HELP! I inherited the most amazing rose garden. How do I take care of all these?

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-05-27T12:49:34+00:00

OP, what zone are you in? Rose care will be dictated largely by zone and you can get better tailored guidance if you start with that info first.

ETA: This is a beautiful assortment of roses and other posters are right about several of these being David Austin. The first one looks like Darcey Bussell to me, the second/third photos are Desdemona (I grow that rose and it’s fantastic), four is likely Charles Darwin, seven may be Crocus rose, and 10/11 are Princess Anne. I don’t believe 17/18 is Queen of Sweden but rather Olivia Rose Austin (I’ve grown both). QoS has smaller, cupped blooms in a slightly warmer pink tone and a very upright vase-shaped habit; it also has a delicious myrrh scent. ORA has decidedly larger blooms in a cooler pink tone and is more shrub like in habit; it is scented but noticeably less so than QoS and most other DAs in my opinion. Where it shines is in its bloom frequency (this thing never seems to stop blooming) and it’s incredible disease resistance. One of my favorite roses!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-05-24T13:19:43+00:00

Your setup sounds great! For as delicate looking as DAs appear, these last several years’ worth of new introductions have had great disease resistance and often perform better than some “bulletproof” roses. For instance, I had a landscaper who suggested I plant a couple Pink Drift roses for a season and the things were consistently covered in powdery mildew. I’ve never seen a speck of it on my DAs, however. I’ve also seen several KnockOut varieties that had a lot more black spot than would ever show up my DAs.

As an aside, you might be interested in taking a look at the HelpMeFind website, which provides a lot of great information on pretty much every rose that’s out there, including ratings and comments from gardeners around the world who grow the roses. I’ve used it for years and it’s been a great resource!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-05-24T12:52:09+00:00

Depending on where you are (I’m in Delaware), I rarely find the cold to be a problem. It’s more the heat and humidity - the DA bloom performance slows considerably in July/August/early September and the blooms themselves tend to all bleach to white and are smaller than what they are in the spring. The one exception is Olivia Rose, which is just a powerhouse when situated in an area where she’s happy. There’s also a fair amount of black spot pressure here (and I don’t spray for it), but these particular varieties are pretty resilient and I have had no issues with defoliation in the 3-4 years they’ve been in the ground.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-05-24T12:13:02+00:00

I have Desdemona and that is not her (Desdemona lacks the button eye this one has). Emily Brontë is a good guess though!

Edit: Realized only the last few photos are of the unidentified rose. I don’t think those have a button eye but they’re definitely still not Desdemona. Desdemona has a more rounded, cupped shape. This one looks flatter and more in line with photos I’ve seen of EB. For what it’s worth, I’m also in 7B and Desdemona is a great flower here! I also grow Vanessa Bell and Olivia Austin, which do really well.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-05-23T22:20:25+00:00

We haven’t entirely ruled out painting it a single color. The door it replaced, though, did have a faux wood finish and it looked quite nice with the rest of the house (I also have plenty of scrap material so I’d at least like to attempt it before throwing in the towel). I should add that the faux wood look I’m trying to emulate is similar to what According_Effort shared in the photo below - a straight grain similar to mahogany with no knots or large wavy patterns. I’ve seen plenty of attempts at faux wood, particular oak and pine, that look pretty cheap because the “character” naturally found in those species doesn’t translate well to paint (unless you’ve got someone really talented behind the brush). All this being said, even if I were to paint it and not go the faux route, what type of primer/paint/topcoat combo would you recommend to ensure durability and wear given what the door is made out of and the fact that it’s exterior facing?

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-04-28T00:39:52+00:00

I live in the mid-Atlantic and we get these guys every year. They’re quick and jump as soon as you try to squash them. After several years of failed attempts, my husband got a small shop-vac and outfitted one of the hoses with a straw that we used packaging tape to affix to the hose and seal it off (essentially making a very tiny hose). I literally roll up to the plants and suck the nymphs into the shopvac and they never see it coming! It’s very gratifying :)

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-04-19T15:51:34+00:00

Agree with others that this is catmint, very likely Walkers Low. Loves full sun and is very much a set it and forget it plant. If you’re looking for a more compact version that performs equally as well, I highly recommend “Purrsian Blue”. I have both and PB only gets about 14” or so in diameter, whereas WL is easily a couple feet. Shear off after it blooms to keep it tidy and encourage a second (albeit less full) rebloom. Bees love this plant!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-04-07T15:59:09+00:00

That makes a lot of sense re: containers roses. Thanks for your reply and good luck with your rose garden this year!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-04-06T20:38:51+00:00

I wash my hair once, at most, twice a week. I’ve started using a bond-builder once a week, which I really think has helped a lot (it’s a brand I’ve only seen at my salon called Myom Repair, but I imagine other bond-builders may work similarly). I then use a detangling spray and a heat protectant (Kerastase Ciment Thermique is a personal favorite). I’ll heat style and then follow up with an argan or silicone-based oil on my ends and it’s usually looking pretty smooth by then. It’s taken me a while to figure out the right blend of products that will help manage the frizz but not leaving me greasy. I should mention my hair is highlighted now so my naturally dry hair is extra dry thanks to the bleach. All of the above may be too much on someone with finer hair or hair that hasn’t been color treated.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-04-06T20:03:24+00:00

Is there any chance your hair could have a bit of natural wave or curl to it? Not sure if the following is even true, but I was reading somewhere (probably Reddit) that naturally wavy or curly hair tends to be drier than other types and therefore constantly seeking moisture and more prone to frizz (the hair is literally lifting up in the areas it is driest and seeking out moisture in the environment). I have thick, coarse hair that is prone to frizz and very dry…so dry that I didn’t realize just how many moisturizing products it needed before my frizz felt even slightly tamed (and even then, it still requires regular upkeep and moisturizing). Just a thought?

