I don’t know about you, but hollyhocks take me back to my grandmother’s garden. I couldn’t tell you what she called them; I just can’t wrap my mouth around the word for “hollyhock” in Italian, but she loved them and so do I. In fact, there is probably a soft spot for this classic garden beauty in the heart of every gardener. If you think you’d like to plant a garden after the English cottage style, hollyhocks are an absolute must-have. Plant them along a fence, next to your shed, by the garage or at the back of the garden in the back of the border. Many gardeners plant dahlias and baby’s breath, Black-eyed Susans and mums in front of hollyhocks to “cover their shins.”
In addition to planting them at the back of the flowerbeds, they can be used as a screen to hide undesirable views. In fact, hollyhocks were once known as “outhouse flowers” because they were often planted to hide outhouses. A polite lady didn’t need to ask where the outhouse was – she just looked for the hollyhocks. Hollyhocks could be planted around children’s playhouses to make them a little more secluded. In fact, an ambitious gardener could use hollyhocks for the walls of a playhouse and perhaps runner beans to grow over the top for the roof. Ok, maybe I’m crazy, but it’s an interesting idea, you have to admit!
Hollyhocks are perennials or biennials depending on your climate. In zones 3 to 8, they may live over the following winter and bloom again if you cut the faded flower stalks off at the base, but it’s not guaranteed. In colder zones, you will want to mulch over the bases to protect from frost over the winter.
Flowers come in both single and double varieties. The blooms are carried on stems that can reach up to 8 feet tall depending on the variety. For more flower stalks, pinch out the growing tips once or twice early in the growing season. This will give you shorter plants with more branches. As they say, hollyhocks can get quite tall. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know that I’m interested in anything that requires a ladder in order to get those flowers into a vase! Hollyhock flowers open up like colorful saucers, up to 5 inches across! The double varieties look like large pom-poms. If you have children or grandchildren about, I’m sure you’ll find that they will love playing with these enormous blossoms. If you never made dolls from hollyhock flowers, you missed out on a wonderful childhood experience. The fully opened flowers are the skirts, half opened flowers are the torsos and the buds are the heads. Threading them onto a little stick holds them together.
While hollyhock flowers have no scent, bees and hummingbirds like to visit them.
Some gardeners insist that the ONLY way to start hollyhocks is indoors, in pots, in mid-February (in other words, RIGHT NOW!). If you choose this method, plant them about ½” deep in soil mix. The seeds will germinate at around 65 to 70 degrees. Check the pots often to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out, but be careful of over watering – these seeds rot easily. Seedlings should appear in about two weeks. Cut back on the water and let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. They like bright light otherwise they stretch and get quite gangly.
If you want blooms in the first year and are starting your seedlings indoors, some varieties for you to consider are Indian Spring, Happy Lights, Crème de Cassis and Summer Carnival. These are known for being rust resistant and for blooming the first year. However, I’m a lazy gardener and I prefer sowing right into the ground. Here in the Valley, the best time would be around mid-April.
Plant them in well-drained, neutral soil and make sure they get lots of sun. These plants don’t like shade! Feed in the spring with generous amounts of composted manure and continue feeding about every three weeks to once a month with fish emulsion.
When pruning, be sure to always leave a few spikes on the plant so they can set seeds and re-sow. You can also collect some of these seeds to share, when you become the envy of all your friends and neighbors with a knock-em-dead display of blooms.
Hollyhocks are prone to hollyhock rust. If you start to notice orange bumps or blisters on the leaves, pick off those leaves at once, put them in a bag and dispose of them – preferably off of your property. Do not compost those leaves; you’ll only be propagating the rust. Hollyhock rust is worse during wet summers, which we generally don’t have here in the Rogue Valley. Avoid overhead watering with your hollyhocks whenever possible. I always just pull of the rusty leaves and get rid of them. I’ll live with a little rust. If you don’t want hollyhock rust at all, then there are copper or Sulphur sprays you can use to prevent further infection. Obviously, if you’re using fungicides and pesticides, you shouldn’t let children play with the blossoms or around the plants themselves.
