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Gagnon98
most recent 20 MAY 17 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 7 JUN 11 by Gagnon98
Finally, Polka has been growing in my yard for now three seasons. Last year I did prop it up, using my very poor carpentry skills to fashion together a trellis of sorts. Well, the horrendous winter in Southern New England wreaked havoc on my poorly constructed trellis but did nothing to thwart the growth of Polka. It now has many long 8' arching canes. This year the entire bush is covered with laterals and at this point in early June, there are many dozens of rose buds on the bush. I cannot wait to see the initial display and report back how well it repeats throughout the summer season.
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Reply #1 of 12 posted 7 JUN 11 by Jay-Jay
Would You please upload some pictures of it in due time, when it is fully blooming?
I have a Polka Cl. too; it is now one year after planting. At my place it had some cane die-back after the winter. buds are slightly opening, but Yours must become an awesome sight!
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Reply #2 of 12 posted 8 JUN 11 by Gagnon98
Yes, I will. The first buds are about to open. Interesting you have die back. We've had a few winters with 0F to -5F and no die back but it's also against the south side of the house. That will make a big difference. By the way, I saw some of your pics. Your yard is spectacular.
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Reply #3 of 12 posted 8 JUN 11 by Jay-Jay
Thank You Gagnon98, for Your compliment about our garden and Your promise to post some pictures of Your rose! (By the way, this rose isn't mentioned at Your Plants Grown list)
About the cane die-back, this year we had a long time of frost with drying eastern winds from the continent and a lot of sun, without snow to cover the roses. Maybe it also was because of the cold metal of the fence.
Crépuscule had some die-back too and a few HT's completely died.
Others thrived well and are flowering already. The drive-way is an explosion of flowers and colours, because of the climbers!
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Reply #4 of 12 posted 11 JUN 11 by Gagnon98
I have now posted a small group of pictures of roses from around the yard, including Polka. It is just now breaking bud. I have also updated and revised my plants grown list. I have three unidentified roses growing as well.
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Reply #5 of 12 posted 11 JUN 11 by Jay-Jay
Thank You, I'll take a look.
At my place some flowers of the Polka Cl. have opened.
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Reply #6 of 12 posted 11 JUN 11 by Gagnon98
Finally, a decent photo
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Reply #7 of 12 posted 11 JUN 11 by HMF Admin
It would be better if these photos were uploaded to this plant's Photos tab instead of attached to a comment as they're likely to be missed unless someone happens to check the Comments tab and these are particularly good photos.
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Reply #8 of 12 posted 11 JUN 11 by Jay-Jay
Thank you for the compliment! Mine is uploaded there too!
....now it's the turn to Gagnon98.
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Reply #9 of 12 posted 12 JUN 11 by Gagnon98
Thank you........mine is uploaded now as well.
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Reply #10 of 12 posted 20 MAY 17 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
Jay-jay: your picture is so nice .. But the thorns !!
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Reply #11 of 12 posted 20 MAY 17 by Jay-Jay
What about the thorns? They are a wonderful asset of this rose and they remind me of a Stegosaurus!
Those prickles aren't hooked, so they do not grab one.
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Reply #12 of 12 posted 20 MAY 17 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
You are right that those thorns are huge, but actually safer than the tiny thistle that get stuck in skin. Liv Tyler has big thorns like that, but I never get poked by Liv. I did get poked badly by Marie Pavie (supposedly to be thornless), but there's nasty tiny prickles at the base that surprised me.
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Publication / Article / VideoA Rose Garden for Everyone / Roses 101
most recent 7 MAR 17 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 7 MAR 17 by Gagnon98
Thanks so much. This is an inspiring article. All things that most of us who have been growing rose for years already know but it's good to be reminded. Plus, it reinvigorates us for the Spring. I personally cannot wait! Happy growing!
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most recent 7 NOV 14 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 24 AUG 08 by Unregistered Guest
Weeks Roses claims that this rose survives to zone 3 without winter protection, in fact, "does
better in Northern climates". It is a Kordesii hybrid afterall. Could your "6 B" rating be a type-o?
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Reply #1 of 4 posted 28 SEP 14 by Rob Byrnes
Both parents are hardy to zone 3 so I'd be surprised if Cape Diamond wasn't hardy to zone 3 as well.
