September garden update

I just finished doing the fall pruning and fertilizing, and almost everything survived the summer quite well, even though June was unusually hot and the summer rains a bit sparse. Unfortunately, one favorite rose (Pat Austin!) died. Back in May, the soil seemed too wet so I moved its emitter to another pot -- then forgot about it. Not good.

But the ones that made it are thriving. Mme. Isaac Pereire has finally started sending out long, long canes. Right next to her is Ballerina, and she is playing copycat. Flower Girl, less than one year old, is looking quite promising and Charles Austin has earned its place amongst my favorites because it is so reliably and fragrantly in bloom. My Goodwin Creek Mystery Rose [story] should flower next spring! What was different? Timed release fertilizer (I hate fertilizing when it is hot), and once it got over 100 degrees I set the irrigation to water twice a day for 30 minutes.

So now I am planning what to buy bareroot and what to get rid of. This year I will say goodbye to miniature rose Neon Cowboy and China rose Louis Phillipe. Neon Cowboy blows open too fast in my garden, and Louis Phillipe has been stingy with the bloom. I may get rid of La Marne too because its blooms are too fragile.

Here is my wishlist for new roses (I will probably only buy 2 or 3): Charles de Mills, Fortune's Double Yellow, Happy Chappy, Heaven on Earth, Jacqueline du Pré, Lilian Austin, Marchesa Boccella, Mme. Alfred Carierre, Pillow Fight, Queen of Bourbons, Rosette Delizy, Verdun and Westerland. Which ones should I choose?