Red roses at Christmastime
December 01, 2008
Wouldn’t it be lovely to have red roses at Christmas? I don’t know if these will last that long, but here on the first day of December, a dozen red roses bloom flamboyantly on ‘Dortmund.’ My garden has yet to experience a freeze, and though temperatures are cool today—it’s 58 degrees F (14.4 C) as I write this—the lows are projected to stay mainly in the 40s (4-8 C) all week.
Knock Out ‘Radrazz’ is no slouch either. This recent transplant is covered in cherry-red roses.
A few furled rosebuds have yet to open.
‘Dortmund’ is also ornamented with dozens of orange rose hips.
The temps may be cool, but my new-baby garden is looking red-hot.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Oh, your new baby-garden, what an endearing term. We can tell you love it already, especially when it gifts you with those fantastic reds. I had Dortmund in the Texas garden, it was outstanding.
Frances
Hi, Frances. I’m encouraged by the profusion of late flowers and the reports of others who’ve grown Dortmund in Texas. And yes, “baby garden” is both an acknowledgment of its infancy and a term of endearment. —Pam
Your roses look fabulous right now Pam. Maybe they’ll still be blooming for GBBD! My Knockouts are still trying to push out buds at the moment in spite of the cool temps & rain.
I hope your Knock Outs reward your patience with late-season color too, Racquel. My fingers are crossed! —Pam
Those red singles are very cool, Pam. I wonder if they’ll hold their color when it gets colder – sometimes you see a bluish pink tinge when flowers are chilly!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
‘Radrazz’ almost has a blue undertone all the time, don’t you think? Or maybe it’s just that fabulous blue-green foliage that I’m thinking of. —Pam
Gorgeous roses Pam. We’ve always enjoyed red roses at Christmas time due to our faithful ‘Mr Lincoln’ but it’s struggling this year as we renovate the front garden. You’ve inspired me to get him back into shape. Enjoy them while you can.
I imagine you and your fellow gardeners in the Southern Hemisphere have quite a lot in flower at Christmas, eh? —Pam
Oh, that shot of floral color is just what I needed on this gray, snowy day. I sure hope they hang in there for you.
I heard that Chicago got hit with its first snowstorm today, MMD, but I haven’t made the blog rounds yet. I’ll pop over to see if you have pics. Stay warm. —Pam
Beautiful roses Pam. You know if it’s a mild frost, you can always drape it with a sheet! What ever it takes to extend that bloom till Christmas! We can feel winter nipping at our heels here in Nashville! Gail
I’ve never draped a rose, but I have protected tender aloes and agaves that way. I may consider it if we’re close to Bloom Day when our first freeze arrives. 😉 —Pam
I believe the roses are as happy with the cooler weather as we gardeners are!
You bet! Isn’t it great? —Pam
Red hot indeed. What beautiful blooms. I could just eat them.
Ha—they’d be spicy, wouldn’t they? Better to stick with salsa, I think. —Pam
That would be very cool to pick red roses for your holiday display at Christmas time. Keep us posted on how they do as December continues.
I will, Carol, but I have to admit it would be unusual to go that long without our first hard freeze. —Pam
Red roses for Christmas sound wonderful and yours are beauties. I’m actually enjoying the Fall-like days around here, and it seems your garden is, too.
It’s been a stretch of good weather to get a new planting established—not too hot, and not too cold. We could do with some rain though, right? —Pam
Just stunning. We have had a couple of hard freezes and are expecting it be in the the twenties tomorrow night again. Okay, I’m jealous!
I just popped over to your blog and saw how much you have in bloom right now. It’s hard to believe you’ve already had a couple of hard freezes. I’m jealous of all your rain. Send some this way, please. —Pam
Yes, it is looking mighty hot, Pam! I have one red rose blooming. But we’ve had freezes. Tonight we’re going to have a good one. Don’t know what I’ll have left tomorrow…
Brenda
I hope you have a few hangers-on after the freeze, Brenda. But you have a good deal of evergreens, so it’ll still look pretty without flowers. —Pam
What fun to have inherited such pretty red roses with lusciously rich rose-hips to boot! I *love* rose-hips. Sounds like you’re really enjoying your new garden, Pam. I’m so glad!
