Tuesday, April 26, 2011

My One and Only

Some roses bloom all summer.  I have lots of these.  Some roses only bloom once, in the spring.  Of these, I have only one.


My once-bloomer is a gallica named 'Belle de Crecy'.  She grows in zones 4 through 8.  Nearly thornless.  Spotless foliage.  Tons of petals.  Cute little button nose.


Why do I only have one?  Am I greedy for more blooms?  Well, yes.  Although - for gardeners in the right zones,  once-blooming roses (non-remontant) bloom for a very long time (a month or more), with a much higher count of blooms than the repeat (remontant) bloomers.  It's whatever is best for your garden, and a lot of it has to do with your weather.  Gallicas like cold winters, cool summers.  Not always the type of weather we get in Texas.


The weather here is a bit hot for a gallica.  In fact, I wasn't sure it would get cold enough for it to ever bloom.  But, so far it has.  Not sure I'll be able to say that every year, and this rose may go into decline if the weather tends to get hotter.  Of course, if our winters stay cool, this beauty may become my biggest spring bloomer!


You may think I wish this rose would repeat.  But I love it for what it is.


After all, it is my one and only gallica.

Do you have a non-remontant rose in your garden?

21 comments:

  1. What a beautiful rose! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm wondering if one of my roses is like this one, it's bloom is a lighter pink though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is a beautiful rose, and more pink in your pictures than here. Gallicas don't live long here because of a lack of winter chill. Enjoy yours!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beauty! Gallicas do NOT like our heat and humidity, so none growing here.

    FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just planted roses other than R. rugosas in my garden for the first time last spring. I have three pink Knock Out Roses and three 'Westerland', a floribunda(?). Your gallica is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 'Belle de Crecy' is an incredible beautiful gallica rose and I can totally see why you are growing her. Since my garden is very small I have decided to go only for repeat flowering roses. One that is on the fence is 'Zephirine Drouhin'. This rose started to repeat somewhat for me in her third year, but not really in a satisfying way. Her spring flush is glorious, but when she is not starting to repeat more in the future, actually this year, I am afraid I will give her to another home. Real estate in my garden is just too precious!
    Christina

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sheila - Thanks for commenting!

    Darla - There are numerous old roses it could be. Just enjoy!

    Masha - Mine may not live long, either. I was surprised to see it enduring our hot summer last year when the temps stayed above 100 for several weeks. If it eventually dies, I probably won't replace it - I feel like i'm torturing it with our hot summers! I've heard this rose can turn almost blue - but I think the temps have a lot to do with it, possibly acidity. Mine may turn a little purple, but never the blue I've seen in pictures.

    FlowerLady - You are right about gallicas. I just had to try one!

    Carolyn - Glad you're branching out and growing more roses! I grow the red Knockouts and have a climbing Westerland that is really taking off!

    Christina - It may take ZD a few years to get settled in. Though I do know about wanting as many blooms as possible. I don't grow ZD, but I've heard a lot of glowing praises of it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh my that is gorgeous...I would love that rose for that incredibly different, huge bloom..wow

    ReplyDelete
  9. Donna - It is an easy rose to love. Very lax and bushy. Interesting foliage even when not in bloom. But when it is - yes, wow.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Belle de Crecy was not happy here and pined straight away.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a beautiful Rose. My sister (in the north) raves about her once blooming roses.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a beautiful rose! Many perennials only bloom once, for a month or less, and gardeners don't fault them for it. I hope your rose continues to do well for you. I do like my repeat bloomers, but most do not have the gorgeous blooms that characterize Belle de Crecy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Holly, your garden transformation featured on the Sweet Bean website is really great. What a difference you've made to the garden & you've turned it into a lovely plant & flower santuary. Kelli.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a beautiful rose. The Gallicas hold such charm. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nell Jean - I hope mine doesn't go into decline. I worry about it. Sorry yours didn't take to the heat!

    Jeannie - Yes, I think with the right climate, they are spectacular!

    debsgarden - We do expect a lot from our roses, don't we? That's one of the reasons I have so many roses - they bloom all summer.

    Kelli - Thanks so much for the sweet compliment! That was fun for my garden to be featured like that.

    Redneck Rosarian - They are charming. Sort of from a lost time.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That is a very pretty rose. All of my roses bloom in the summer, but I love the shape of that rose.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sage Butterfly - Yes, the bloom as well as the bush are nice. Not the regular upright rose that most people thing of. And practically thornless! That is always a big, big plus in my book!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
    What a pretty rose- and my favorite color of pink. I wrote down the name, I was so impressed!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Jennifer - I hope she does well for you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. looks like you like hot pink too!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Greggo - You bet! What's not to love?

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...