Les quatre saisons / Pink Swany

Bonica or Meidomonac dominated gardens for twenty years and it's not difficult to see why that was: A carefree, Perpetual blooming floribunda or Polyantha, completely disease resistant and a nice pink double flower. Today, Meilland has more than one succecor and Les quatre Saisons or Pink swany is one of them. Les quatre saisons came on the market in 2003 and it's in the same range as the fairy, the Faun, Bonica etc..

It's a rose that's ideal for low hedges, cascading from a short wall, front of the border, in pots or as a standard rose. A rounded spreading shrub 80X80 cm or 3X3 feet. The blooms are very old fashioned and quartered in a nice pink color. They stand in big clusters and keep coming all summer long. If you want the plant to get taller you simply don't prune them. 100% disease resistance, zone 6b to 9b and shade tolerant. It's a carefree gem for people who love low maintenance roses.

Coral Dawn

Coral dawn, Boerner 1953

Modern Climber 

Seedling of New Dawn X unknown (Aloha?) 

A creation of the great Papa Floribunda, Gene Boerner. New Dawn is the parent or ancestor of nearly all modern Climbers and Coral Dawn was no exception. In fact the overall growth and look of Coral dawn reminds of New Dawn. Long, stiff canes and glossy dark green foliage. The blooms are fab: Coral pink to light pink, very full, very old fashioned and with a strong fragrance. They usually stand in clusters. She blooms in late spring and again in August and September. To ensure she doesn't only bloom at the top you should shorten the lateral shoots every year. Try to train her horizontally. Health is good and she's extremely Hardy. She can survive Zone 3b. 

A beautiful, sweet rose 

Chic

Chic, Gene Boerner 1953

Eugène Boerner probably was the greatest rose creator of the United States. He created so many good floribundas that his nickname was Papa Floribunda. And how can we forget the famous Aloha rose which gave us so many great offspring.

Chic is one of those wonderful floribundas he created and it's a bit forgotten today but it deserves renewed attention. It's a rather low, short rose of 80X80 cm or 3X3 feet. It's almost made for pots. It's blooms are my favorite color: Starting coral pink but evolving into this magnificent apricot peachy pink. Their shape is so pretty, perfect HT like and they stand in small clusters. A good strong fragrance is present. It's almost a small Aloha!

Reblooming is top notch and also health is anno 2023 good. Zone 6b to 9b

Eugene's creations deserves renewed attention overall.

The cross was Pinocchio 🤥 (Kordes) X Fashion (Boerner himself) 

Why pine bark mulch is bad for roses

Roses and plants in general love a good thick layer of organic mulch. It keeps the soil moist in hot dry weather and it turns into humus as it starts to decompose. However, there is mulch and there is mulch, not every mulch is suitable for roses. Research has shown that a mulch layer of pine bark is bad for newly planted roses and even for adult ones. Pine bark starts to deplete nitrogen from the soil which causes young roses to really struggle, in essence it starves them to death. Even older roses will struggle.

So a mulch layer of pine bark has to be avoided. If you love pine bark for its esthetics you can however work around the nitrogen issue. You give your roses a thick layer of composted manure or leaf compost and on top you put a layer of pine bark. The manure compost will form a barrier between the soil and the pine bark so it can't extract the nitrogen directly from the soil and our roses. It will however extract the nitrogen from the manure or leaf compost. 

Better is to look for alternatives for pine bark. There are plenty of good esthetically pleasing alternatives which will ensure your roses to grow even better.

Pine bark chips deplete nitrogen from the soil 

Gärtentraume

Gärtentraume, Tantau 2007

The Enchantress 

Scentuous

Hybrid Tea/Floribunda 

Garden dreams is the English translation of this rose and indeed she is. She's also an Enchantress and she's certainly Scentuous! What a delicious fragrance! She puts a spell on you with her captivating smells like a sort of Armida the witch

Light pink, very full, almost rosette shaped blooms in clusters. The petals often are wavy. 120X100 cm or 4X3 feet. Ideal for pots! Non stop blooming and good health. Zone 6b to 9b. And her fragrance? 😂 Yes it's veeeeeryyyy strong, only one bloom makes a whole room smell. 

Don't think twice, BUY HER! 

Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert, Valdez 2012

Hybrid Tea 

Deep pink /Carmine colored very full blooms. Solitary bloom form. Good strong fragrance. Vigorous and bushy growth up to 120X100 cm or 4X3 feet. Blooms in flushes throughout the season

Typical American variety. A nice addition to the rose family 

Summer Song

Summer song, Austin 2005

English rose 

Summer song is very closely related to Golden Celebration and Jubilee Celebration. She has the same arching, flamboyant growth 120X100 cm or 4X3 feet and is also very suitable for pots. Her blooms are nothing short of magnificent: Very bright orange slowly turning into soft pink. They are loosely quartered and have a strong good fragrance.

Sadly this rose never became popular with the public. Is it the color? Is it too flashy? I don't think so. Strangely enough this rose is probably the best sold Austin in Ukraine and Russia. She's not canceled so this means that she's still healthy enough for Austin. 

Reblooming and health is top notch. Take a look at this forgotten gem 

Falstaff

Falstaff, Austin 1990

English rose 

Almost identical to "The Prince" except for its height. Falstaff can reach, under good conditions 150X100 cm or 5 X3 feet. Flowers are staggeringly beautiful: Velvety red to almost black, reflexed, cupped old fashioned. Good strong old rose fragrance. Helpmefind says it's only once blooming but I can recall it reblooming after the first flush. Health is moderate and as with all these magnificent dark red Austin's Falstaff needs a good treatment. Spoil it rotten!

Again this rose was canceled by Austin but just the Prince Falstaff has a big fan base and in other climates she performs much better. 

Maybe the most beautiful Red Austin? But in my opinion The Prince, Falstaff, Munstead wood and The Squire are sooo close... they are equally beautiful. And what to think about Prospero and Othello?