'Stainless Steel ™' rose reviews and comments

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'Stainless Steel ™' rose Reviews & Comments

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Discussion id : 4-957 most recent 23 OCT 22 SHOW ALL

Initial post 25 FEB 04 by Anonymous-797

I just read Gwen's review of Stainless Steel. As an organic gardener, I would recommend to anyone living near a coastal area to avoid hybrid teas and grow rugosas instead. Hybrid teas require too much fertilizer and insecticides (environmental "unbalance"). Rugosas are native to seaside areas and are tough, fragrant, and require little fertilization and attention. They hate all types of spraying. They practically grow in sand in their native provinces. The best performing plants of any kind are either native species or those grown in areas that mimic their original surroundings. Gwen would have an easier time making the switch. Please be assured-this is not an inappropriate comment, just sound advice for gardeners like myself who treasure our earth.

Reply #1 of 15 posted 28 APR 05 by Unregistered Guest

Reply #2 of 15 posted 2 MAY 05 by anonymous-18579

Please email me and let me know what size you have in mind. Do you have a large or small garden? More hybrids have appeared on the market to help us with the shrinking size of our garden space. I can narrow down the choices for you if size is an issue. If not, then I'll give you the names of some good ones. By the way, any particular color choice? Victoria	REPLY

Reply #3 of 15 posted 22 MAY 05 by anonymous-18579

Dear Cecile; I did reply to you, but I don't know if the message got through to you. Please let me know. Thanks, Victoria. I apologize for taking so long to reply. I did not realize that I had received a reply until last week. Sincerely, Victoria. PS-I actually gave you a list of rugosas and landscaping roses. If you did not receive it, I will write it again and re-send it.	REPLY

Reply #4 of 15 posted 22 MAY 05 by anonymous-18579

Reply #5 of 15 posted 23 MAY 05 by Unregistered Guest

Reply #6 of 15 posted 24 MAY 05 by anonymous-18579

Dear Celia; I will send you a list tomorrow evening. I wrote a long list for you but evidently the program did not transmit. I'll be in touch shortly. It is 1:30 a.m. here. Blessings, Victoria	REPLY

Reply #8 of 15 posted 28 MAY 05 by anonymous-18579

Celia, I have twice sent you a list of rugosas that was a page long, and each time the list did not transmit. Is there some way that I can send the list to you directly or through another website? The only information that I see posted is the addendum about the yellow rugosas, and this is an afterthought that closes out the huge list that I sent to you. I wrote a list of rugosas by colors and sizes, and the names of hybridizers. Victoria

Reply #7 of 15 posted 24 MAY 05 by anonymous-18579

Celia, I forgot to tell you that the yellow rugosas have a reputation for not being as disease resistant as the red, pink or purple varieties. I have a pavement rugosa that does get some rust, but that does not prevent it from blooming or developing new, disease-free foliage. As a matter of fat, rugosas hate being sprayed with any kind of chemical, and the leaves will be damaged if they are sprayed. They are tough enough to shake off anything but human abuse. I hope this helps. If you do decide on a rose, you may wish to log onto helpmefind,com or everyrose.com for more information about individual varieties. I am also container-growing Henry Hudson-disease free. Sincerely, Victoria

Reply #9 of 15 posted 6 JUN 05 by anonymous-18579

Celia, this is a third try at getting a rugosa list to you. I may have to do this in several postings. I am going to give you several websites, and you can read the characteristics of each rugosa and see what sounds right for your garden. Look up www.ashdownroses.com; www.weAREroses.com (this is the Antique Rose Emporium);www.arenaroses.com; www.kedemroses.com. These nurseries sell own-root rugosas of every color and size. Wayside Gardens and White Flower Farm also have rugosas, but they may be grafted. I don't recommend them if you live in a cold climate. Ralph Moore, the "miniature rose king," has just hybridized and introduced the first striped rugosa,"Moore's Striped Rugosa." The site is www.sequoianursery.biz. This rose grows to about three feet. If you want roses for a warm climate, always go with the hybrids. The species rugosas prefer cooler climates. The "Pavement" series of rugosas are for smaller gardens. Arena Roses is selling a floribunda for the coast: "Preference." It is in their catalog. Some of the Agricultural Canada roses are also disease resistant. A good groundcover is Charles Albanel. You may also want to try "The Fairy." It is a polyantha, but it is very disease resistant and extremely rugged. It will bloom in almost near-shade in very warm or hot conditions. The websites that I have given you have separate listings for rugosas. I hope this helps. Victoria. PS_Rugosas have thorns like nails. The larger roses make good barrier plantings. The smaller ones can be grown in containers.

Reply #10 of 15 posted 6 JUN 05 by anonymous-18579

Recommended larger rugosas: Topaz Jewel (yellow)

Sarah Van Fleet
Fru Dagmar Hastrup (also Hartopp)
Hansa
Blanc Double de Coubert
Linda Campbell
Jens Munk: many rugosas have beautiful hips that can be made into jelly, tea or left on the bush for birds. I like to eat them raw, sweet and crunchy.--high in vit c.
David Thompson
Martin Frobisher
Smaller: Pavement series
Foxi Pavement
Pink, Purple, Pierette, Showy, White, Pristine Pavement
Henry Hudson
Schneezwerg
Rotes Meer

Reply #11 of 15 posted 5 APR 10 by York Rose

Do please be aware that if you live in coastal New England Rosa rugosa, while beautiful in the garden, can become invasive (which is why it's so prevalent along some of the beaches).

