Question
I have a Tuscan Sun and Rio Samba rose bush and both of them seem to be pink instead of orange.  What can I do to make them orange instead of the pink with yellow?

Answer
Tuscan Sun and Rio Samba are both top notch roses which have many blooms on them and Rio Samba is even very fragrant. The official description of both of these roses is an "orange blend" which means there is another colour in with the orange and that colour is pink. The colour of roses depends on basically two things. One did the propagator in the nursery know exactly what a perfect Rio Samba or Tuscan Sun looks like? Or did they think the mother plant with the more pink flowers was a good example of the rose. If they did then the roses they budded and sold would all be on the pink side and not a true colour of these roses. The other that effects a rose's colour is, what type of soil it is grown in such as acid or alkaline, the fertilizer and the weather in regards to sunshine. I have grown both and can tell you that the colour is more true in areas where the summer sun is not blazing hot. All I can suggest is that try a different fertilizer or even none at all and see if the flowers return to a more orange. The last suggestion would be to shelter it from all day sun if that is where it is planted. Sometimes it is a good idea to see these multi coloured roses in bloom before purchasing them.