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Dr. Leda's Rose Journal |
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Rose Shopping Is Not for Sissies
By Dr. Leda Horticulture,
A Clinically Diagnosed Rose Addict
December 1, 2000
Gird your loins and grab your order forms....Dr. Leda Horticulture
offers a few timely tips for avoiding the most common pitfalls and heartbreaks
of rose shopping...
Shopping for roses can seem like such a daunting task, completely overwhelming the novice rose grower. There are thousands of roses to choose from, so how on earth can you select the best one or two? Or even ten? (There's really no need to limit yourself; see Dr. Leda's "Eight Tips On Making Room for More Roses.") But even after you've figured a way to fit twenty, or perhaps thirty, new roses into your garden, the question still lingers: how do you decide which twenty or thirty (or, ok, fifty — why stop there)? Where does the intrepid rose shopper begin?
Rose research can be tricky. You flip through books and catalogs, searching for the Perfect Rose. But they all look perfect. You make a list. It gets longer, and longer. Next thing you know, you're up to 500 roses, not one of which you can possibly live without. Eventually, your quest for knowledge may lead you to an Internet rose forum. These online groups are full of friendly, helpful "enablers:" profligate rose addicts who offer tons of expert advice, craftily mingled with gorgeous photos of their own spectacular rose gardens. They'll soon convince you that 500 is a perfectly reasonable number.
After months of research, your list will be completely out of control. You'll be paralyzed with fear that you might end up bankrupt with a yard full of hideous roses and leprous leaves, but even more terrified that you might miss the most gorgeous rose in the galaxy. You'll consider throwing your list in the compost bin and taking up a simpler hobby, like bullfighting or brain surgery.
Don't despair! Here are a few timely tips to help you avoid the most common pitfalls and heartbreaks of rose shopping.
1.) Beware of Articles that Gush:
I often cringe when a magazine or newspaper features a semi-hysterical article shrieking the praises of this or that new rose. All too often, the featured rose is one that hasn't proven itself, feedback has been mediocre, and I can think of a dozen similar roses that put on a much better show. But suddenly, based on one review, a second-rate or unknown rose becomes the hottest commodity in town, and everybody and his grandmother rushes out to buy one.
Before you jump on any rose bandwagon, ask a few cynical questions about
the article's perhaps overly-enthusiastic author. Is it possible this
rose performs so beautifully for this author because he employs a gaggle
of gardeners who devote eight hours a day to spraying and feeding and
fussing over the fool thing? Have this author's past recommendations stood
the test of time, or is last year's darling this year's dog? A little
investigation might turn up some interesting results. You're better off
talking to local rosarians or neighbors who have grown the rose du jour.
2.) Take Photos With a Grain of Salt:
I'm as guilty as anyone of spending long winter nights pouring over seductive rose catalogs like a fourteen-year-old boy with a stack of girlie magazines hidden beneath the mattress. But I try to remind myself when making major purchasing decisions that pictures in catalogs probably look about as much like real roses as sultry-eyed, lush-lipped, outrageously-endowed centerfolds look like me. They've been airbrushed and touched up and embellished to cater to fantasies of perfection.
Also, remember it's almost impossible to capture the exact, true color of a rose in a photograph, so don't assume any picture is entirely accurate. Never choose or reject a rose based on one photograph. Look at several different books — they'll all be slightly (and occasionally unrecognizably) different. Better yet, visit a local rose garden in bloom, and see the real thing.
3.) Try to Remember Where You Live:
If the rose books you're reading were written in England or Connecticut, and you live in Los Angeles, you might as well be on another planet. You will read in an English book that Graham Thomas is a compact 3-foot shrub, then discover that in California it's a 15-foot climber. You might be informed that La France blooms profusely in the sweltering heat of Texas, then learn the hard way that the buds won't open at all in the chilly fog of San Francisco. You could be utterly charmed by an article on "The 50 Most Popular Roses for Australian Gardeners," then be disappointed to realize none are available in North America. Whatever you do, don't fall hopelessly in love with a florist's rose, unless you live in a climate-controlled greenhouse. Join a local garden club or rose society to find out which roses thrive in your neck of the woods.
4.) Don't Get Stuck in Time:
Roses can be a magnificent time-travel machine. For the past few decades, rose hybridizers have worked round the clock to develop new varieties that boast improved disease resistance, produce more flowers, withstand greater extremes in temperature, and bloom non-stop nine months of the year. But some people — and you could be one — find that modern roses, no matter how "improved," leave them cold. Many lovely old garden roses are still available today, and they have endured for good reasons.
Perhaps you have fond memories of a rose or two from your childhood, which you'd like to revisit. Certain fragrances or even just the names — Mr. Lincoln, Sterling Silver,Chrysler Imperial — might be the madeleines that evoke your own personal remembrance of things past. Or maybe, if you'd rather relive your great-great-grandmother's childhood, you'll be drawn to the sumptuous, heavily perfumed antique roses from the 18th and 19th centuries (Gallicas, Bourbons, Noisettes, Tea Roses, etc.). For the truly adventurous, you can go all the way back to Wilma Flintstone's childhood with the ancient species roses: wild, indestructible bushes and ramblers whose exquisite blossoms remind you that roses are close cousins to apples and blackberries.
Or, you can combine the best of all times with the newly hybridized "English" type roses that look and smell like the old, while performing like the new. These include David Austin's famous English Roses, as well as the newer (and manageably smaller) Romanticas, Generosas, Renaissance, and Guillot roses. (Wait a minute....this isn't helping you prune your list, is it? Sorry!)
5.) Never Forget Why You Grow Roses:
Above all, don't lose sight of this: You grow roses because they make your heart sing with joy. You grow them for the satisfaction of coaxing life out of a few thorny twigs. You grow them for the beauty and grace they add to your home, inside and out. The roses you cultivate, like the food you cook, are gifts of love to your family, friends, neighbors, and passers-by. Growing roses is an opportunity for you to be creative, to design, to experiment, and to nurture. Your rose garden is your sanctuary, your place to relax and unwind, as well as exercise your muscles and indulge your senses. It's a place for sunrise meditations, afternoon parties, and midnight waltzes.
When you choose a new rose for your garden, imagine how it will look on your table when the Queen Mum drops by for high tea, or when your beloved sits down for breakfast. Picture it it scrambling up your porch, peeking through your delphiniums, or perched in your little girl's hair. Ignore the fads, the trends, the sensible but dull advice, and go for the glory. Never forget, when you're buying roses, that their number-one purpose is to fill your life with pleasure. Enjoy dreaming and choosing your roses in winter, so the other three seasons will be blessed with the happiness they bring. When you look at it this way, 500 really *is* a reasonable number!