Hollyhocks also have a reputation for attracting bugs. I make a point of setting out extra ladybugs in their vicinity to control whatever it is that thinks living on my hollyhocks is the thing to do. Of course, if you’re using ladybugs, you shouldn’t be using pesticides. You could even set out a mantis egg case either right in or very close by your patch of hollyhocks. Mantids are great for controlling a large number of pests, plus they’re kind of fun. I had a really large one living in a wisteria vine on my back porch for a season and I think we got to be friends…but that’s a story for another time.
18 February 2008
11 February 2008
Begin at the beginning...
And continue on right to the end. Alice was advised to do this during her sojourn to Wonderland. And that would be a good place for you to start, if you’re thinking about wading into a vegetable or herb garden for the first time. Aside from gardening being good for your physical and mental health, the veggies you grow yourself are way healthier for you. If you have children, getting the to eat their veggies is MUCH more easy to do when it’s something they have helped grow! There’s something magical about your first garden and every day is a learning experience. Who among us couldn’t use a little bit of that kind of magic?
Take courage! With a little reading and research, you can be really successful and have a garden worth crowing about!
If you think you’re ready to think about beginning, remember this: It’s better to be proud of a small garden, than frustrated by a big one. You don’t want to get out there, rotor till a quarter of an acre and then find out that you just can’t manage something that size. If you don’t want to dig up your yard or make a garden in the ground or don’t have a yard to dig up, there are lots of things you can grow in containers. Cherry tomatoes spring to mind, but I’m wandering. More on containers later…
One of the common errors for beginners is planting too much too soon and way more than anybody could eat or want. Unless you want to have zucchini taking up residence in your attic or your neighbors to hide when they see you coming with your brown bag of veggies, plan carefully. By the way, if you wind up in the situation of having way too much of anything, I’m sure the folks over at the community center can help you find someone who would be interested in some surplus fresh veggies. Wandering again…moving on…Start small and then – if you choose to – you can expand with the years and experience. For example, one tomato plant per person is really sufficient, unless you plan on being the supplier for your neighborhood or want to sell them in your front yard. I have to admit to a fondness for tomatoes and frequently have more than we can use. I like the heirloom tomatoes and the ones in interesting colors. But really, one plant per person works well, perhaps with a cherry tomato plant for salads.
Here are some very basic concepts you’ll want to explore further as you become a vegetable gardener supreme:
Vegetables love the sun! They require six hours of sunlight each day, at least. Continuous sun would be best, if possible.
Vegetables must have good, loamy, well-drained soil. Most backyard soil is not perfect and needs a helping hand. Unfortunately, many people have a truly astounding combination of rocks and clay that can sometimes seem nearly invulnerable to shovels, picks and hoes. It’s a good reason to start small, because improving the soil is the toughest part of gardening. Check with your local nursery or county extension about soil testing. Working quantities of composted manure into your soil is, in my opinion, the best way to make sure that your veggies get what they need and you’re making your soil better as well. I tend to shy away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides; so composted manure is always my first choice. There are so many horses, cows and goats around about; there’s got to be local sources for composted manure. Rabbit manure is really great fertilizer as well.
You can always construct a frame, line the bottom with chicken wire (to keep burrowing critters out) and fill it with soil from your yard, blended with composted manure, composted leaves or peat moss.
Placement is everything. Like people, vegetables need the right nutrition to grow healthy produce. Place your garden too near a tree and it will lose its nutrients to the tree’s greedy roots. On the other hand, a garden closer to your house will help discourage rabbits, raccoons, deer, mice and opossums from chowing down on your potential harvest.
Vegetables need lots of water. At least one inch per week. Did you notice where the snow was melting first in your yard a few weeks ago when we all had a white coating in our yards? That’s where the sun catches in warm pockets and will make a difference in how well you vegetables will grow.
If you receive the seed catalogs, study them and order early. If you don’t, you can check locally for seeds or go into town to a home center or nursery. Later in the season, you can get plants that are already started which are also a great way to set out your garden. Tomatoes and peppers are among the few vegetables that aren’t direct seeded into the garden. They should be started indoors in April, then planted in the garden with the seeds of beans and zucchini in mid-May. Or you can always purchase pre-started plants locally. Peas, lettuces, spinach and radishes like cool temperatures and they should be started as soon as the chances for frost have passed.
