The Wedgwood Rose climbs very well and is a prolific bloomer in our Southern California garden. Spring, Summer, and into Fall, the lateral canes need to be cut back pretty regularly and new growth guided through the trellis, you really have to stay up on cutting and training. The scent when you hold the rose up to your nose is light and sweet, if pink was a scent it’d be the Wedgwood, and the soft pink shading is simply perfect! The blooms open fully and last nearly a week on average with new buds blooming all the time in the hot months of summer, note that our trellised roses get morning sun and late afternoon shade.

Beautiful picture, Sarah Ann! Your photo reminded me of another rose with big beautiful blooms, (maybe it’s already been mentioned). What about “Chartreuse de Parme”? Mine is still young, and I can’t locate any pictures of her first blooms, but they were impressive already. She reportedly has very large blooms, is very fragrant, and her color is somewhat similar to Yves Piaget(mauve/pink). Hopefully, mine will really take off soon, since I planted it into the ground over the winter. I left for my mom’s house right after I posted my comment/question asking if there was a time release granular fertilizer that is soluble, and I couldn’t get the thought out of my head, that perhaps that’s an oxymoron. I know so little about container fertilizer(or fertilizers in general) that it may have been a foolish question:) I just know myself. I can’t see spraying fertilizer on the leaves regularly, and even mixing and watering it in every week or two isn’t going to happen on a regular basis. When I’m unwell, just watering my pots is enough of a struggle. I tend to have more problems with my MS during the summer heat, so I just know I won’t keep up with weekly fertilizing. I think your suggestion of asking on the container gardening forum is a good one, Carol. I should ask there, and explain what exactly I’m looking for. Thank you:) Peter, we know exactly what you mean by “guano”. In this case we would call it “manure”. :) Check out “Chartreuse de Parme”, by Delbard. I think you’ll like it, and it’s very highly rated in all categories. Lisa

No, you didn't miss it, Vaporvac. I'm so sorry to have to let down anyone who was looking forward to it, but unfortunately I've been unwell (I have severe ME/CFS) which the brutal summer heatwave we're in currently is making even more challenging. The neuro-cognitive impairment aspect of the ME means I simply can't think properly in the particular, somewhat more complex ways, including doing computer-y things, necessary to organise the Quiz into its final usable form. In the midst of this, an urgent need for online advocacy has recently arisen - an issue that could radically affect the lives of people with ME in Australia and around the world for years to come - and this has been taking and will continue to take almost all my energy - what doesn't go into the bare basics of survival - over the next few weeks, in order to for me to be able to make my contribution before the deadline. (We sort of 'run on empty' most of the time in a state of permanent physical, mental and even emotional exhaustion because the mitochondria in our cells can't produce and replenish energy in the normal way.) So, my apologies again to you and others, but it looks as though this is going to be one of those fun projects I so often just have to 'let go'. It's both frustrating and embarrassing to offer something and then to not be able to deliver, but since it happens so often, I did put in that little disclaimer about not being able to guarantee I could do it....! So, thank you, Vaporvac for asking about it, and maybe we can do it later in the the year, circumstances permitting... :-)

One day, before massive social media, when print was more in fashion, I saw a picture of a rose on the front of a magazine. I was captivated and purchased the magazine. The rose was Mrs. John Laing. There was also a beautiful picture of Mutabalis in this magazine. There was something about it that captivated me too, unfortunately, it took actual rose growing before I really figured out why. The next day, I visited the local nursery looking for both roses and stumbled upon knockouts, a bunch of hybrid teas and a few David Austin Roses. We had just completed building a home on a blank slate piece of land, had a swimming pool custom built and installed and landscaped the backyard. Talk about bad timing for the beginning of a rose obsession! I fell in love with the beauty of rose blooms! Like any obsessed person, within two years, I had purchased 125 roses and watched how they integrated with the existing landscape. Over a decade later, it was a desire for something else, that prompted my internet search, which led me to the Antique Rose Forum. My obsession veered off in that direction. Now, I am "particular" related to roses. I continue to be attracted to beautiful blooms, but fragrance, how a bush fits into the landscape, the leaves and how they move during a gentle breeze, etc., all factor into what I think makes roses so special and keeps me obsessed. I cannot imagine having any kind of living space sans roses...