Honest review: Black Baccara is rewarding but powdery mildew in humid summers is real

Black Baccara is a genuinely satisfying plant to grow, but I want to be upfront about one thing: powdery mildew in humid summers. I've dealt with it twice now and it takes consistent attention to manage.

Beyond that, repeat-flowering over a long season makes it one of my favourites in the collection. I keep it in a cottage garden mixed planting with lavender which suits it well. Learning about applying rose-specific granular fertiliser in early spring has been essential. first flush of blooms in late spring is worth waiting for — the plant really justifies itself then. Four stars because of that persistent issue.