~Dawn
I am, Dawn. I’m itching to do more but will have to wait for the budget to catch up to the wish list. 😉 —Pam
Several of my roses bloomed right up until we had a hard freeze, so I would guess you may have some blooming still at Christmas! The color on those is just luscious.
I hope they hang on for a while yet, Kylee. Thanks for visiting. —Pam
This is an interesting rose. I’ve stuck mostly with hybrid teas, which I think are a good type to start with. If I can keep them alive, I’ll have to branch out. Your ‘Dortmund’ is a beautiful red!
Aiyana
I love red, so I was happy to inherit this rose. Maybe it will work for your Arizona garden too, Aiyana. —Pam
Pam, I’m glad you still have roses. I think mine are gone for good. I love ‘Dortmund’!
You have so many roses, Phillip. It must be hard to pick a favorite when you have such a profusion. —Pam
Hi Pam your roses looks so very beautiful! I wish I could smell them, are they fragrant? Very pretty and delicate looking / Tyra
Unfortunately, they are not very fragrant, Tyra. I don’t know whether that’s due to the cool weather or just how they are. —Pam
I must admit that roses aren’t considered a Christmas luxury Down Under! Yours look lovely, and I do hope they continue to Christmas Day for you. Also, thank you for giving the temperatures in Celsius. You are now experiencing the kind of temperatures I’d expect in the depths of winter in Sydney. Hope you are enjoying your Christmas preparations!
I gather the depths of winter in Sydney are not very deep. How nice! We don’t experience prolonged periods of cold weather here in central Texas either, but we do get a few hard freezes each winter. —Pam
Dortmund is looking great Pam, even with temperatures like you’re having now. Here it’s between say minus 1 and plus 6 C, so really not all that different from what you are experiencing now. My white Moonlight rose is still going strong. Perhaps mine and yours will bloom on Christmas. 😉
White and red roses do sound Christmasy, don’t they? I’m glad you’re enjoying mild weather too, YE. It’s good for the garden and, in my climate at least, good for the gardener’s soul. —Pam
Pam,
How lucky you are to still have roses! We still have a few blooms even with multiple nights in the 20’s, unfortunately I can’t take any pictures because I left my camera way down south at my parents house! Drats!
Oh no! I hope your camera gets shipped home soon, Randy. That’s a loss for all of us who enjoy your photos. —Pam
It will be fun to see how just long these beauties last.
I’m taking it day by day, Robin. Weather this time of year is unpredictable. —Pam
Hi, Pam, Oh, I hope you DO have red roses for Christmas! I can totally relate! We also have not had a good freeze yet. And I have lots of miniature roses blossoming on the back steps–red and pink. And I had a red and white huge rose from the front garden that kept me company throughout Thanksgiving. They become so precious at this time of year, don’t they? Good luck!
Kathryn xoxo
Thanks, Kathryn. I can just imagine your froth of pink and red roses on the back steps. Enjoy them while it lasts! —Pam
I have a red rose in bud at the moment so I keep looking every morning when I go out to feed the birds before work to see if there is any sign of it opening. I’m hoping the cold weather we have at the moment doesn’t mean it will just give up.
I hope not too, Helen. It must persevere! I wish for red roses for everyone. —Pam
Stunning! My favorite color is red and those photos definitely brought a smile to my face, thanks! Kim
I’m glad you enjoyed the bright colors, Kim. Thanks for commenting. —Pam
If you like the red Knockout try its cousin, Homerun. For me it stays smaller and the blooms seem a deeper more true red. No disease and almost constant blooms. If only it had a scent it would be the perfect rose for me..
Yes, if only the Knock Outs had a scent. Ah well, life is full of trade-offs, isn’t it? Thanks for the info about Homerun. —Pam