Rosa "Blue Girl" (Sautari), 2 l ruukku

• Type: hybrid tea rose (large-flowered)
• Botanical name: Rosa 'Blue Girl'
• Origin: bred by Reimer Kordes (W. Kordes' Söhne, Germany, 1964), registered as 'Kölner Karneval' (KORgi); parents 'Magenta' × 'Sterling Silver'
• Height and spread: 75–110 cm tall, about 75 cm wide
• Flowering: repeat flowering in flushes from June to September; silvery lilac-lavender, very large (about 12–14 cm), full (35–40 petals) high-centred classic blooms, mostly one per stem
• Fragrance: strong sweet fruity fragrance
• Light: full sun, at least 6 hours a day
• Soil: fertile, loose, loamy, pH 6–6.5, free-draining
• Hardiness: USDA 6b–7b; definitely needs winter protection in Estonia: mound 25 cm high with soil and cover with spruce boughs
• Disease resistance: moderate resistance, can get black spot
• Use: rose gardens, front of borders, cutting, scented gardens
• Size: potted rose plant

Planting. Potted roses can be planted from spring to early October. Choose a sunny spot (at least 6 hours of sun a day) with good air flow and fertile, loose, loamy, slightly acid soil (pH 6–6.5) that does not stay waterlogged. Dig a 50×50 cm hole and set the graft union 3–5 cm below the surface. Space plants 40–50 cm apart.

Watering and feeding. Water deeply but infrequently — 10–15 L per plant once or twice a week in dry spells, at the base, not over the leaves. Feed with a nitrogen or complete rose fertiliser in spring, a complete feed in June–July, and from late July only potassium and phosphorus without nitrogen so the stems ripen before winter. A compost mulch keeps the soil moist.

Care. In spring, after removing the winter cover, cut stems back to 3–5 buds (15–25 cm) and remove weak and frost-damaged wood. In summer cut spent blooms back to the first full leaf to speed up the next flush. In late October–November, after the first frosts, mound the base with soil or compost 20–25 cm high and cover with spruce boughs; remove the cover gradually in April.

Gardener's tip. Definitely needs winter protection in Estonia: mound 25 cm high with soil and cover with spruce boughs. To keep 'Blue Girl' healthy (moderate resistance, can get black spot), plant it in an open, airy spot and clear fallen leaves in autumn.