This past summer certainly is one of the hottest and toughest years to garden (or do any outdoor activities). Surviving on those dog days of summer in Texas isn’t only challenging for us, but also for our roses and other plants (including grass).
My harvests from my backyard this summer
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you what roses in my garden manage to be so resilient and tough to bloom in such crazy heat. Looking at my list last year - The Summer 2022 Edition, this year's list is shorter because only a few roses blooms consistently during our summer months.
One big factor that I think greatly impacts my garden is due to drought (which is worse this year than the last, at least in my area with not much rain).
I’m going to structure this differently this time by breaking it down by month. Starting from July, August and September.
Why not including June? June this year wasn’t that hot so I left it out. When I look back at my photo albums, still a ton of gorgeous blooms so let’s start in July when the REAL Texas heat hit us.
Let’s talk about the definition of “blooming well”. I find that it is different from one person to another. To some, it may mean blooming consistently regardless of how flowers look. They just love to bloom! To some people, blooming well means beautiful form, decent size, and high petal counts.
Keep in mind that each yard is different when it comes to sun exposure, water schedule/amount/frequency, and fertilizing methods. Your experience with the same rose variety can be different from mine.
My backyard is south-facing and 95% of roses gets about 10-12 hours of sun during summer. Only about 5% get afternoon sun after 3pm. The rest get full, direct sunlight and heat blast continuously.
The photos of these blooms were taken either early morning or late evening. Most roses fade significantly to very light color/white in high heat.
For this year, since it’s insanely hot. I give these roses big kudos and 4 thumbs up for managing to bloom. They deserve major recognition. However, I’ll have my summary at the bottom of the ones that truly are my 2023 summer rockstars.
Note that my rose collection doesn’t include other popular varieties. If you don’t see their names listed here, it doesn’t mean they are not great roses. It could be the fact that I don’t own them in my garden. Some of my roses are also too young to be evaluated so they will need more time to mature. I don't want to judge them too soon.
Most of these roses, I am working on doing full reviews and they will be available in the weeks/months to come.
JULY LIST
CRAZY LOVE ROSE
A full review in work
ALL DRESSED UP ROSE
A full review in work
LIFE OF THE PARTY ROSE
LOVE SONG ROSE
A full review in work
LADY OF THE MIST ROSE
A full review in work
BORDEAUX ROSE
A full review in work
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM ROSE
A full review is available here
EVELYN ROSE
A full review in work
RASPBERRY CREAM TWIRL CLIMBING ROSE
A full review in work
POLKA CLIMBING ROSE
A full review in work
BLISS PARFUMA ROSE
(newly planted in spring 2023)
A full review in work
VIOLET PRIDE ROSE
(newly planted in spring 2023)
A full review in work
PLUM PERFECT ROSE
SILAS MARNER ROSE
A full review in work
DISTANT DRUMS ROSE
PRINCESS CHARLENE DE MONACO ROSE
(Faded due to a day of harsh sun)
AUGUST LIST
This month as the heat intensified, some roses that bloomed in July significantly slowed down or the blooms became really tiny except these.
LIFE OF THE PARTY ROSE
SPARKLE AND SHINE ROSE
A full review in work
VIOLET PRIDE ROSE
A full review in work
APRIL LOVE ROSE
(The 2023 review is coiming up)
LADY OF THE MIST ROSE
A full review in work
EVELYN ROSE
A full review in work
PLUM PERFECT ROSE
PRINCESS CHARLENE DE MONACO ROSE
(Faded due to a day of harsh sun)
SEPTEMBER LIST
LIFE OF THE PARTY ROSE
POLKA CLIMBING ROSE
A full review in work
SILAS MARNER ROSE
A full review in work
CATHEDRAL BELLS ROSE
(newly planted in spring 2023)
A full review in work
EVELYN ROSE
A full review in work
LADY OF THE MIST ROSE
A full review in work
Now let's take a look at the roses that bloom consistently during these hot months in this order:
1) Lady of the Mist rose surprises me the most! I've had this rose for almost 3 years now and it has been a very interesting journey. I have many cautions about this rose for those who think about getting this beauty (in the upcoming rose review).
2) Evelyn rose is also a big surprise given that not many David Austin roses perform well in our high heat state of Texas. I have 2 Evelyns: one is about 2.5 years old and another one is about 1.5 years old. The older Evelyn has been pumping out blooms consistently all summer long. It does love heat! A review and more photos coming soon.
3) Silas Marner rose is also another wonderful David Austin rose that actually does well in Texas. I'm so glad to buy it when it was released. It's a very prolific rose that is eager to bloom. Bloom size, colors, and form varied due to the heat, but overall, very impressive for 2 years in a row.
4) Life of the Party rose continues to conquer my summer favorite roses for 2 years in a row. This year, it didn't seem to repeat as fast as last year, but it consistently bloomed every month during the summer.
5) Violet Pride rose turns out to be an awesome rockstar given that I just planted it this spring. It managed to bloom beautifully and repeated pretty fast. Very impressive for how young the plant is. I love this new addition already!
So these are my 2023 summer favorite roses. Hope this list helps you make a decision as far as what roses to add to your garden. Growing roses in our Texas weather has been challenging with extreme heat then we get more unexpected freeze. Rest assured though, there are some really beautiful and tough roses that we can grow & enjoy. I'll continue to add more thorough reviews to the blog. If you're interested, you can check outSpirit of Freedom rose andPrincess Charlene de Monaco rosereviews.
With the holiday season approaching, I'm throwing one last event at Life In Rose Farm on Saturday, December 2 from 2-4PM. Holiday at the rose farm details and RSVP here. Hope to see you there.
***Want to know how I care for my roses? Sign up here > https://www.rosesinhouston.com/new-to-roses
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October Rose Garden Update - October 2023 | Small backyard filled with roses I love