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Roses That Make Sense (Scents)
“But my grandmother grew beautiful
roses!”
The guilt and frustration level can be
heard in their voices. How is it
that a college educated, well-read person has such a poor success rate with a
project that gardening books deem doable by any eight-year old?
Well, you may take the blame for global warming from years of using
aerosol deodorant, but nine times out of ten the inability to master the art
of growing a healthy rose can be blamed on the rose, not the grower.
Although
Texas does have a few she can call her own, most roses found here originated
in Europe or Asia. The 18th
century European explorers discovered ever-blooming China and Tea roses and
soon rosarians (which --- contrary to popular opinion --- are NOT the
auxiliary group to Rotarians) began crossing them with European varieties.
In the next two centuries this process became more and more refined,
prized roses being developed for their exciting colors and their bud and
flower form. However, many of the original plants’ fine attributes were
hybridized out, leaving plants that were more susceptible to disease and
pests. For growers who thrive on
caring for their progeny, constant attention to the needs of modern roses
requires diligence. The end
result of a single perfect bud could be reward enough for their efforts.
But for the rest of us, there is life outside of the garden.
Therein lies the problem. Or
the answer to the problem: old roses.
Old roses, also known as antique
roses, are usually considered roses introduced before 1867 according to
the American Rose Society (http://www.ars.org/).
This is a somewhat arbitrary date and some experts classify old roses more by
their characteristics than by their birth date.
Softer colors and stronger fragrance can often differentiate an old
from a modern rose. Most also are
distinguished by a more vigorous bush or vine.
Cemeteries and abandoned country homesteads give proof of an antique
rose’s ability to thrive on neglect, going on for years with no pruning,
dusting, spraying or watering. Ask any rose lover and they will tell you their
favorites: long stem red, yellow miniature, pink sweetheart.
Ask any rose GROWER and they will tell you THEIR favorites: red
‘Skyrocket’, yellow ‘Lady Banks’, pink ‘The Fairy’, and many more.
SITE AND
SELECTIONS
1) Roses need
sun…the more the better. Some
varieties require fewer than others do to bloom well, but all desire a minimum
of five hours of full sun to produce buds.
Morning sun will dry the dew (or sprinkler system) drops from the
leaves to lessen the chances of disease, although old roses have built-in
immunities to help fight mildew and black spot to varying degrees.
Good air circulation will also help in fending off these problems.
Do not set your roses so close to other plants that they cannot breath.
2) Roses need
soil. They prefer a pH in the
vicinity of the optimum 6.0-6.8. If
you have no clue what your pH level is, you might want to visit the County
Extension Agent (http://county-tx.tamu.edu/)
and ask for a soil sample kit. Sandy soil will need organic material tilled in
and clay soil would benefit from a bit of compost as well as some sand to
lighten the goo. A few roses will
tolerate occasional wet feet, but most require good drainage.
Raising a bed and adding additional nutrients make for an ideal
condition. If that is not
possible, pick a variety that likes the conditions you have to offer it
instead.
3) Picking the proper plant to plant.
Roses can be bought in containers or as bare root specimens, or can be
propagated from cuttings off of another bush.
(February is an ideal month to root roses from cuttings because that is
when most folks prune theirs.) Bare
root plants originate primarily from mail order rose suppliers, most of which
only ship from December through February.
Container grown antique roses abound in local nurseries that specialize
in native or well-adapted plants and may be put into the ground at any time of
the year, but remember that our hot summers can be just as unbearable to a
rose as to us. Summer planted roses will need a bit more TLC to make it
through till the respite of fall.
4) Growing a healthy rose is a piece of
cake now, given that your rose-knowledge has been elevated to the point that
you have chosen the perfect rose for the perfect spot.
But how do you keep it that way? If
you have followed the previous instructions meticulously, you should be
pointed in the right direction. However,
a few little extras can bump up your success rate a bit: feed, form and
fungus.
Feed
your roses a couple of times a year (spring and early fall) by adding organic
fertilizer such as composted manure and a sprinkle of a slow release pellet (I
use Osmocote).
Form
your roses by pruning out old, dead canes and those that have become straggly
in appearance. Antique roses, as
a general rule, should not be cut back by more than 1/3 of its bush size.
Pruning an old rose is not really necessary for its vigor like with
modern roses, but can be a catharsis in the early spring when whacking at the
grass, also known as “mowing”, is not yet an available therapy.
Fungus
and insects on old roses are not usually a problem if they are planted in the
right spot. And even when they do
occur, most antique roses are so resilient that the pests usually give up and
move on to an easier target. However,
if you should experience either of these and are alert enough to actually
notice it, there are several remedies that work very well without sapping all
of your Saturdays for the next ten years.
Old roses generally
slough off diseased leaves very quickly. If you notice black spot or powdery mildew on your plant,
remove the diseased material from underneath the plant as soon as possible.
This may prevent further contamination.
(You might notice the tendency of these diseases to begin in a period
of excess rain and gloomy skies. With
no sun to dry them off, roses can develop fungal disease in no time.) Roses
can be re-infested when water splashes from the diseased, fallen leaves up to
the healthy leaves still on the bush. If
your rose seems to be especially prone to disease, even with clear skies, you
might need to reconsider its location.
Insecticidal soaps
are available at garden centers to help in the battle against aphids, which
are known for their passion towards tender new growth on roses.
Many gardeners find beneficial insects (voracious aphid eaters such as
ladybugs and praying mantises) to be the best weapon against aphids.
After getting the aphid population under control and balancing the
insect scale once again, they oftentimes move on to the next battlefield.
Long before
Congress designated them in 1986 as the national flower, roses dominated Texas
gardens. Although few of us
can remember its proper name, most of us cannot forget the fragrance of a
particular rose bush in grandmother’s garden or the silky touch of a rose
petal plucked to top a mud pie served to our childhood playmates.
And even though you probably now serve a tastier topping on your
desserts, the perfume a vase full of old roses brings to a room has no rival.
So don’t be afraid to grow that special fragrance in your own yard
and awe your neighbors with fresh cut blooms.
Let them continue to think of you as super-human, able to grow roses in
the heat and/or humidity of Texas and yet carry on a full life outside the
garden. Don’t spoil
grandmother’s secret: anybody can grow a rose if they know how to pick the
right one for the right spot.
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