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most recent 15 SEP 22 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 4 APR 19 by Planetrj (zone 11b/H2 pH 5.8)
This one has everything going for it. If you’re one for a good sturdy hybrid tea, with a powerhouse of fragrance that will TKO you when you walk in the door, this is your ticket. Heaven. From 1-10, I would rate the fragrance a 14. Though it’s so intense, you’ll either love or hate it. The fragrance is like a big vat of fresh sliced Pink Grapefruits, like 100 of them. It is Dee-Lish like you want to eat it, but the number of names given to this sweetheart of a rose is nothing short of ridiculous! That’s the one thing ONLY I can say bad about this rose. Its a HT lover’s dream. Fights off BS and mildew like an angry truckdriver. Robust and vigorous upright grower, it’s fragrance defies the need to put it in the back. This one BEGS to be front and center. Even by the front door so you and your guests can enjoy and appreciate it’s unforgettable fragrance. The bees never stop trying to pollinate it. I’ve seen them even landing on the shattered petals on the ground.

I acquired it some time ago as Sweet Parfum de Provence. Imagine how gobsmacked I was to discover that it was Dee-Lish, interchangeably. Shame on whomever didn’t stick with one or two names at best. This isn’t a rose that deserves such ambiguity.
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Reply #1 of 8 posted 16 JUN 19 by kgs
We just had a sudden heat wave with temps up to 100 degrees -- unusual for June in this area (Sonoma County, CA) and really hard on a lot of plants, roses and otherwise, particularly after our long, wet winter and delayed spring. Roses with delicate petals such as Gentle Hermione had completely frizzled blooms, and most of the plants had smaller buds afterwards, as if they were recovering from shock. Dee-lish was a notable exception: it didn't have a problem during or after the heat wave. Agree on its strong fragrance (which I like) and disease resistance. Due to the strange weather this spring some roses that normally shake off disease are experiencing mildew or BS, but not Dee-lish. Its blooms also last and last on the bush and as a cut flower.
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Reply #2 of 8 posted 16 JUN 19 by HubertG
I have decided to get this rose next season after reading these comments. Thank you both for your reviews.
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Reply #3 of 8 posted 6 JUL 19 by Planetrj (zone 11b/H2 pH 5.8)
HubertG you're very welcome. It certainly is a fantastic performer. Make sure you give it plenty of room, as it's very upright and seems to have settled at a fantastic 5-6 feet tall, where all the flowers are in perfect nose and eye range for being next to a walkway or where a medium shrub is needed.
It likes to throw random single flowers between flushes, which is really a nice attribute so there's not really any time it's completely barren. I believe it would appreciate a place where it gets lots of water on the roots. It does very well in heat, but can't tolerate drying out, and in fact does just fine in a little wet soil.
But when you sniff it the first time, you realize you won't want to be without it. Ever.
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Reply #4 of 8 posted 9 JAN 21 by HubertG
Eighteen months after my previous comment I finally got around to buying this rose. I missed out last season and saw it by chance in a local nursery where it's sold as 'Forget Me Not'. Its first flower is deliciously scented. Yes, I can definitely smell the pink grapefruit component but there are other more subtle layers in addition to this. I'll be interested to see how it develops over time. The colour reminds me of 'Lorraine Lee'. Planning on growing it in a good size pot for now as the label recommends this and there is a great photo here of a potted specimen. Already very glad I got this, thanks to your reviews.
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Reply #5 of 8 posted 20 APR 21 by RoseForest
I bought it recently and the one problem I am starting to see with it is the bloom. Although large and beautiful, petals feel rather delicate and the bloom seems to shatter/come apart relatively quickly.
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Reply #6 of 8 posted 20 APR 21 by Planetrj (zone 11b/H2 pH 5.8)
I’m glad to hear you have the ability to enjoying Dee-Lish! Patience with allowing it to develop, as it has Austin parentage, and those are always rewarding when given proper care. It’s truly worth the patience to allow its root system to develop. Some of my DA’s take 3 years before they’re in their full glory.
I can suggest to possibly make sure you’re getting some wood ash and fish emulsion to the soil on occasion. I’ve found that with certain roses, the petals will not be as robust and as able to stand up to sun, rain, temperature fluctuations, dry roots as well as when it’s got a nice robust root system and the nutrients it needs to develop good petals. I also use Bone Meal and Blood Meal depending on the plant situation.
I can tell you I get over 100” of rain each year and this rose holds up to it. However, it is an old fashioned form, so the petals are not thick like many HT’s like Mr L. or Angel Face. It’s definitely not a fast blow in my garden. It will hold its blooms for at least 3 days in extra hot weather, yet with fragrance.. and up to 5 days in ideal weather. I have some that blow overnight. This certainly isn’t one of those. Though I grow all my roses in the ground, so I’m not sure how this one does in pot culture, since it has quite an extensive root system for me. Seems too much for a pot, IMHO.
I truly hope this helps you problem solve on what might cause this rose to underperform, where it should do much better.
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Reply #8 of 8 posted 15 SEP 22 by RoseForest
Thank you for all the tips, Planetrj!
My Dee-lish is growing slowly but surely. Not a prolific bloomer yet but I do love the bloom.
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Reply #7 of 8 posted 9 MAY 21 by kgs
Roseforest, I have the same issue with my Dee-Lish. The blooms go very fast, particularly in warm weather, and it's not pretty, either. I'm not surprised to see it has DA lineage. I have tried to grow several DAs but the only one who hasn't had to be rehomed is Carding Mill. Sonoma County CA, 9b, is not England.

