It’s that time of year again! I celebrate the first blooms of the year with my annual Game of Thorns post.  This year was a wild one in the garden thanks to the Snowpocalypse. February saw the lowest temperatures in Texas in over a hundred years. To put that in perspective, the lows that week (0 and lower) were a hundred degrees lower than what my roses are used to in the summertime and none of my roses died. So don’t ever let anyone tell you that roses aren’t hardy.

Game of Thorns 2021 Winner:  Show Your Stripes

I was actually not expecting this! I was sure that Golden Celebration would open first but Show Your Stripes pulled ahead for a last-minute win, opening a day before Golden Celebration. This lovely rose was Jackson and Perkins’ 2020 Rose of the Year. Show Your Stripes greets my guests at the street and smells absolutely incredible. I love how often I see joggers and folks walking their dogs quite literally stop to smell this rose. You can read all about Show Your Stripes here.

Golden Celebration

This is such a happy rose. This beauty is planted outside of my office window and makes me smile all day while I’m working. It showers me with tons of enormous blooms at once, adding sunshine to the garden.

Bordeaux

If you want a classic red rose, Bordeaux is a great choice. I strategically planted this rose by my front door because here in Texas it’s not uncommon to have roses well into the holidays, and I wanted a red rose that wouldn’t clash with my holiday decor! Bordeaux is a Kordes rose that’s disease resistant heat tolerant, something that is certainly relevant in my hot climate.

Double Delight

This is a brand new rose I picked up at a darling nursery in east Texas called Vintage and Vines, but it’s actually not new to me. I grew this rose at my first house! What’s puzzling is that my first bloom had pink edges, whereas my old Double Delight was definitely rose.  I just planted it earlier this month so I’ll keep you posted as to how the color evolves.

Plum Perfect

Ah, the crown jewel of my garden. I’m partial to Plum Perfect because it isn’t just the blooms that’s stunning. The plant itself has a gorgeous habit and the healthiest foliage of all of my roses. Jackson and Perkins calls this floribunda the “epitome of floral excellence” and I have to agree. It’s a must-have for rose gardeners! Read more about Plum Perfect here.

Scentimental

This is definitely one of the most striking roses in my garden. It looks like it was hand-painted! It’s not just stunning though. It’s true beauty can’t be seen. The smell is so intoxicating, I’d wear it as a perfume if I could. I have had more problems with black spot on this rose later in the summer, but frankly spraying it down with neem oil every week is worth it to get a whiff. The scent is so strong that I can enjoy the scent when I’m sitting at my courtyard table.

Don Juan

I’ve been waiting for this climbing rose to take off and I think this year’s the year! The color is a lovely shade of red (can I get this in a lipstick, Sephora?) and the blooms are dainty and abundant.

Seven Sisters

This is an antique rose gifted to me from my friend Katie as a housewarming gift and I’m obsessed with it. It has teeny tiny roses all over it and it becomes a wall of color when it blooms. I didn’t originally have it on a good trellis so when I got this sturdy one from Plow and Hearth, I had to hack it practically in half to have it grow on its new trellis. This year, it has several new basal canes (score!) growing from the root ball so it’s coming back strong.

Earth Angel

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this heavenly rose to open! This is definitely one of the best smelling roses in my garden. I could go on and on about this easy-keeper. Read all about Earth Angel here.

I have more roses that haven’t bloomed yet so I’ll take you on another garden tour in a few weeks. In the meantime, head over to my Feed Program for Roses post for details on how to care for your roses.

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Happy gardening,

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