This is one of my favorite plants in the spring. The flush of unusual blooms in red-violet, purple and occasionally white with a white and bright yellow center reminds me of Veilchenblau but in a small, compact form. As the summer goes on, it does get blackspot and some defoliation and I vow to tear it out the next year--but next year, it's beautiful again.

I'm at the northern edge of zone 6 in central Indiana, where a lot of roses get blackspot. I've planted salvia and sage by Christian J, hoping they'll help.

I've grown Christian J in my zone 5b New Hampshire garden for three years. It's planted in full sun in acidic loamy soil. There was not much growth in the first two years, this spring it was about 2' tall. There was some tip die back over each winter but the crown and main structure of the shrub was ok. It has recently produced a basal cane that's growing quickly and is much taller than the rest of the bush.

The blooms are less plentiful than Darlow's Enigma, and they don't cluster as prettily. The petals suffer from sun damage, and don't drop. Overall the plant has a disheveled look. I think it might do better in the shade. It suffers from blackspot despite regular treatment with propiconazle, however I find that young, frail, low-growing roses are the most vulnerable to blackspot and sometime outgrow that susceptibility.

Available from - High Country Gardens
High Country Gardens.com