My plant is now several years old and I'm going to rehome it this fall. It's lovely in early spring, but I only have room for ca. 30 roses and this one just doesn't cut it.
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most recent 26 JUL 22 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 27 MAY 20 by Planetrj (zone 11b/H2 pH 5.8)
What a pleasure to have this one. It has beautiful disease-free glossy foliage, holds well to the plant and never defoliates in hot weather. Not at all bothered by rain or bad weather. Buds stay full for an extended period of time. They don’t shatter for 5 days, so the bush can end up filled with half open and fully open blooms at the same time. It has a nice form and naturally spreads out yet with stiff, fat canes, so as to not overcrowd or cross branches. Stays relatively stout, never achieving over 4’ tall here, and they tend to grow extra large in Hawaii.

Wonderfully abundant in flowers, it surprises every year as it will spit out random flowers every blooming month for me, which is just about every month except January. Fragrance is a combination of damask, raspberry, and a hint of cinnamon, which is apropos for this particular color, imho.

I would highly recommend this for the novice gardener and the pro alike, especially if you’re like me and do not spray. Just keep it fed, and it will supply abundant fragrant richly red, well formed and well-fragranced blossoms throughout the growing seasons. There is absolutely nothing bad I could say about this 5 Star Winner! ...except that it’s a must-have if you love red and love easy!
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Reply #1 of 4 posted 31 AUG 21 by anonymous_member
Thank you for your review on the Sweet Spirit. I am in 9b and just had a very humid and blazing hot Summer. Most of my roses didn't perform as well as they did. I am in search for some really heat tolerant roses whose color and fragrance don't fade in hot temperature and are relatively healthy and easy to care for. Based on your review, Sweet Spirit sounds like a good candidate, and I will get one this coming Fall.
Since you are located in 11b, do you have some recommendations of nice heat tolerant roses similar to Sweet Spirit? Thank you in advance for your opinion.
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Reply #2 of 4 posted 7 FEB 22 by kgs
I have to say all the reports about Sweet Spirit being disease-free surprise me, because last year (my first with this plant) it had really bad rust--in a garden of close to 30 bushes where other roses either had no rust or in one or two cases had a tiny amount I was able to eradicate by removing leaves. (I had never seen rust in my garden before, and I wonder if Sweet Spirit became a vector.) I am giving it a second chance because I was not good about any preventative treatment the previous winter and spring (cleaning up leaves, dormant spray, copper spray, etc.). But this year I'm back to good habits, and I'm giving this bush extra attention. If Sweet Spirit turns into a rust bucket again, out it goes. It stayed small and my guess is the extent of disease played a role in that. I'm not disbelieving the folks who have had good luck with this rose--no two plants are ever identical, and who knows what mutations might be at work. It definitely is Sweet Spirit and the handful of blooms it produced once the rust went away were lovely.
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Reply #3 of 4 posted 26 JUL 22 by Kim Rupert
Try increasing the water to the plant. It is often VERY easy to induce roses to mildew and rust by water stressing them.
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Reply #4 of 4 posted 26 JUL 22 by Kathy Strong
YES!
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most recent 12 APR 22 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 28 AUG 17 by Michael Garhart
I thought I early reviewed this one.