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Reply #2 of 4 posted 5 NOV 14 by Gagnon98
Certainly its performance here in CT in Z6 would suggest it is much hardier than just Z6. It is super duper vigorous. The winter of 2013-14 was horrendous up here. Many of my roses got frozen to the ground. Probably 85% cane die-back on my climbing Polka, which is supposed to be pretty hardy. Only Zepherine Drouhin and Cape Diamond were completely unfazed. Because it gets so big and rangy (arching canes to 6'+ esp in fall), I cut it back to about 1-2' in early Spring. It is absolutely true that it does best in cooler weather. Spring flush is great. This summer, because it's was overall pretty cool, it bloomed clear through to now. And it still has bloom clusters on it. Growth pattern is terrible and wicked thorny. Japanese beetles devour it. I really want to chuck all three of them but it flowers well and I love the scent. For now, they stay!
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Reply #3 of 4 posted 7 NOV 14 by Rob Byrnes
Thanks for sharing your experience with CD. Now I know more about what to expect as far as growth habit. Leaves were nearly spotless this season.
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Reply #4 of 4 posted 7 NOV 14 by Gagnon98
You're welcome. Good luck with it. I've never seen blackspot on my three CD, and it is prevalent in my garden every year. I do not spray them either. In fact, since planting them I don't think I've ever fertilized or fed them, really. So, in your much more expert hands, they'll flourish. Enjoy!
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most recent 17 OCT 12 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 18 JAN 12 by goncmg
Oh boy this is one of the ones that will soon have me over a barrel as my space is limited. It is a HAPPY rose, that is what hurts me. It grows willingly, grows big, blooms willingly, blooms big. The fragrance is notable. The color is actually, being brutally honest, not that appealing! A wan lighter medium pink with sullen tone to it, I think this is spun in the marketing as "orchid." The plant also, big and happy and lusty as it is, does grow a little zig-zaggy with canes jutting across and over and making a mess...........and the thrips! They love this one and they love Tiffany and leave my other 98 alone. If you are starting out as a rose grower and want that SMELL of a rose and need something that just GROWS then I would say try this one. For those of us who have been growing for many years, I think we can appreciate the healthy plant but there are just better, clearer colorsn and more interesting varieties in this range out there............curious to see how this one ages in the AARS ratings and so on..........reminds me of SWEET SURRENDER to an extent............for anyone who has never HEARD of Sweet Surrender, well, those are the lines you just read between..........
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Reply #1 of 4 posted 28 MAY 12 by LauraG
Interesting to read this...because I'm also lukewarm about it. While it grows and blooms like crazy, and is very healthy, I'm just not that fond of it.
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Reply #2 of 4 posted 28 MAY 12 by goncmg
Laura, your timing is flawless. This one "wins" my award for BEST FIRST BLOOM. It is stunning now, 12 long stemmed fragrant "beauties".....in its 4th year and NEVER have I seen this performance, this is catalog picture stuff. Kicker? I STILL DO NOT "LOVE" IT. !!!!!. I hugged it (!), I told it I was PROUD of it, I will not discard it, but just not into it................
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Reply #3 of 4 posted 7 JUN 12 by Gagnon98
I'll agree with you. This is only year three for me with my Memorial Day. I wanted it for YEARS because of the pictures in the catalogs. Last year it bloomed very well, not overly profusely. The army of voles last fall took it's toll on this bush. Thought I truly lost it. I could have easily plucked it from the ground but instead stomped on it. This Spring it is blooming for me, again not profusely, but big gorgeous form. I have ONE in a vase in my office and it was almost too much for me and nearly got rid of it. But after a couple days the scent has calmed down a bit. Like, you both I cannot stand the color of this rose, especially in the middle of summer when the flower is opened wide. For me, it's almost gray.
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Reply #4 of 4 posted 17 OCT 12 by mtspace
I grew Memorial Day (3) in my zone 6b garden In the same bed were planted New Zealand (3), Gemini (3), Double Delight (3) MAAB(3) and Belami (3). Belami, MAAB, and Double Delight died of blackspot before the first fall. Gemini and New Zealand were removed at the end of the second season because they were being reduced to nothing by the same disease. Memorial Day was symptom-free the whole time. It was also the least cold hardy of these roses: I lost one of three over the first winter.

I must say that I was impressed by the plant: it was vigorous and shrubby, and clad with very dark green and disease-free leaves. But the flowers always seemed a little plain to me. The dusky pink of the petals is not a color that appeals to me much. They aren't that long, by HT standards. And there is precious little of the reflexing petal thing going on that I think defines the classic HT form. It's definitional not for arbitrary reasons but for aesthetic ones. A hybrid tea rose with a petal that doesn't curl just a bit is really more of a shrub rose, IMO.

While it is marginally cold hardy to zone 6b in the east, I lost one here in zone 7b AZ mountains. Not completely sure whether it was spring freeze/thaw cycling or lack of water. Two years later the rootstock is seven feet tall and awaiting budding to serve as a tree rose. Many roses I feel sad to lose. This one, not so much.
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