Monday, September 26, 2011

Welcome!

If you ever come to visit my garden, I hope you come when the roses are in bloom.  (Of course - I would freak out if someone actually wanted to come see my weed-filled garden!)  Anyway, hypothetically, I hope on your way to my front door you stop for a moment to admire Ebb Tide, and drink in her fragrance.  You see, I have Ebb Tide planted as a standard near my front doorway.  In case you are new to gardening, a rose standard is just a rose on a stick.  Sometimes they are referred to as tree roses.


Why would I choose to purchase Ebb Tide as a standard?  First, because it is such a prolific bloomer.  What a happy, cheerful rose it is!  It is always one of the first roses to bloom in the spring, and blooms repeatedly throughout the summer and fall.


I also liked the fact that it is dark purple.  (It is more smoky in cooler temperatures.)  I don't grow a lot of purple roses, and thought this color was the perfect compliment to pair with my golden front door.  I grow Julia Child on the other side.  She is the perfect sunny yellow to match my door.  (The rose, not the person, though I bet Julia Child was a sunny person, too.)


The most important quality, though, is Ebb Tide's fabulous fragrance.  Because Ebb Tide is on a standard, the blooms are up close where their scent is quite noticeable.  Its lovely aroma floats on the air with a wonderful perfume that is very welcoming.  I love to linger there, filling my senses with its fragrance.


Oh, there are many reasons Ebb Tide makes the perfect standard to welcome visitors to my front door.


But really, the reason I bought it was because it was on sale!  I knew nothing of this rose except it was a standard, it looked pretty on the tag, and did I mention - it was on sale!


But if I had known Ebb Tide before I purchased it, I would have bought it based upon all of the above.  Prolific bloomer, sensational scent, beautiful color.  Sometimes you just get lucky!


I am also lucky enough to live in a zone where the winters are mild enough I can plant my rose standards in the ground.  And I now know what to look for in a standard.  I think fragrance is the most important quality, since the rose is lifted to nose height.  Since I've been spoiled to Ebb Tide's fabulous perfume, I could never buy another rose standard without an alluring scent.


This rose makes the traditional 'lollipop' standard.  Some people prefer a climbing rose grafted to a standard, so that the rose canes hang down, blooming from top to bottom.


My standard was in bad shape when I purchased it (the reason it was on sale), and I have babied it for a few years now.  The two words "standard" and "poor" should only go together in the financial world!  Of all the things I've done for it, a hard pruning is what it responded to most.

Do you have a rose standard in your garden?  Does it have a scent?

23 comments:

  1. I can see why you love her, she is really beautiful.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. Heck, I just wish I could make my roses look healthy!

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  3. Glad to know you have had good luck with Ebb Tide. Your photos are beautiful. I have seen photos and have wondered if it would perform in Texas. Interesting that a climber was made into a standard. Do you have to do a lot of shaping?

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  4. Holley, your Ebb Tide standard rose looks absolutely fabulous! You really got me excited about this rose, thinking that she might be something for my own rose garden. You made a good point that standard tree roses bring the fragrance closer to the nose and make it therefore even more enjoyable. By the way does the scent of Ebb Tide waft?
    To answer your question: no I don't grow any standard roses, because I feel for my garden style they look a little bit too formal. But I am contemplating to plant some roses in big containers on our terrace in the future and there a standard rose might be just right to give some height to the the pots.
    Christina

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  5. That is one beautiful rose and the fact that it has a fabulous scent would make it a welcome addition to my gardens. I really like the idea of a climber grafted to a standard that would really be something.

    Enjoy your beauteous roses. You and Christina have wonderful roses and are such an inspiration.

    FlowerLady

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  6. Cher - She has always been a nice addition, and I was lucky to have picked her up without knowing anything about her!

    hundredsofideas - Maybe it's the type of rose instead of you! I have some roses that don't do well, either. I have learned - it's them, not me!

    Tufa Girl - I don't have any standards that are grafted onto a standard, but the weeping tree roses are gorgeous in bloom. I've heard people that have them say they would never go back to the lollipop form again. I prune my standard in the spring hard and again lightly in the fall. It doesn't take much time to snip all around it. Of course, it's not a perfectly round shape (close enough for me). Maybe that's another advantage to the weeping type.

    Christina - I have Souvenir de St. Anne around the corner (not as a standard), and her scent wafts. Ebb Tide's - not so much. I hope you can find a good spot for a standard. I understand that they do have a somewhat formal look to them, but they are wonderful when you walk by!

    FlowerLady - When I first started growing roses, I didn't care whether a rose had a scent or not. But it's becoming much more important to me as I realize what a wonderful attribute that is in a garden. Now I think all roses should smell sweet!

