What happened to Sally Holmes???

[Linda P]

Hello there, thorny people. I'm usually over at the hosta forum, but I do grow some roses too, and check in here to see all your beee-yoooo-tiful pics.
I had the weirdest thing happen with Sally Holmes. I just got it last year, have wanted it for ages. I bought a plant in bloom, an own-root one, to make sure that I got the 'real' Sally. Fortunately, one of my friends remembers looking at it and she remembers the color of the blossoms. They were the pretty buff color that they're supposed to be, and it bloomed pretty well last year.
Fast forward to this year: The bush made it through the winter in fine style, no dieback, didn't even lose any tips on any of the branches, and it was loaded with buds. The problem? The flowers are all a brilliant scarlet. They still have the single form, and the exact same size and type of blossom, but they're definitely not that gorgeous buffy color. So, what on earth happened? I've never had a rose change color from one year to the next before! It's in quite a bit of shade. I planted it in a spot where it can ramble up into a small tree if it so desires. I just don't have a clue. Now, the flowers are beautiful, and I really like the blazing scarlet color (there's just a hint of buffiness in the middle of the blossoms) but it's just driving me nuts trying to figure out what happened to it. It's most definitely not a case of the original rose dying back and being replace by the graft, and it's most definitely not Dr Huey that's blooming there. I have one of those in another spot in the yard that I left in place, and I know exactly what it looks like.
Any ideas? I'd be glad of any opinions that you might have.
Linda P

[Tracy_Zone5]

I don't have an answer as to why it happens, but I know that roses don't always bloom the same color every year.

I had an old, old climber ( it was killed in a late ice storm we had a few years ago), and some years it was red and some years it was pink. I never could figure out what made the difference.

I am interested to find out if any one can tell us why this happens.

Tracy

[Old earth dog]

The color change in roses is in direct relations with the number of drinks you've had before viewing. That's a fact!......Honest!

[~dirtbug~]

lmao

[Linda P]

Thanks OED....that was helpful!!! So, I guess I've been drinking too much coffee?? Or maybe it was that glass of wine I had 3 weeks ago. Maybe I'm just seeing the world through rose-(or scarlet) colored glasses.
Seriously, I'm wondering if it has to do with either the cooler temps or more shade this year? I got Sally Holmes because the info on it was that it would continue to bloom in a more shady location. Until it gets up the tree and out into the sun, it's not getting a whole lot of direct sun. Could that be it? I know that the first blooms on Iceberg are more pink than white, until the weather warms. Then it turns pink again in the fall. Maybe Sally needs 90 degrees and a lot of sun?
Anyway, thanks for looking. Anyone else have a theory?
Linda P

[Doris_J]

I'm sorry, Linda, I don't have an answer, but I have grown Sally for years, and she's never changed color. The buds are darker to start, then the blooms are light when they open. That seems very odd. Here's my Sally.

[Linda P]

That's what mine looked like last year. This year, the same blossom form, but the color was bright scarlet fading to softer red, instead. It's resting now. I'll have to see what the next flush brings.
Linda P