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Walk Through The Garden, 2008A
Walk Through The Garden, 2008previous rose ------- next rose
'Oranges
'n' Lemons'Cluster-Flowered/Floribunda, 1992, McGreedy
Very few modern roses seem to really thrive in this area. We are nominally in USDA Zone 5a (recently upgraded from 4b) and Sunset Zone 1; the summer days are hot and dry, summer nights are cool and wet (just what powdery mildew loves!), the winters... well, anything can and will happen in winter, usually all in one day, and the soils are extremely alkaline. Add to this a recent propensity for mild winters with killing frosts coming only very late, and you have a recipe for disaster for most moderns.
'Oranges 'n' Lemons' is quite a different matter! This wonderful Modern grows vigorously here, often sending canes up to two meters into the air (these need support to keep them being snapped in the wind). It starts leafing out early, sending out deep red new growth. Bloom seems to come slowly most years, but when it finally does come, it is generous and continues until the rose grudgingly enters dormancy.
While not, to my nose, the most fragrant of roses, I heartily recommend this one to anyone who has had trouble raising Modern Roses under less-than-ideal conditions.