Graham Thomas is a lovely colour, and a beautiful shape and fruity scent. I had to pull all the leaves off though, they were so black spotty, whereas the Iceberg is also beautiful and scented and has beautiful healthy leaves. However it’s the supporting actor not the star.
I’ve just come back from Whanganui, and the roses there are as tall as me, with huge, healthy leaves. I’ve always heard that roses like clay, but the soil in Whanganui is deep and sandy – so maybe it’s just that they survive in clay, rather than they like it. I suppose the few degrees colder may help as well.
Visit Rambling in the Garden to enjoy or take part in ‘In a Vase on Monday’
Absent Gardener 
If there is a lack of rain then roses really do love clay; here in Italy roses grown in clay thrive, those in lighter soils suffer – I’m in the process of removing most of my roses apart from the Chinese ones as they really look dreadful for too much of the year. A lovely bouquet today.
It probably is all the extra rain this year. My roses are just nowhere near as tall and healthy looking as the ones down south. It’s probably the cold as well that helps to kill the fungal diseases. The China roses are beautiful, and the noisettes – and not too thorny.
Graham Thomas is indeed a gorgeous rose – I considered it when I decided to get some yellow ones but got the Pet’e Wife and The Pilgrim instead although I can’t remember what swayed me in the end
I’ve seen the Poets wife and the Pilgrim on Gardeners World I think, as well as in vases. They look lovely too.
Ohhh, magnificent roses. The black spot not.
Yes it’s a scourge. But it’s still worth growing roses.
Glorious – your pictures as well as a place where there are still flowers.
Thanks 🙂
I think Christina is right. My own soil is mostly sand so it doesn’t hold the tiny amount of rain nor the paltry irrigation my roses receive – and they show it. Your roses are simply gorgeous.
Thank you – the flowers are lovely, and hopefully later in the season they will get healthier leaves.
We have heavy clay and the roses do enjoy it – but with more rain this summer I noticed one or two that didn’t perform as well as usual (in particular ‘Munstead Wood’) – so I think it depends on their lineage really. Munstead Wood is quite thorny, so I’m imagining maybe the gallica types aren’t as happy??? ‘Graham Thomas’ is one that I wanted to plant for my husband who loves yellow roses – but never got round to it. Your lovely vase has given me a nudge, so thanks for sharing!
I love Munstead Wood and have been meaning to get it for ages too, especially for my partner, who loves the deep red ones.