PlantFiles: Large-Flowered, Hybrid Tea Rose
Rosa 'Blue Moon'

This beautiful, unique rose has grown in our partially shaded west-facing garden bay since May of 1985 and has continued growing strongly...until this year. The hard winter killed many roses in our area and there is much replanting going on. Previously we moved this rose twice and it has sprung back to life each time. We have never had a problem with black spot or aphids. A wonderful rose which we are working to replace.

Ok, here's the deal with our Blue Moon Rose. We've had ours for about 3 years, and twice it has bloomed to a beautiful lavender color. However, we had to move it in the yard before it bloomed this year & when it did, it bloomed to a deep blood red color. We were wondering what in the world could cause it to do this & if there is a way to get it to go back to the original color. I have heard of hydrangeas changing color because of the soil, but never roses. Help?

Believe it or not, I started growing roses with this one, in a pot, on a second floor terrace of our townhouse! I nearly killed it one-hundred times. But I didn't give up on it and it didn't give up on me. I resorted to spraying frequently for black-spot, and used the Bayer 3 in 1 product. It struggled the first three years. But this year, it survived the worst winter we've ever had, and early spring I reconditioned the soil in its pot with organic compost, gave it the Bayer product. It is now healthy and full of fantastic, full blooms. The most beautiful lavender ever, intoxicating fragrance, this rose has! It has been worth the trouble and I believe it is one tough little rose. I will repot it after this season. It has almost made itself a tree rose, interestingly, with all its foliage and blooms from one large central cane.

Caring for this rose can be an exact but hard to master science. Frequent sulfphide sprayings, regular fertilzer and waterings (but not as much as other roses) I've noticed it doesn't have much foliage, can be spindly at times with only a few leaves, is very suseptible to black spot, but produces the most unusual blossoms with a divine scent. This is the only reason I grow this rose. It's not a garden showstopper in itself, but it is a must for the cut flower garden.

I definately wouldn't recommend this rose for the beginning grower. But if you've got a bit of experience on your sleeve, and time to baby it, go for it!

This was a super lucky find at a nursery in town for $5. It has become a lovely bloomer, sending up long, elegant stems. The smell is something from heaven as this rose has a super sweet, slightly spicy scent that you can smell as you are walking up to the bush. I look forward to many lovely years with this rose in my yard!

This has been in its spot for 3 seasons, it has grown fairly well but not overly robust, not too tall, and has sent a few new stems up. It is in sandy soil, and suffered a very hot, dry year in its 2nd season, but last year was very cool and moist and it did quite well. I have Rhapsody In Blue also, which did well last year, so I am of the opinion that 'blues' prefer a cool, moist climate. My plant is surrounded by a very robust osteospermum, this may or may not help it. The effect is a good one, with white daisy flowers backed with slatey blue, but the rose is not terribly tall so it may need it's own space, as I did not get a good repeat flowering.

The scent is perhaps the strongest I have encountered, other than a very strong old red I have, but is totally different, quite like a perfume. It's flowers were very large and heavy so as to droop a little under the weight. The colouring is as close to a 'blue' Blue Moon I have seen, whether this is due to it's individual selection or the acid soil I do not know. Acid soil does make hydrangeas more blue, so perhaps this is the case.

I purchased this rose locally, early in the season. It was in the plastic bag with the info for so long I though it would never grow, much less produce flowers. It took awhile before the roots were well established, though. Now there are two tiny buds already formed.

I noticed it is susceptible to blackspot and powdery mildew, but fortunately I caught it in the beginning.