My Kwanzan (or Kanzan) cherries really came into bloom during the past four days or so. This one is the best of the three I have.
Below you can see my row of sand cherries (flowering cherry shrubs) in peak bloom at the same time the Prairiefire crabapples are starting to bloom well. I don’t think these blooms usually coincide this well, but with the long, cold winter-spring we’ve had, it has changed many of the bloom times. The crabapples have hit peak bloom nearer the first of May in past years, but right now, they’ve just opened their buds this week.
Here’s a closeup of the crabapple blooms (left) and a group of Iberis sempervirens, or candytuft (right). I transplanted some of the candytuft in the front flowerbed last fall, and it’s growing now, too. In fact, I think everything I transplanted last fall is coming up well now.
Lastly, I’m really enjoying this clump of Arabis or rockcress. I wish it would flower like this all summer!
I’m hoping mine will be better this spring with a lot more water and fertilizer. What have you done to ensure yours have bloomed well?
Anyway, if you do replace them, I’d say to definitely go with something else. They just seem too needy for our soil and climate. When I was researching other roses to replace them, I came up with this list:
Bonica
Betty Prior
Carefree Wonder
Carefree Beauty
Knockout (Original (red-pink), Pink, Pink Double or Rainbow)
But for now, I’m keeping my Pink Simplicity roses to see if they perform better with a lot more water and a little more fertilizer. I’ll post an update here this summer.
Did you ever solve your pink simplicity problem? I live in Provo and have had very good luck with a row of pink simplicity roses from Jackson and Perkins. Hwever, we have had them for over ten years now and many are now starting to become scraggly without a lot of greenery at the base. I was intending to replace some of them with new ones, but found out about your problems and am having second thoughts.