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Dr. Leda's Rose Journal Archive |
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Dr. Leda's Garden Safari
By Dr. Leda Horticulture, O. R.
May 15, 2002
This month, intrepid readers don pith helmets and snake-proof boots as they join Dr. Leda Horticulture on a virtual tour of her rose garden....
Hello! Welcome to Louisiana, where the summer heat makes Dante Alighieri sound like Norman Vincent Peale, and the humidity makes us all look like the deranged offspring of Phyllis Diller and Ronald McDonald. As soon as you've securely fastened your mosquito netting (Louisiana has seen a worrisome rise in vector-borne disease transmission, especially of St. Louis Encephalitis and West Nile virus) our lovely, carefree spring rose garden tour will begin. Is everyone ready? Let's go!
First stop on your left, you'll see the dramatic velvety red floribunda rose 'Europeana'...Excuse me, yes, is there a question? Why is that woman in the back screaming like that? Ah! She seems to have encountered a future buck moth. These giant stinging caterpillars, which are the size of hot dogs, not only defoliate oak trees, they can eat an entire climbing 'Fourth of July' rose between dusk and dawn. Be careful, they drop from the trees, and the stingers are quite painful to remove.
Moving along very very quickly, we come to the charming, disease-resistant, ever-blooming little Poulsen shrub rose, 'Nashville'...Pardon me, sir, I wouldn't step there if I were you. No sir, that's not a mountain range; Louisiana was still on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico when mountain ranges were being formed. That's a row of fire ant castles. Oh, very good, I see you've all mastered the Cajun two-step! Laissez les bontemps roulez and all, but perhaps not during the garden tour?
Now, over here in the dappled shade of the Crape Myrtles, we see a festive little bed of Polyantha roses, different colored sports of 'The Fairy'....Madam, please, if you're going to pass out from the heat, try not to crush my 'Stargazer' lilies. Could someone train that garden hose her way? Thank you.
The clear pink is of course the original 'The Fairy.' The graceful airy white is 'Crystal Fairy,' which is remarkably impervious to powdery mildew. The cherry red is 'Fairy Queen'; its large, cheerful sprays are wonderful in arrangements, often lasting a week or more...What's that? Is anyone else having trouble finding a pulse? No problem, we'll rest here in the shade for another minute before we head over to see the climbers. Yes, it is 96 in the shade, but here in Louisiana, we try not to whine about it. Remember, there are people in Minnesota who still have a foot of snow on the ground and 250 potted roses huddled in their basements...What? Well, no, now that you mention it, that doesn't sound so bad. But shall we stop whimpering and move on? It's only going to get hotter.
Trained along the front porch here, we see the magnificently fragrant, deep red 'Don Juan,' intertwined with the large-flowered white Clematis 'Henryi'...Ladies? Can I ask you to look this way, please? I'd really rather you didn't look at those roses behind you. No, they're not 'Brown Velvet' or 'Instant Coffee'; they're actually soft pink roses. The petals have merely turned brown because at the moment they're horribly infested with flower thrips, microscopic one-millimeter-long stinging insects which burrow deep inside the buds and are particularly attracted to light colored roses. ThripsFest 2002 will be over in a few weeks; meanwhile, just focus your attention on the reds and darker pinks. Thank you.
Here along the back fence, mixed with the dark purple flowers of Clematis 'Jackmanii,' we see enormous, luxuriant, coral-colored clusters of the vigorous and extremely healthy climbing rose 'Rosarium Uetersen'....No, that is not a Great Blue Heron perched on the bird bath, it's only a mosquito. And no, we haven't found 20-gauge shotguns to be a particularly efficient means of eradication, but they're one of the few options available to those of us who prefer strictly organic gardening. All right, fine; go lock yourself in your car.
Now if those of you who are still ambulatory will follow me, we'll take a look at some more Old Garden Roses. In this bed, we see a group of gracefully arching Hybrid Musks, including 'Ballerina,' 'Erfurt,' and 'Penelope.' And over here, in the Chinensis family, are the long-blooming, heat-loving 'Alice Hoffman,' 'Old Blush,' and 'Mutabilis.' Next to the shed....Hello, can you all hear me in the back? I'll try to speak up over the thunder. We seem to be in the midst of a sudden violent electrical storm. No, that isn't a tornado heading this way, it's probably just a swarm of angry wasps. Please stand very still and try to remain calm. Really, sir, it won't do any good to cower beneath the patio furniture. Whoops, you see? That chaise longue just blew away to the next parish!
My goodness, that last bolt of lightning seemed awfully close to home. I'm afraid we'd better wind up the tour; if I don't unplug my computer in the next 30 seconds, it's likely to get fried. Thank you all for joining me today, and on your way out, please grab one of my bumper stickers and slap it on your car. "Dr. Leda Says: Rose Growing Is Definitely Not For Sissies."
