Monday, August 2, 2010

The Dr. Jekyll Side of Gertrude





Gertrude Jekyll is a David Austin rose that I've blogged about in the past.  It has a very Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde personality.  Lately, it's shown much more of its Dr. Jekyll side.  It's known for not being very disease resistant, but mine has shown less disease than my other DA roses.  It's also grown much more vigorously for me than my other DA's.  I would say this rose is definitely a climber in the South.  It easily reaches 12' tall on the rebar teepee I have it growing on.  The blooms are deep pink and have the most powerful fragrance of any rose I've ever smelled.  There is a huge flush of bloom in the spring, sporadic blooms in the summer, and another nice flush in the fall.  The canes are fairly flexible making it a perfect pillar candidate.  Watch out for the vicious thorns on this rose.  I'll finish up with a picture of Gertie at her peak last spring.