Simply Growing
Over the past 25 years I've grown thousands of roses. I get a kick out of being the first to grow the latest, rare or unusual to share with and surprise visitors. "Ever seen a green rose?" "Look at the thorns on this baby." And as a Rose Judge, I want to keep current. My desire for something new knew no limits, though space in my garden did. Only space for 10 new roses? I just ordered 20 more! Tough decisions had to be made, and often with the spade. The neighbors joked my garden gate was really a revolving door.
With so many roses to choose from,how to choose the roses you'll truly love?
It's really quite simple. Ask yourself the following question, "What do you want to achieve?"
I've often heard people ask for a recommendation based on color alone. "I want a red rose." But that is barely scratching the surface. What about fragrance, disease resistance, size, shape, location, habit, and what I like to call "bloomability" (prolific repeat bloom.) For example consider the following hybrid teas, though all red they vary tremendously. Mister Lincoln is deeply fragrant with purple overtones. The exquisite Black Magic has outer petals that appear black, and Legends claim to fame is humungous blooms 7 inches across. It's almost an automatic reflex that when people approach a rose they sniff the bloom, yet fragrance is not automatic. A single bloom of Fragrant Cloud fills the air of an entire room with rich spicy aroma, while others roses are scentless. If you want your roses to be smelly (and I mean this in the best way possible) select roses marked as strong, heavy fragrance and skip those described as mild or light (known in the industry as "catalog fragrance" aka none.) Thankfully for fragrance seekers, more roses are being introduced with heavenly scents. Judging at the International Rose Trials in October I was smitten by Sweet Intoxication, a new mauve grandiflora for 2010 and Sweetness, which won a Gold Medal. With the combination of hectic lifestyles and growing desires for environmentally friendly gardening, there is big demand for disease resistant roses. If you want no fuss gardening, pick easy to grow varieties such as Easy Does It, the All‐America Rose Selection winner for 2010. A tip is to look for foliage that's shiny or glossy because it wards off disease better than leaves that are dull or matte. To grow the best you should also consider location. How a rose performs in California is quite different than Minnesota. Recently I moved from the mild climate of the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Foothills where weather is more extreme. Some of my old favorites couldn't take the heat, but I was thrilled to discover Over the Moon a new apricot hybrid tea for 2010, was a star. In sizzling temperatures other varieties wilted or shrank, but Over the Moon continued to pump out big beautiful blooms. Just as people come in all shapes and sizes so do roses, from tiny miniatures perfect for a pot on the patio to roses that sprawl and crawl. Classic hybrid teas are just the beginning. Want masses of color? Floribundas bloom an abundance of flowers. Want a landscape accent? A pillar rose or tree rose aka standard (or as my Dad calls them "rose on a stick") may provide your garden with the exclamation point it craves. Old Garden Roses/Heritage/Antique roses have the charm of yesteryear. Expand your rose repertoire. Try something new whether it be a stripe, single or hand‐painted. Choosing the right rose for what you want to achieve is important, but it's even more crucial to start off with a top quality plant. Though it may be tempting to buy bargain roses found at warehouse stores, they are simply not worth it. And those cheap plastic‐bagged roses? Forget it. In order to fit into narrow plastic sleeves the roots are severely chopped off. Ouch! The plant may start off like gangbusters only to falter due to lack of sufficient root system to support new growth. With so many roses to love, what's on my wish list? Catching my eye at the International Rose Trials were Sedona and Bubblicious ‐ just saying the name makes me feel happy. And I want to spread the word about Secrets Out! with its pure white fragrant blooms ‐ I'll definitely be adding more to my collection.