December - Making a List and Checking it Twice....

From now until President's day, is the prime bare root rose planting season. If you are in zone 8, the ideal time extends through March. Many of my rose selections are made based upon on-line research and images. Regan Nursery, an on-line vendor of mail order bare root roses is my "go-to" source. Regan has a great selection of modern roses including David Austin English roses, shrub roses and a small selection of Old Garden Roses. For those of us in warm climates, Fall is the ideal time to plant roses growing on their own roots. Many of my Old Garden Roses like tea roses, portlands, hybrid musks etc., were purchased  for my garden earlier this year, and planted during early October. One of the biggest challenges is determining what will successfully grow in one's climate. In warmer climates, just how large will the rose bush become at maturity also requires research, as many of the figures on-line do not account for growth in areas with a longer growing season.

Well, I made the list and checked it dozens of times! These roses will be my new arrivals in January:

• Yves Piaget... a very peony like bloom on a medium pink rose
• Dee-Lish... this one is also a pink rose that is described as having "old fashioned" blooms
• Princess Alexandria of Kent... this David Austin rose is reported to become very large in warm climates with the added bonus of being heat tolerant and having gorgeous blooms
• Bolero... I am replacing the ones left at my previous residence. These white blooms are highly fragrant, the bush has a good repeat and it is very attractive.
• Olivia... this David Austin rose is new. Austin described it as possibly the best rose they have hybridized. It is a pink rose, and with that comment, was enough for me....

Hopefully, I will be posting images of all of these roses in the Spring. I can hardly  wait!!!