It’s my favorite event of the year: Game of Thorns! And it takes place right in my own backyard. Every year I track which roses bloom first not only for fun but also to show you all my beloved plants. I now grow over two dozen roses. Not quite as many as my first yard but considering how much smaller this yard is than my first house, I think that’s pretty impressive.
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Game of Thorns 2024 Winner: Don Juan
I am thrilled that Don Juan won this year! I believe this is the first time Don Juan has ever bloomed first. The poor rose has had a rough go, getting mowed over by my old lawn team and needing to grow back from nothing and grow back it did!
As you can see, it didn’t take it too long for this climbing rose to reach the top of its trellis. Now I’m training it up and over onto chicken wire. I love its true red color; it reminds me of one of my favorite lipsticks (Pirate by Chanel).
Chicago Peace
It may not have bloomed first, but Chicago Peace sure takes the cake. This has to be one of the prettiest roses I’ve ever seen in my life. Just look at the structure of the bloom. It’s picture perfect! The color reminds me of a sunset. Chicago Peace is only a couple of years old and really took off this year, growing into a gorgeous, strong shape and size with incredible 5″ blooms that smell like pineapple and citrus. I can’t recommend this jaw-dropping rose enough!
Peggy Martin
This rivals Scentimental now as being one of my most famous roses, and for good reason! My Peggy Martin is nearly 30 feet wide and is truly jaw-dropping. This hardy rose gives me no problems whatsoever and is always covered in tiny, vibrant pink blooms. Technically she bloomed third with a single rose but sadly it wasn’t until after my garden party that she took off in all her glory. Read more about this amazing rose here.
Popcorn Drift
This is one of my newest roses! I bought this on a whim after falling in love with my Coral Drift Rose last year. Drift roses are tiny and can be tucked anywhere and they’re always covered in colorful blooms. I love the shade of these teens blooms – it’s nearly a yellow bleeding rose!
Bordeaux
I just adore Bordeaux. There’s something so sophisticated about the shape of its blooms, so perfectly put together. This rose reminds me of my horse, Wendy, because it’s stunning and such an easy keeper. Bordeaux bloomed all at once in a rather dramatic fashion. The blooms on this rose are quite long lasting and she bloomed through New Year’s Day the last two years. Read all about Bordeaux here.
Plum Perfect
I shouldn’t play favorites, but it’s hard not to be enchanted with this show-stopping rose. Never have I ever seen a rose with so many blooms. It’s staggering! Sadly this rose doesn’t have much of a scent nor does she last as a cut flower but my gosh, does she ever make up for it in the sheer number of blooms. She’s really never never not covered in blooms for about 8 months! Read all about Plum Perfect here.
Show Your Stripes
My readers often mistake this striped rose for Scentimental but yes, I have two different striped roses! Show Your Stripes is more purple and white whereas Scentimental is more red or magenta and white, often with more white on the blooms than Show Your Stripes. The latter was the Jackson and Perkins Rose of the Year in 2020 and has the loveliest antique rose smell. This rose also lasts longer than nearly any other rose in the vase. Read all about her here.
Piñata
This is one of my newer roses and I’m still waiting for this climbing rose to really take off. Maybe this is its year! It takes several years for the roots to get established after all. It’s such a cheerful rose, with bright orange and yellow bleeding blooms that are blindingly bright.
Scentimental
Scentimental truly has my heart. Every bloom looks hand painted and the scent is…well, it’s how I imagine Heaven smells! Her blooms don’t last all that long and she is susceptible to black spot but I still think every true rose lover needs Scentimental in the garden. She’s just a work of art! Read all about Scentimental here.
Earth Angel
This is definitely one of the best smelling roses in my garden. The blooms range from white to ivory to pale plush and are such a wonderfully old-fashioned cupped shape that every time I post pictures, people argue with me that she’s a peony. Ha! This gorgeous gal bloomed just in time for my Bridgerton party, lending her antique beauty to the decor – and her fabulous scent to the air! Read about Earth Angel here.
Lion’s Fairytale
This rose was my favorite in my first garden and, well, it hasn’t exactly wowed in this yard; however, we’ve had insanely difficult growing conditions the last few years. We’re talking freezes that took out thirty year old plants. Not exactly the best conditions to start a garden! Lion’s Fairytale is finally becoming the rose I remember, strong and healthy with dark green foliage reminiscent of the Black Forest, which is the perfect backdrop to the crinkled cream-colored blooms.
This past growing season, I still had roses through New Year’s Day (you gotta love Texas!) and upon arriving home from walking my dog one sunny day in December, I caught a woman taking pictures of her daughter with one of my roses by the street. She apologized profusely but I told her the truth: it made my year to see someone admiring, photography, and quite literally stopping to smell my roses. Plant a rose and light up your neighborhood.
Want to grow your own roses? Read my article about How to Grow Roses here.
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