Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Mr. Lincoln’

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Mr. Lincoln’
Rosa (RO-zuh)
Rosaceae (ro-ZAY-see-ay)

This is my first spring writing this blog and I can see it going to be overwhelming to describe everything that is going on the garden right now. I want to thank everyone who leaves a comment. I sometimes don’t get notified by email that there are comments but I do appreciate your input.

What a difference a weekend makes. Everything exploded in flowers and growth here in Connecticut over the weekend. Just a short list of what is blooming at the Estate now:

Around 6,000 of the 10,000 daffodils. All types and heights. There aren’t any big plantings, mostly in small groups of single cultivars. I once had the idea of photographing every type of Daffodil in this garden and after trying one year I said forget it.

4 or 5 types of Magnolia including the dark purple ‘Rikki’.

One of my favorite groundcovers, Creeping Veronica (Veronica umbrosa 'Georgia Blue'). Not invasive like some Veronicas, beautiful.

Okame Cherry.

There is quite a Pieris collection and it is in peak bloom right now. Some of the species and japonica cultivars have already finished. Some early specie Rhododendrons.

Tomorrow’s featured plant if the pictures come out. Dwarf ‘Gold Tide’ Forsythia (F. 'Courtasol'). There is also a huge patch of Showy Border Forsythia that is growing on basically a sheer hill. You need to be roped from the top when you prune it. It is actually a great plant for steep areas.

I took today’s picture in Santa Fe. They were still in pots from the nursery. That seemed to make the flowers a little smaller. My ‘Mr. Lincoln’ got up to about 7 feet tall two years ago when I had the bright idea of planting some Cannas and Dinnerplate Dahlias amongst the roses. It worked okay and actually looked good except everything grew way too tall. So this rose can grow tall. It has had black spot a few times but seems to get over it with a little spraying and is a heavy producer of flowers. The person that owned this rose hadn’t planted it yet for fear of the frost, so she was putting inside at night. I guess Santa Fe gardening is not that far away from Connecticut gardening, after all. There was a light frost on Saturday morning there but not enough to do a lot of damage. I like red roses, they just are classic to me, and this is a good one. I also like ‘Chrysler Imperial’ and ‘Opening Night’ for reds.

One more thing. I visited a private garden where I took this picture. The garden itself was under construction in some areas but it had a lot of potential and you could see a lot of work had been done. This person had such enthusiasm about having a garden that it just floored me. She had been waiting all her life to get a garden. I have been a little cranky in the garden this spring but after seeing this person be so overjoyed at being able to work in a garden it really made me think. Yesterday while I was getting a lot of work done I took a couple of minutes, here and there, to really look around and enjoy everything I was seeing. It was so simple and so enjoyable that I think I will do it again today.

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”
William Shakespeare



Mr. Lincoln facts
Type: Hybrid Tea (Non-Patented)
Fragrance: Yes, damask rose
Petal Count: 30-35
Bred by: Swim and Weeks (US, 1964)
Introduced in United States: Conard-Pyle (Star Roses)
Parentage: Charles Mallerin x Chrysler Imperial
All-America Rose Selection (AARS); 1965