A good-sized beginner garden is 10 x 16 feet and features crops that are easy to grow. A plot this size, planted as suggested, can feed a family of four for one summer, with a little extra for canning and freezing and giving away. Adjust proportionately to your family size, don’t be afraid to do less and definitely feel free to adjust quantities to what you and your family are likely to enjoy eating! If you think you can manage more than what’s listed here, consider a couple of barrels or wooden containers with some extras or salad greens. These will be easy to maintain. Cherry tomatoes are a great choice for a container and are very easy. Vegetables that may yield more than one crop per season are beans, beets, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, radishes and spinach. To plan for a second crop, check the days to maturity in the seed catalogs or on the packets.
For the plan below, your rows should run north and south to take full advantage of the sun. Make your garden eleven rows of 10-feet each of the following: tomatoes – 5 plants – staked or caged, squash – 4 plants, peppers – 6 plants, cabbage, bush beans, lettuce – leaf and/or bib, beets, carrots, chard, radish, garlic and marigolds (to discourage rabbits and other garden-munching visitors). Leave two feet between bush beans, one half foot between bush beans and lettuce and one foot between all the rest.
When to plant? If you’re setting out pre-started plants, pick a day that is overcast. If you have to plant on a sunny day, wait until the sun is low in the sky. It makes the transition from pot to the ground much easier on the plant.
Dig a whole twice the size of the pot and loosen the soil as deep as your trowel will go. Turn the pot upside down and tap out the plant. Place the plant in the hole and give it a good soaking. Carry the watering can with you when you plant and give each plant a drink as it’s planted. Don’t plant the whole bed and then come back to water it later.
Seeds need a finely raked bed. Be sure to just barely cover them and keep them moist until they germinate. It’s really nice to do your planting in a light rain. The plants love it although your neighbors might think you’re nuts. Keep ‘em guessing, I say. Keep the new plants watered well the first couple of weeks, then water as needed. Remember, your garden will need one inch of water per week, either from the hose or from Mother Nature.
Once everything is growing, weeding is the main task left. The best tip I ever read about weeding was to use just mulch over the weeds throughout the season. Eventually, you will smother even the most persistent and invasive weeds and turn them into something that will benefit your soil.
Let’s talk for a minute about pests. There are a variety of insects that may try to take up residence in your garden. Aphids, tomato hornworms, cut worms – all kinds of things. There are two things that I like for pest control – ladybugs and praying mantis. You can purchase containers of ladybugs and mantid egg cases at the nursery, hardware store and most home centers. If you really don’t want them, Ivory soap and water will deter most garden pests. Unfortunately, the only foolproof way to keep hornworms off of your tomatoes is to pick them off by hand. If you must, there are pesticides available to control bugs in the garden. The local hardware store has a selection and knowledgeable folks to help you out in that area.
You can always grow your lettuces or salad mix and radishes in containers. One great way to get your kids or grandkids to eat salad is to purchase the seeds for a nice salad blend. Plant it in a container and when the plants are four inches high or so, send the kidlets out with some safety scissors to harvest the salad for dinner. Rinse it and toss it with some of those cherry tomatoes you grew on your deck and you have a very healthful meal, packed with nutrients and flavor. You will notice that veggies you grow yourself, taste a lot better than store-bought!
Gardening is fun and – really – it’s good for your soul. There’s something primitively satisfying about digging in the dirt – maybe a throwback to a time when our parents told us not to. So get up, step away from the TV and get outside! I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the fruits of your labor.
Take courage! With a little reading and research, you can be really successful and have a garden worth crowing about!
If you think you’re ready to think about beginning, remember this: It’s better to be proud of a small garden, than frustrated by a big one. You don’t want to get out there, rotor till a quarter of an acre and then find out that you just can’t manage something that size. If you don’t want to dig up your yard or make a garden in the ground or don’t have a yard to dig up, there are lots of things you can grow in containers. Cherry tomatoes spring to mind, but I’m wandering. More on containers later…
One of the common errors for beginners is planting too much too soon and way more than anybody could eat or want. Unless you want to have zucchini taking up residence in your attic or your neighbors to hide when they see you coming with your brown bag of veggies, plan carefully. By the way, if you wind up in the situation of having way too much of anything, I’m sure the folks over at the community center can help you find someone who would be interested in some surplus fresh veggies. Wandering again…moving on…Start small and then – if you choose to – you can expand with the years and experience. For example, one tomato plant per person is really sufficient, unless you plan on being the supplier for your neighborhood or want to sell them in your front yard. I have to admit to a fondness for tomatoes and frequently have more than we can use. I like the heirloom tomatoes and the ones in interesting colors. But really, one plant per person works well, perhaps with a cherry tomato plant for salads.
