Susan Louise

Description

A sport or seedling of the climber of Belle Portugaise, Quest-Ritson suggests, “Think of Susan Louise as a bushy, repeat flowering version of Belle Portugaise”. Here it flowers continuously and prodigiously throughout the season and has the same long, slender buds and with dark pink outer petals that are pale pink on the inner surface. Blooms are loosly, but elegantly held in a way that also recalls Mme. Gregoire Stachlin. Hardiness is borderline even in Zone 8 and we may expect it to occasionally freeze out in Zone 7, but grow it we do. Cutting the mushy canes back right after hard freezes to prevent further die-back, mid-winter or not, is often effective in saving the plant. Plants in warmer zones can attain a height of 10 feet or more. Our four year old, 7 foot plant has withstood lows in the high teens without significant damage.

Introduced in 1929.