Back in April I planted a bunch of band roses. One of those roses was Tineke. It started out strong, with nice green leaves and a healthy cane. It did well for a couple of weeks then all went downhill. First it got a bad case of blackspot, then canker. I had to clip it almost to the ground. I watched for signs of new growth, but nothing happened. A month passed, then six weeks. I decided it was dead and gave up. Then life got busy and the area where it was got overrun with weeds. Heck, my whole rose garden got overrun!

These last couple of weeks I got busy and weeded my roses. Today I started weeding where Tineke had died...and I saw rose leaves, about 2" tall. I thought, "that's strange, could Tineke have survived?" I looked closer and, yes, I found the little stub of a cane that was left of the original one. The leaves were Tineke's! Against all odds this little rose bush stayed alive and it now has some beautifully healthy green leaves. I am so surprised and excited I can't put it in words! I can't wait to see how it does this fall, and if it survives winter, next year!

I love this rose! I bought Poseidon as a band earlier this spring and planted it in April. With little to no care from me (except some cardboard for mulch and an occasional weeding) this little rose has grown and thrived disease free--and I live in hot and humid Virginia! The blooms are amazing, as you can see from the many photos already shown, and the leaf color is lovely. The scent isn't super strong, but it's definitely there for those who can smell it, and it is pleasant. I also love the bloom form, which for me has been something between a hybrid tea and a floribunda. After having experience with Midnight Blue, Ebb Tide, Stainless Steel, Neptune, and Moonlight Magic, this year I ordered only purple roses that were said to be healthy -- and so far I haven't been disappointed (I still love and own the first three mentioned, by the way)!

Another great rose purple rose that I recommend is Plum Perfect, which has also been disease free. Poseidon is closer to lavender in color, whereas PP is closer to, well, plum. Both roses retain their color very well in full sun (they start out their correct color and retain that color, or something close to it). Neither rose fades much.

This rose is wonderful! I planted this rose as a band for my mother back in April. Since then it's grown quite a bit, disease free. It has had NO blackspot, mildew, rust, or any other illness in my hot and humid Virginia summer. I planted it on the west side of the house, so it receives full sun all afternoon, and I haven't had to water it at all! Granted, I did mulch it a few weeks after planting, so that probably helps. If you want a rose that will never prick you, then this isn't it, as the bush has a decent amount of thorns. In my opinion, however, it is worth the thorns for this lovely rose. The dark green foliage makes a perfect backdrop to the delicate pink blooms, who themselves boast a bold, fresh scent. The blooms start out the lovely pink color and sometimes turn white just as they fall apart. One person who posted photos mentioned that their blooms are white. I have not experienced that except when the blooms are old and ready to be clipped off. I'm definitely going to buy one of these (or several!) for my house!