Here are some very basic concepts you’ll want to explore further as you become a vegetable gardener supreme:
Vegetables love the sun! They require six hours of sunlight each day, at least. Continuous sun would be best, if possible.
Vegetables must have good, loamy, well-drained soil. Most backyard soil is not perfect and needs a helping hand. Unfortunately, many people have a truly astounding combination of rocks and clay that can sometimes seem nearly invulnerable to shovels, picks and hoes. It’s a good reason to start small, because improving the soil is the toughest part of gardening. Check with your local nursery or county extension about soil testing. Working quantities of composted manure into your soil is, in my opinion, the best way to make sure that your veggies get what they need and you’re making your soil better as well. I tend to shy away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides; so composted manure is always my first choice. There are so many horses, cows and goats around about; there’s got to be local sources for composted manure. Rabbit manure is really great fertilizer as well.
You can always construct a frame, line the bottom with chicken wire (to keep burrowing critters out) and fill it with soil from your yard, blended with composted manure, composted leaves or peat moss.
Placement is everything. Like people, vegetables need the right nutrition to grow healthy produce. Place your garden too near a tree and it will lose its nutrients to the tree’s greedy roots. On the other hand, a garden closer to your house will help discourage rabbits, raccoons, deer, mice and opossums from chowing down on your potential harvest.
Vegetables need lots of water. At least one inch per week. Did you notice where the snow was melting first in your yard a few weeks ago when we all had a white coating in our yards? That’s where the sun catches in warm pockets and will make a difference in how well you vegetables will grow.
If you receive the seed catalogs, study them and order early. If you don’t, you can check locally for seeds or go into town to a home center or nursery. Later in the season, you can get plants that are already started which are also a great way to set out your garden. Tomatoes and peppers are among the few vegetables that aren’t direct seeded into the garden. They should be started indoors in April, then planted in the garden with the seeds of beans and zucchini in mid-May. Or you can always purchase pre-started plants locally. Peas, lettuces, spinach and radishes like cool temperatures and they should be started as soon as the chances for frost have passed.
A good-sized beginner garden is 10 x 16 feet and features crops that are easy to grow. A plot this size, planted as suggested, can feed a family of four for one summer, with a little extra for canning and freezing and giving away. Adjust proportionately to your family size, don’t be afraid to do less and definitely feel free to adjust quantities to what you and your family are likely to enjoy eating! If you think you can manage more than what’s listed here, consider a couple of barrels or wooden containers with some extras or salad greens. These will be easy to maintain. Cherry tomatoes are a great choice for a container and are very easy. Vegetables that may yield more than one crop per season are beans, beets, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, radishes and spinach. To plan for a second crop, check the days to maturity in the seed catalogs or on the packets.
For the plan below, your rows should run north and south to take full advantage of the sun. Make your garden eleven rows of 10-feet each of the following: tomatoes – 5 plants – staked or caged, squash – 4 plants, peppers – 6 plants, cabbage, bush beans, lettuce – leaf and/or bib, beets, carrots, chard, radish, garlic and marigolds (to discourage rabbits and other garden-munching visitors). Leave two feet between bush beans, one half foot between bush beans and lettuce and one foot between all the rest.
When to plant? If you’re setting out pre-started plants, pick a day that is overcast. If you have to plant on a sunny day, wait until the sun is low in the sky. It makes the transition from pot to the ground much easier on the plant.
Dig a whole twice the size of the pot and loosen the soil as deep as your trowel will go. Turn the pot upside down and tap out the plant. Place the plant in the hole and give it a good soaking. Carry the watering can with you when you plant and give each plant a drink as it’s planted. Don’t plant the whole bed and then come back to water it later.
