Flirtatious rose

The floribunda Flirtatious is a rose which didn't much appeal to me at first. The blooms are pastel - cream to light yellow with touches of pink at the petal edges - small, of open form, and they age rather quickly in my climate. Somehow, it just didn't seem to have enough pizazz to interest me, particularly when it was growing in the confined space of a five gallon pot. So when my son and dil were looking for appropriate roses to plant in the half barrels along their front walkway, it went to live with them. There it gained some root room and size and quickly became a favorite.

Now I am not one to disregard a favorite, especially when it is grown in my area, so the following year I bought another and this one went in the ground.For three or four years it grew among a planting of mixed pastels, all of which outshone it - it still rarely impressed me. This year, at five years in the ground, it is somewhat better and I am reasonably pleased with it. It has some nice blooms, though more messiness than I would like. It is not a rose I would replace.

And yet, the dil and the son? It is still their favorite. Having recently moved to a new house, they performed a Herculean task in moving Flirtatious to their new home. They are planning a new garden there and are repurchasing, or moving, only their most beloved plants. Flirtatious not only made the cut, but has been given a spot of great prominence - it is the very first plant one encounters on arrival. And this prominence has made them love and appreciate it even more. It is hard to generalize on what makes a good rose with this sort of diversity of opinion. But there you have it. I won't replace it, and yet they wouldn't be without it.

Flirtatious rose bush, File# D3901

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