Lagerfeld
(Grandiflora, 1986) – silvery lavender. This is my favorite lavender (as opposed to mauve) rose. I planted it in my mother’s
rose garden after fighting a loosing battle with Sterling Silver and it has never disappointed us since. In every way Lagerfeld
is your classic Grandiflora as laid down by the American Rose Society guidelines. It forms a very tall (to 6+ feet), upright
shrub that blooms in clusters on loooooong stems suitable for cutting. The blooms are absolutely 100% perfect in terms of
exhibition quality flower form. I cannot stress this enough as Lagerfeld might shock some folks not used to extremely prissy
high centered roses. The color is downright otherworldly – a pale bluish lavender with a silvery sheen. Trust me, this rose looks
AMAZING during the twilight hours and would be a wonderful choice for a night blooming garden. Lest you think this is the
perfect rose I do need to let you in on a few growing tricks. Lagerfeld seems to have a good dose of Tea Rose in its genetic
background because the large blooms have a tendency a nod on strong twiggy stems when the plant is stressed. This fault
is correctible. You simply need to keep it well watered/feed during the summer months. Hard pruning after each bloom cycle
will encourage thicker stronger stems. Also, this rose does better if grafted rather than grown on its own roots. Disease
resistance is typical for a Grandiflora which means it is non existent and the foliage will need spraying with fungicides every
10 days to keep black spot at bay. Of course I have left the best for last – THE OH MY GOD IT IS INCREDIBLE FRAGRANCE!!!
I don’t care what time of day you sniff it the assertive perfume is always there and gloriously complex. Winter hardy to zone 6.*
On to Melody Parfumee
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