Furthermore, while it's a terrific landscaping flowering shrub (truly!), if you plan to cut your roses to bring indoors and enjoy in vases, Rosa rugosa and its various color iterations (such as Rosa rugosa alba, a magnificent white rose that is brilliant white without a hint of any other color, a rarity in white roses) has almost no vase life at all. In the vase the flowers can shatter within hours.

(That may not be true of the rugosa hybrids with other species. I am not familiar with their vase lives.)

Reply #12 of 15 posted 9 JUN 10 by HMF supporting member

timdufelmeier

Why would any self respecting hmf member even want to live in a world without HYBRID TEAS? What a dreadful concept!
Rugosas are devine but I WANT AND NEED MY HYBRID TEAS. I live in a little coastal town called Los Angeles, California and I have never even considered using sprays on my 400 roses neither do my rosemaniac friends.

Until rugosas grow
Like STAINLESS STEEL
Only hybrid teas can
Fill the bill

Reply #13 of 15 posted 2 JAN 13 by HMF supporting member

goncmg

Reply #14 of 15 posted 10 FEB 20 by mamabotanica

Reply #15 of 15 posted 23 OCT 22 by cooleyedbabe

I too can't imagine a life without HTs! I lived at the beach for 8 years, on the Pierpont Bay lanes, Ventura, CA, about 800 ft. from the bay. I "doctored" the soil (if you can call sand "soil") with cal-pro and earthworms. I found that earthworms literally converted the sand into soil. I bought a lot of earthworms to do that. I had Stainless Steel, Blue Girl, Pope John Paul II, Black Baccara, Speelwark, Gold Medal and 4 other various colors but can't remember their names. The only one to get any disease was BB, who got mildew. No insect problems. I sprayed BB every 3 months with the bicarb solution which controlled it. I used natural fertilizers, e.g. alfalfa pellets, cottonseed meal, etc.
Moved back to Portland in 2013 with acidic soil, e.g. 4 to 4.5 ph. Have had nothing but problems with blackspot, mildew (not as much) and canker. Rose expert advised that soil ph is the problem. Rose defenses decline if soil is not near neutral as they can't absorb nutrients in the soil. Very excited to see the results next Spring.
Because we have soooo much rain here, I also have an ongoing battle with moles. They have decimated my Portland earthworm population. But now I am armed and dangerous...caught one this week.

Discussion id : 134-881 most recent 23 OCT 22 HIDE POSTS

Initial post 23 OCT 22 by cooleyedbabe

Stainless Steel in my Portland 9b garden, 35" to 40" annual rain, up to 100s this past summer (yes, broke records). My garden besieged with blackspot, canker, and occasional mildew. SS makes it with the least care, the most beautiful grayish/mauve blooms as befits her name. I drench all with Aliette (1 TBSP. gal. 1 x mo.) and spray weekly with Manzate ProStick. I have about 50 HT plus a dozen GF. Most supposedly disease resistant but still regularly attacked. I love them all and constantly research to find solutions. James at Rosemania is tremendously helpful. I am 82 yo and I WILL PREVAIL!

Discussion id : 43-739 most recent 12 AUG 19 SHOW ALL

Initial post 5 APR 10 by HMF supporting member

a_carl76

This is a very nice pale lavender hybrid tea to grow. Very nice form and a great scent too. I have grown it for several years without spraying with moderate success but it will eventually succumb to BS if the rest of your roses get it. I sprayed it intemittently for a few years with great success. I have to strongly disagree with the hardiness rating of this rose. Despite the plant being a hybrid tea, I have grown it very successfully in zone 5b. This past winter I did not put any winter protection on it because the plant was looking terrible and I was going to replace it. I now have to rethink this as it has sent up four basal shoots (clearly not understock). I have also grown it successfully in zone 4a, but it does require good winter protection there.

Reply #1 of 2 posted 7 SEP 16 by drossb1986

Reply #2 of 2 posted 12 AUG 19 by HMF supporting member

Plazbo

Possibly related to soil ph. Caruth being in Cali likely has alkaline soil. I in Sydney Australia (a catchment area) have pretty acidic soil....basically everything of his gets blackspot here unless liming the soil or potting mix. Your bio says Huston which is apparently alkaline clay but you also mention raised beds so may or may not be the issue.	REPLY

Discussion id : 92-537 most recent 4 MAY 16 HIDE POSTS

Initial post 4 MAY 16 by drossb1986

The jury is still out for me on Stainless Steel here in Houston. We've had a very rainy spring that has resulted in some mildew problems on SS. Additionally, SS blooms tend to brown some when wet. Therefore, I've had very few nice blooms off SS...they've all ended up a bit of a mess. That said, it's a very unique color, especially when compared to other purples and mauves that I have (Twilight Zone, Distant Drums, Koko Loko, and Melody Parfumee). I've also found the plant growth to be uneven and wonky. I'm not sure if that's a trait unique to my plant, or SS just doesn't make a pretty bush. If you can get a good bloom on it, the long stems are perfect for cutting. Fragrance has been moderate for me, nothing exceptional. I thought SS would be a better performer than it has been. It makes me want to give Lady-X another go of it.

August 2016 Update: First it was mildew, then blackspot. I bought Stainless Steel thinking it would be a much better Sterling Silver, but now I can't imagine how poor of a plant Sterling Silver must be if Stainless Steel is the "better version" of it. It's an ugly plant. It doesn't bloom much. It stays riddled with something despite weekly spraying. If it rains the blooms look terrible. It's fussy and not worth the trouble. It may be getting the shovel.