Give him his own space on a fence or as a hedge, and let him be. So bright, fragrant and healthy. I have planted this rose in 3 gardens now. No fertilizer or pesticide. No pruning-which is a good thing as the thorns are sharp and numerous. The lovely scent carries 5-10 feet.
I planted two Darlow's Enigma last August and they have been developing well in my alkaline soil, in full sun. There's scent and they do bloom continuously.
And given all the good that's being reported about this rose, I have a mind to allow my pair to develop freely aside from fertilizing and mulching them in spring. I would want to avoid even deadheading them, to allow them to set hips.
Would be great to have your opinions however, especially if anyone regretted not giving their DE bush a structure by pruning it at least in the first few years.
Has anyone used Darlow's Enigma in breeding or raised any chance seedlings from it? (The lineage section for it is empty.)
I ask in part because I had a chance seedling with lovely intense white double flowers pop up in my yard several years ago, at a time when my only white-flowered rose was Darlow's Enigma. This seedling is a somewhat sprawling climber (not upright like DW) and its flowers do not resemble DW's at all, except for being white. So I'm wondering if anyone using DW has had a similar experience.
This is just a guess, but with the narrow flower buds and way the clusters of blooms are abundant and how they branch, I see a resemblance to 'Nastarana'. I wonder if it may be a volunteer seedling of 'Nastarana' crossed with something more cold hardy. This is just a guess admiring this rose for some time and appreciating its unique combination of characteristics. Do others think it shares some/enough unique similarities with 'Nastarana' for this to be a reasonable possibility?
