of
> the year - especially when planted against a sunny wall where it can
> get a good toasting. It is the one climbing rose that seems to relish
> a thin sandy soil and certainly appears happier when not fertilised
> regularly.
Dave
This must be a very climate-dependent variety, as my assessment of it is
much like Alessandra's.
I have had one for about twenty years and it has slowly develope more
and more dead wood and has almost never flowered since about the first
couiple of seasons. I am definitely removing its horribly spiny corpse
as soon as I can raise the energy. The only reason it has survived so
long is that it is in a fairly wild part of the garden.
It's not just my garden. I have never seen any local writer enthusing
about it, though I know British ones often praise it. I just checked the
current catalogue of a prominent rose grower and they don't list it,
though they have other old varieties such as New Dawn.
I raised a seedling from it some 20 years ago, with
> wonderful, persistent, deep green, shiny foliage, rich copper bronze
> when young and almost bell-like, crystalline textured, white flowers,
WHAT a shame you didn't take cuttings. It's rather like me, losing
valuable work on the computer because I forget to save it! (Tony is
always so maddeningly smug)
>
> We were getting 20 and 21C over last weekend and up until yesterday -
> now its dropped back to 14C. :-(
Never fret, spring always comes evetually. <G>
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata,
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
