One of the questions in our Growing Roses in Houston Texas Facebook group that frequently comes up is - what roses bloom well in our heat? By a definition of "bloom well" means differently for different people. In my own term and definition, the roses that bloom well for me will have to meet below criteria.
The summer 2023 edition has been released just click this link (yippeee!!) - you can find a list of roses that withstood one of the hottest and toughest summer months
1) Petal counts and bloom size are not significantly impacted by high heat. What did I mean by that? If you're new to roses, you may notice that roses during spring time are much bigger and fuller. As temperature rises, some roses open up faster and don't have a lot of time to fully develop petals so their flowers are a lot smaller and have much fewer petals.
2) They continue to bloom despite high pest pressure and heat. This year is a very tough year to grow roses as high heat arrived faster and we had drought in June and July. The lack of rain also encouraged more unwanted pests due to dry weather (thrips). Many roses take a beating this year. I don't treat my roses with insecticide nor fungicide, all natural.
Before you start making a list for your rose shopping trip, let me address that I don't have every rose variety in my garden. If you don't see the rose names that you want, it does NOT mean that they don't perform well. It could be the fact that I don't have that particular variety or they're too young to evaluate. This year is also a very challenging year with heat and drought so some roses are struggling.
I typcially want to give at least 3 years to allow them time to be fully matured. Some roses will shine in their 1st year. Some need time.
Each person's experience will be different with each rose as well. The same rose variety may perform better in one yard than the next due to several factors like sun exposure, shade, soil, nutrients, feeding schedule, and more. So you may hear someone says "this xxx rose does incredibly well" but another person has a completely opposite experience with it.
Also, I don't leave blooms on the plants during harsh summer months because my roses don't get any afternoon shade at all. Why? Most blooms will fry under hot sun so I'd rather cut and bring them inside to enjoy. This is the reason why you're still able to see their vibrant colors. I try to cut them early when the buds start to open. They tend to open up faster in heat as well so you have to catch them in time to cut before they're fully opened.
So let's dive in on my most favorite summer bloomers that really stand out in summer 2022 between June to August.
Life of the Party by Weeks
has proven to be an amazing summer bloomer in our hot and humid weather. This rose is so full and fluffy plus a fruity fragrance to die for. At this point, you can say it's my top 5 most favorite roses. A full review is here.
Silas Marner by David Austin
This 2022 new release by David Austin surprised me in a pleasant way. Just a few weeks after spring planting, it started producing 10+ creamy, light pink blooms. Although bloom size wasn't big, they're beautiful and the best part? Silas Marner continuously blooms ALLsummer long. Some David Austin roses are known to not bloom much in Texas high heat, but this one is an exception. Small but pack a punch. If you like pink rose, you won't regret Silas Marner.
Pink Peace by Meillands
If you are a fan of this shade of pink with beautiful fragrance, Pink Peace is your rose. I got mine from Lowe's in 2021 and was drawn to this rose by its huge and gorgeous bloom (and don't forget that fragrance). Pink Peace rose has been blooming all summer and make a great cut rose as it is a hybrid tea rose (single bloom per stem), offers long stems and blooms last longer than most other roses. Another rose that is similar in color is Miranda Lambert (I don't have that one but people say it's blooming abundantly - no fragrace for Miranda Lambert rose though).
Koko Loko rose by Weeks
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE KOKO LOKO! People in my FB group probably know by now given how often I post about it. Koko is also in my top 5 most favorite rose list. This rose has such unique color at each stage that goes from mauve, brown to lavender when fully opened. I did a full review of Koko Loko rose here.
Le Petit Prince by Delbard
How I adore Le Petie Prince although it isn't petal packed like other roses I typically like. I found its blooms shape and form to be charming and the best part? Its fragrance is so refreshing. Also in my top 5 most favorite rose list. Here's a full review of Le Petit Prince.
Scentimental by Weeks
Never thought I'd like stripy rose but having varieties in the garden certainly add uniqueness. Scentimental blooms consistently throughout the summer. It does struggle this year as I dug it up from the ground to a pot in early sping. Overall, it has bloomed more since putting in the pot for an odd reason.
Alnwick by David Austin
Also new to me in spring 2022, I had always wanted Alnwick for a few years and finally pulled a trigger. I heard bloomd didn't last long but oh so beautiful so let's try and see what happen. It does bloom more than I expect - given that it was planted in spring then got hit by high heat and drought. It's also planted in an area with full sun all day from morning to sunset.
Spirit of Freedom by David Austin
Another David Austin beauty that seems to tolerate our heat quite well. I'm so glad I got Spirit of Freedom in 2021 because there's a rumor that DA decided to discontinue this rose. High petal count, nice bloom size and prolific throughout the summer.
April Love by Heirloom Roses
I LOVE April Love. I have been a walking advertisement of this rose. It's the very 1st rose I did a review on this blog indeed. Did I say it's a blooming machine too? If you're looking for a reliable pink rose that blooms all year round, this is IT! One of my top 5 most favorite roses. See a full review here.
Evelyn by David Austin
This Evelyn is over one year old and its growth habit is like a climber (on multiflora rootstock). As far as her health, not the best when it comes to blackspot resistance but she blooms regardless like she doesn't care. Blooms look lovely IF you cut early. Otherwise, color fades quickly in our heat and turn white. This is also very intersting, I haven't detect her intoxicating fragrance that people in CA and Pacific North West rave about. Princess Charlene de Monaco has stronger fragrance to my nose (both were purchased from the same vendor in WA and planted in spring 2021). Hopefully I'll experience that intoxicating fragrance one day.
Princess Charlene de Monaco
This rose had a great big beautiful flush after I planted it in spring 2021 then an entire year it didn't bloom much at all. I planted PCdM in the same raised bed as Evelyn where they get full sun from 8am - 8pm. I thought it must not like and can't handle high heat. However, things turned around in 2022 (thank goodness because I thought about moving it). She blooms much more this year and wow that fragrance is so intoxicating! Just like Evelyn, you have to cut this rose early during summer to enjoy. If left on the bush, flowers will fade and look really meh. Oh, she gets crazy tall so I pegged her this summer. You can see some videos that I posted on RosesInHouston Youtube channel as well.
Mary Rose by David Austin
This is an underrated David Austin rose that blooms consistently throughout the year and is fairly healthy too. I can say that Mary and Gentel Hermoine are my very 1st two David Austin roses that I got. I don't cut Mary Rose to bring inside as much as other roses and leave the blooms out. They last about 2 days in high heat on the bush.
So there goes my list of roses that bloom continuously and beautifully throughout summer. This year sure is a difficult year and these roses shine through tough months. I can't wait to see how they will perform next year. Now, please share what roses have been champions in your garden.
The summer 2023 edition has been released (yippeee!!) - you can find a list of roses that withstood one of the hottest and toughest summer months
Check out Roses In Houston on Youtube where I post videos every week