Seeds need a finely raked bed. Be sure to just barely cover them and keep them moist until they germinate. It’s really nice to do your planting in a light rain. The plants love it although your neighbors might think you’re nuts. Keep ‘em guessing, I say. Keep the new plants watered well the first couple of weeks, then water as needed. Remember, your garden will need one inch of water per week, either from the hose or from Mother Nature.
Once everything is growing, weeding is the main task left. The best tip I ever read about weeding was to use just mulch over the weeds throughout the season. Eventually, you will smother even the most persistent and invasive weeds and turn them into something that will benefit your soil.
Let’s talk for a minute about pests. There are a variety of insects that may try to take up residence in your garden. Aphids, tomato hornworms, cut worms – all kinds of things. There are two things that I like for pest control – ladybugs and praying mantis. You can purchase containers of ladybugs and mantid egg cases at the nursery, hardware store and most home centers. If you really don’t want them, Ivory soap and water will deter most garden pests. Unfortunately, the only foolproof way to keep hornworms off of your tomatoes is to pick them off by hand. If you must, there are pesticides available to control bugs in the garden. The local hardware store has a selection and knowledgeable folks to help you out in that area.
You can always grow your lettuces or salad mix and radishes in containers. One great way to get your kids or grandkids to eat salad is to purchase the seeds for a nice salad blend. Plant it in a container and when the plants are four inches high or so, send the kidlets out with some safety scissors to harvest the salad for dinner. Rinse it and toss it with some of those cherry tomatoes you grew on your deck and you have a very healthful meal, packed with nutrients and flavor. You will notice that veggies you grow yourself, taste a lot better than store-bought!
Gardening is fun and – really – it’s good for your soul. There’s something primitively satisfying about digging in the dirt – maybe a throwback to a time when our parents told us not to. So get up, step away from the TV and get outside! I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the fruits of your labor.
04 February 2008
A Rose By Any Other Name...
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so Shakespeare tells us.
Links to antiquity are strong among old roses and is one of the many reasons gardeners love them. The oldest rose planted today was in existence some 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. Rosa Gallica var. officinalis migrated from Iran through Turkey to France and finally into England just in time to be named “The Red Rose of Lancaster”, figuring prominently in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. Known as “The Apothecary’s Rose”, because during the past thousand years or so it has been extensively utilized by herbalists.
Ancient civilizations have revered roses for their beauty, aromatic oil and medicinal powers. Rose petals have tannin, which is an astringent and were used to control bleeding. Rose oil and rose water were used in China for stomach and colon problems. Rose hips are rich in vitamin C.
The supremely fragrant “Desiree Parmentier”, a Gallica rose, was called so after the Frenchwoman who became the queen of Sweden. In her younger years, she financed Napoleon’s second campaign with her jewelry after her father had refused to do so. When one of Napoleon’s commanders ended up getting himself crowned king of Sweden, Napoleon played matchmaker – introducing Desiree to the king, who was in the market for a wife.
“Souvenir de la Malmaison”, was first grown by Josephine Bonaparte in her chateau gardens near Paris and was so loved by Catherine the Great that she filled the Imperial Garden at St. Petersburg with these pale pink Bourbons.
While a truly “easy”, carefree rose doesn’t really exist outside of our imaginations, some are easier to grow than others and a few tricks will help make sure your endeavors are a success.
Be sure to choose varieties proven in your climate. When in doubt, look for AARS winners. They are invariably good bets for your garden.
Plant your roses where they will receive a minimum of five or six hours of full sun per day. They would probably like even more than that.
Diligently water your roses. They are quite thirsty plants and you should soak the entire root zone at least twice a week during dry summer weather. If it’s really hot, you may even need to do this daily. Don’t let the leaves get wet. Wet foliage invites fungus and, once you have it in your garden, it’s not easy to get rid of. I like a soaker nozzle on my hose, but a drip or soaker hose also works well. Water in the morning for best results. Please avoid frequent shallow sprinklings, which won’t make it to the deeper roots and could encourage fungus, the bane of rose gardeners everywhere.
For newly planted roses, the experts tell me that one of the most important things is this: DO NOT FEED YOUR ROSES WITH FERTILIZER IN THE FIRST YEAR!! Sounds crazy, I know, but the logic behind it is infallible. When you plant, add LOTS of organic material to the soil, preferably composted manure. With all these cows and horses around, we should all be able to locate some, right?
