Returned to Black Baccara after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Black Baccara failed — powdery mildew in humid summers got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to deadheading spent blooms to encourage reblooming, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a large terracotta pot on a sunny patio and dense double blooms with a classic silhouette is on full display. peak flowering through midsummer this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.