Chevy Chase blooms a bit later than most of my roses and provides a nice
splash of color for a fairly long time, even as other roses are passing
their prime. That is pretty much the whole list of positives for this
rose in my garden. It is borderline hardy here. The late summer eight
to ten foot canes will die back to a compact mound of live wood three to
four feet tall by spring.
I would not really mind all this die back were it not that it is such a
painful rose to work on. The canes grow very close together and are
lined with nasty little recurved thorns. Thinning out the growth is a
very sticky proposition - no amount of care keeps one from being snagged
repeatedly. The old canes quickly become unproductive so the plant
needs to be cleaned out way down low, but getting ones hands and tools
into the thick clump of old wood is a prickly challenge.
Overall, I find it to be too short on pleasure and too long on pain,
with little hope of it ever building into a substantial plant. I
suspect it would be far more satisfying, though no less painful, one
zone warmer.
- Christine 2008-
Other rose bushes in this photograph
Back: Bride's Dream and Sheer Bliss, Mary Rose, Betty Prior, Dainty Bess, Honor
Middle: Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Gourmet Popcorn, Jean LaJoie, First Kiss, Crowd Pleaser, Lady of the Dawn, New Dawn