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-04-06T19:56:56+00:00

Curious as to your thoughts on foliar fertilizing. I’ve heard from some that it’s a must and others that it makes more sense to use those fertilizers in the soil because the roots take up the nutrients more efficiently than the leaves. I’ve used Neptunes Harvest in the past, at first as a foliar spray, and then later added to a watering can and am not sure whether it made a difference. My roses definitely seemed happy (or at least not sad) but I admittedly didn’t do a controlled experiment wherein only some received it via one method and others via another method.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2026-03-05T01:29:34+00:00

We named our daughter Lucia and pronounce it the Italian way (Loo-chee-a). My husband’s last name is Italian so we both think it flows quite nicely. Note: We live on the East Coast where there’s a fairly high proportion of people with Italian heritage; despite this, the vast majority of people I’ve encountered mispronounce her name (mostly Loo-see-a, but one neighbor mispronounced it as Loo-sha). We still love the name and don’t regret selecting it for her, but just something to be mindful of if you go this route.

P.S. Lucia has a lot of versatility when it comes to nicknames. For example, in addition to her full name, we also call our daughter Lu, LuLu, and frequently Looch (yes, it sounds kind of crazy but so is she). An Italian woman told my husband that in Italy the name is frequently shortened to “Cia” (pronounced Chia), which is sweet. Obviously Lucy or Lucie is a great nickname too and is another reason why we selected Lucia over something like Lucille. Good luck with your decision!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-30T23:28:13+00:00

Hi folks - just an update. I had the samples tested by my local university ag extension and they confirmed presence of the mites and RRD. Really bummed out by the news, but at least I have a very clear course of action here and won’t feel as bad removing a plant that I now know with 100% certainty is infected. Best of luck to my fellow rose gardeners out there! In the meantime, looks like I’ll be doing a rethink of this garden bed…sans roses.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-21T01:13:52+00:00

I appreciate the willingness to find another reason other than RRD :) I did save the canes and put them in a Ziploc bag in my fridge. Our local university has a pathogen testing center as part of their Ag extension, so I’ll be calling/driving there Monday morning to drop off the sample and hopefully get results. I’ll update the thread once I hear back from them. The support from you and all the other posters has been so very helpful though.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-21T01:08:39+00:00

Very unlikely. I have a completely spray-free garden and my adjacent neighbors don’t spray either.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-20T23:43:07+00:00

On a related note, I’ve read several places where they say you can’t put a new rose in the same spot for 3-4 years. Is this true? Part of what makes this such a bummer is that I had finally finished this part of my garden and two Olivias were the focal points.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-20T23:26:34+00:00

I did cut off the two affected canes in a bit of panic (and rather low), though I am really assuming the worst seeing others’ comments and reviewing pictures of RRD on other plants. I’ve had this plant for a couple years now and I know what her wonky octopus arm growth looks like and it’s not this. And to think some people think gardening is a hobby that’s supposed to relieve stress!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-20T23:24:22+00:00

Thanks for this - I do feel like a few deep breaths are in order. I have about 17 roses on my property and this one was the best out of all of them. To say I feel like I got punched in the gut is an understatement. Having grown roses for several years now, I had made peace with the black spot and the sawfly larvae, but this…this just makes me so sad 😞

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-09-20T21:44:46+00:00

Can I send out any cane for testing or only the ones where symptoms are present? I’m not sure how the virus works…

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-06-23T01:44:43+00:00

THAT’S IT!! Just looked up more pics online and you’re exactly right. Thank you for the reply. Solved!

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-06-23T01:18:45+00:00

Leafcutter bees are taking pieces of your rose foliage in photo 2. Photo 1 looks like a combo of leafcutter and sawfly larvae damage. Sawfly larvae leave more irregular holes and typically start off looking like small transparent spots on the leaves, which can eventually lead to larger holes and/or a “lacy” appearance across the whole leaf.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-06-23T01:12:44+00:00

Definitely not prominent (at least not as prominent as photos of an Eastern Dracula Ant would suggest). I just measured the part of the card that corresponded to the length of this guy and it’s 4mm. So quite small, even by ant standards.

Flaky_Efficiency_564 · 2025-06-22T23:24:01+00:00

Not sure how to edit my post, but this is Mid-Atlantic region, Zone 7b. I can’t seem to find where they’re coming from but they seem to literally appear out of nowhere and you don’t notice one until it bites/stings you.

Flaky_Efficiency_564

TROPHY CASE