Good grower. A little tall for a floribunda, but okay. Lots of blooms. Great color, scent. It's pretty good.

Cons: I saw a lot of BS on it locally. Not really other diseases. Although with Crystalline in its immediate background, I worry about winter tenderness. Neptune was hammered into 2" nubs last winter, and its Zone 8b here, and Blueberry Hill was the same. Blackened canes to the ground. Which is too bad. They're gorgeous :[
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Reply #1 of 8 posted 28 AUG 17 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
You are right about Neptune .. almost buy that as own-root for my zone 5a, but after spending time checking, folks in zone 6b reported Neptune could not even survive 1st winter as own-root.
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Reply #2 of 8 posted 28 AUG 17 by Michael Garhart
Crystalline and Angel face lineages strike again. Notoriously tender critters.

Which is too bad, as Neptune is one of the most gorgeous roses to ever exist...
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Reply #3 of 8 posted 28 AUG 17 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
Angel Face died in my zone 5a winter both as OWN-ROOT and Grafted-on-Dr.Huey. I don't miss it, not enough petals for my liking. I hope to buy Flying Kiss, a purple climber.
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Reply #4 of 8 posted 29 AUG 17 by Michael Garhart
It's supposedly good. 'Golden Eye' is super hardy. 'Ebb Tide' is hardier than most mauves, although its obviously no zone 4 rose, but still much hardier than its kin.
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Reply #5 of 8 posted 29 AUG 17 by StrawChicago heavy clay zone 5
Thank you. Got to look up "Golden Eye".
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Reply #7 of 8 posted 19 DEC 21 by Michael Garhart
'Golden Eye' is a big shrub. Its absolutely gorgeous at the local parks. But it's KO sized plant, but the foliage is prettier/shinier and the blooms are more red. However, the clusters are behemoth. Probably the closest comparison in terms of architecture, size, and sprays is Royal Bonica.
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Reply #8 of 8 posted 12 APR 22 by S_Mazza
The USDA's map says I live in Zone 7A. The winter of 2021-2022 was very mild overall. Our worst weather as I recall was a few nights in the low teens in January. Which matches up to a Zone 8A winter according to USDA's criteria.

I had a grafted Angel Face and a grafted Violet's Pride in large containers (5+ gallons) on my balcony. I expected Angel Face might have some trouble, but I thought Violet's Pride would be OK. Well, no, this "Zone 8A" winter killed both of them down to the graft. Oops.

I was aware of the advice to subtract one zone of hardiness for container gardening, but these roses are both listed as 5B, so they "should have" survived at least a 6B winter (0 degrees F) by that logic. If you call it 2 zones, then it should have been OK to Zone 7B. Either the hardiness ratings are overly optimistic, or I am doing something wrong. Probably a little of each.
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Reply #6 of 8 posted 1 SEP 18 by kgs
It's now September and Violet's Pride hasn't shown any BS or other disease whatsoever. It's a good climate (Sonoma County, CA) but some of my other plants have a touch of BS here and there--this one, nothing. Very pleased with this one.
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most recent 29 MAR 21 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 29 MAR 21 by kgs
The description says deep pink, but I purchased what was identified as this rose from Russian River Rose Company this past week and it's a deep red.
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