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  7. Your roses show no ill effects of being in a drought all summer. What tender loving care you must give them to look so nice all the time.

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  8. How lovely, I wish I could smell it. I almost could!

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  9. What a stunning rose! I have 3 Icebergs (beginners' roses :)) as standards. I pruned them in July so I am waiting to see how they perform this summer. If I do ok, I might get myself some more roses, next time something that climbs or rambles maybe.

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  10. A very beautiful rose, but it doesn't look purple to me. Is there a true purple rose?

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  11. Marcia - My roses are looking fairly well, given what they've been through! I've lost some plants, but no roses, due to the drought.

    Cynthia - I feel that way sometimes when I read other blogger's posts about a particular scented plant, too.

    GardeningBlog - Good luck with your Iceberg standards! I wouldn't call them a beginner rose. It took me several years to finally get mine happy! It all has to do with location!

    Carolyn - What a great question! Roses don't have a 'blue' gene, so a "purple" rose is more red than most would think. A purple or silvery colored rose is generally referred to as blue, since that's about the closest to blue a rose will ever be, created traditionally. To get a true blue rose, genetic modification is now being tried!

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  12. I love your Ebb Tide. I had one but it died back and grew back out as Dr. Huey. I never did replace it. I think Crimson Bouquet is my Standard rose. I finally got a clipping to start for me this summer after a couple years of trying.I was so tickled. LOL! The things that excite us. LOL!

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  13. Lona - Sorry to hear about the rise of Dr. Huey. I agree - it's the little things that bring us such joy!

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  14. What a beautiful rose - my shady yard doesn't lend itself to roses, but I'm tempted to try to work some in somehow!

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  15. Wow, that is just a gorgeous rose! I used to have a tea rose - which for me, is the most intoxicating fragrance. The roses I have now are old reliables - they look sad and a little crappy, but are also pretty tough and survive with total neglect.

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  16. I can just imagine the fragrance! I know what you mean about wanting people to visit, but then being embarrassed. But I'll bet your garden is in amazing shape. I'd love to visit sometime, and you're welcome to visit here, too. Just don't look too closely. ;)

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  17. When you say 'Welcome', you really mean it!! Such a lovely rose. I'm wondering...

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  18. With such a reliable plant, a perfect choice for siting where it is now (and not just because it was on sale) :) Lovely blooms!

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  19. Ebb tide as a standard? What a wonderful thing. Such beautiful blooms. I have two "Flower Carpet" standards I purchased on sale and they have done nothing this year. I was going to ditch them, now i'm waiting...... thanks! :)

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  20. Chris - The reason I started growing roses was because it is so sunny here. The areas that get some shade, I'm puzzled as to what to plant!

    Wendy - There's a lot to be said about surviving on neglect! Sorry they don't have the wonderful fragrance you love, though.

    PlantPostings - I would actually love to visit other garden bloggers' gardens. What a treat that would be! This summer's drought really took a toll on the garden. Some seasons I feel better about my garden than others. Perhaps one day I'll feel it's "ready for prime time"!

    Sherry - You must be like me! I wonder about incorporating all sorts of ideas in my garden when I see them. But your entire garden says welcome.

    Mark and Gaz - Who would have thought when I purchased it on sale it would become one of my favorite things? I had no thought of where to put it when I bought it - I just wanted a standard!

    redneckrosarian - I'm surprised your Flower Carpet standards have done nothing! But it was so hot this year, my Flower Carpet roses didn't bloom until it cooled down a bit. I hope yours starts blooming soon.

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  21. Hi There, I'm so excited to see your blog. We grow ROSES... I don't know how you found me --but I'm glad you did!!!!!! Please come back. We have about 55 different varieties of Hybrid Tea and Grandiflora Roses in our yard. This is my hubby's 'baby'... And he babies those roses all spring/summer/fall.... You'll have to go to my sidebar and scroll down to my labels and look at my Roses... They are divided by years I think.... My all-time favorite rose is Double Delight --but I also love Veterans Honor. OH--there are tons I love!!!!!

    Your photos are awesome....
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  22. Holley, what a way to welcome guests!

    I had Angel Face as a standard for years. I kept it on the deck spring through fall and brought it in to the living room for the winter. The fragrance was amazing. During one of my lengthy chemo hospitalizations, everyone forgot to water it. In a pot with no water is not a good thing.

    Standards generally don't do well in the ground here - just a bit too cold. But your post has me reminiscing and wishing for a new one!

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  23. Betsy - So nice to find another rose addict! :) Sounds like your roses are your babies as well as your husband's!

    Cathy and Steve - So sorry your Angel Face standard died. I forget to water things in pots, too. I hope you get another standard. Maybe you can find another Angel Face!

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