PlantFiles: Floribunda Rose
Rosa 'Ebb Tide'

Unfortunately, I had the same problem that has been commonly reported about this variety - the blooms last about a day before the edges of the petals blacken and wither. I wanted to like it but it was just unsightly. First rose I ever returned for a refund.

Is there a way to find out who created this cultivar so I can contact them directly?

This rose is a cluster-flowered floribunda. As with cluster-flowered roses in general, not all of the cluster opens at the same time. This is not a major problem for most cultivars, but when the blooms of Ebb Tide fade, they become ugly, and so the whole cluster looks ugly, and so the whole bush looks ugly, in my opinion.

Also, the rebloom was not all that good for me, especially for a floribunda. After two years, I culled this one as a waste of space.

One of two of my first bare-root roses. This one was a Valentine's Day gift to my gf, and she wanted a purple rose. Well, she got it. Nice solid purple color that didn't seem to be affected by sun (no noticeable fading). Also, the plant survived and bounced back from an early deer attack, and is looking fine in it's first winter since being potted. Will hopefully have pics in spring.

I have to agree with scutler. But I do find the heavy clove aroma intoxicating.

My plant had only been in the ground for a few months before blooming. These are my initial impressions. Perhaps in subsequent years as my plant matures my impressions of this rose may be altogether different.

On the one hand I found the color to be truly unique. While the buds were a deceptive, bright, cool red (suggestive of American Beauty), the flowers opened to a very dark, smokey, purple - yes, mine were really very purple, not red.

On the other hand, I found the blooms somewhat disappointing. The color was, as someone else here commented, somewhat "flat"; it was not the dk, rich, velvety purple I had expected. In addition, the blooms were smaller than I had expected (approx 3-3.5"D) - but I realize that they may be larger in subsequent years as the plant gets established. The blooms had fewer petals than I prefer, such that the center was clearly visible when fully open - much like old roses. Moreover, the individual blooms did not last more than a day or two as they quickly opened to reveal their centers and then dropped their petals altogether.

I hesitate to say this but in some ways this rose reminds me of Dr Huey (the root stock rose). I DON'T mean that it looks like Dr Huey! It reminds me of Dr Huey in the sense that people are often intrigued by the dark red blooms of Dr Huey when they 1st encounter them but soon realize that the small, dark blooms with the "flat" color leave something to be desired in the long run.

Again, these are only my initial impressions which may be sugject to change in subsequent seasons.