Wild Blue Yonder rose. The stray red blooms on the left are Lavaglut.

The Grandiflora rose Wild Blue Yonder wandered into my garden partly because I love mauve roses, and partly because it received an AARS award in 2006. While no guarantee, the AARS credential does suggest better than average performance. That wasn't looking too likely at first, however. It was planted two years ago and in its first summer was mostly nondescript, with the exception of one very promising spray in mid-fall. This year it unleashed one really lovely mass of blooms in the spring flush and a lot of singles, then again receded into performance that was quite ordinary, at best. But now, in mid-summer when many roses are shutting down, Wild Blue Yonder has really come into its own. An even more impressive and beautiful mass of bloom is now gracing the plant, and with more buds coming, it shows no signs of resuming its shy behavior. This two year old plant is now 3 1/2 feet tall and wide, growing in a nice vase shape. It looks like it could become a bare knees plant, but there are shorter roses planted in front of it. The blooms are ruffled and open, in shades of mauve, starting with a rich, deep reddish tone and lightening a bit as the blooms open up fully. Overall, it has a very appealing look, both in terms of the plant shape and in the beauty of the blooms. If it continues along the current path, it will be a definite keeper.

~ Photography and comment from Christine, Reno, NV 2009 ~