The reason for this? If you feed heavily with a commercial fertilizer, you will discourage the development of a strong root system. The rose thinks it doesn’t have to look very far for food and the result will be a puny and weak root system. The developing roots will not be able to use a lot of this easily available food and you could easily kill a newly planted rose by giving it soluble fertilizers. One expert, local to the Rogue Valley, suggests “If you MUST feed your roses, a mild feeding of ½ strength fish emulsion can be applied once or twice in June or July. But they won’t really need it if you’ve done your job correctly.” He further recommends a vitamin B solution at the rate of ONE DROP per gallon of water. It is a growth stimulator and has the ability to encourage strong root growth.
Once they’re established, feed your roses. They have big appetites. The absolute best thing to feed your roses with is the age-old gardener’s choice of soil amendment – aged manure. Fork in a 3 to 5 inch layer of manure every spring for established plants. You might want to add more later after the first blooming has ended. Fish emulsion fertilizers are wonderful as well since this kind of organic feeding can actually contribute to the long-term health of the soil by introducing compounds that feed the naturally occurring organisms. In May and June, add a tablespoon of Epsom salts. Magnesium sulfate encourages new growth. Kelp is also an excellent natural fertilizer. Stop fertilizing one month before the first expected frost. In my opinion, fertilizers that offer a sudden burst of harsh chemicals damage the soil and could – over time – render your garden toxic. That’s just my opinion – I’m OK with those who prefer the three-in-one granulated insecticide/anti-fungus/fertilizers. I personally prefer a different way.
Roses like a nearly neutral soil pH, somewhere between 6.5 and 7. For best results, test your soil and follow the recommendations for adjusting the pH levels. Contact a good local nursery or the Master Gardeners for help with soil testing. In addition, roses need really great drainage. Many of us in Rogue River have the rocks-and-clay soil that simply puddles up water. If you can’t provide good drainage to help keep their feet dry, perhaps a raised rose bed would be a better alternative. Allow at least one foot of space between rosebushes for good air circulation. This helps prevent disease as well. Remember that one foot of space means that you will probably need to plant them about three feet apart to allow for growth.
It is so much easier to prevent disease than to cure it! Many die-hard rose gardeners treat their roses weekly with a general-purpose spray such as Funginex. I have been told that a solution of 1 tablespoon of baking soda, one tablespoon of Ivory dish soap and a gallon of water will prevent black spot. Use a hose type sprayer to apply. When the weather is damp and spores are abundant on old diseased foliage is when your plants are at the greatest risk. Deadhead regularly and religiously. Keep your beds clean. Don’t leave your rose trimmings lying about. Keep your plants strong – pay attention to their other needs such as sun, food and water – and it will help hold your losses – if they occur – to a minimum.
Insect pests can really be pests. My first choice in insect control is ladybugs. They eat enormous quantities of aphids and other pests. Spider mites and praying mantis are also lovely to have help keep order in your garden. An excellent natural insecticide is neem seed oil. Garlic plants and sprays are fine organic techniques to help keep a variety of beetles away from your roses.
Another method of helping your roses be all that they can be is mulch. Mulch after they are planted. Mulching is the practice of adding plant material, such as leaves, dead grass or shredded bark on top of the soil. The plant material will eventually be broken down and pulled into the soil by the friendly denizens living there. It will become humus. Mulching also helps the soil retain moisture. In a natural environment, leaves fall to the ground and stay there. They act as mulch. Your roses will appreciate your activities in this area very mulch.
Roses should be pruned in the spring. Cut out any dead wood and damaged branches. Always sharpen your shears and soak them in a solution of half water and half bleach before pruning. This will help protect your bushes from diseases and insects.
Plants of all kinds are a little like humans – some play well with others and some don’t. Some plants grow well together and actually help each other survive. Other plants are oppressive to neighboring plants. Plants that grow well together are referred to as “companion plants”. I mentioned garlic earlier and have to restate that roses really do love garlic as well as other members of the onion family. The onion family is made up of around 500 species. While planting garlic will help protect your roses, there are many other onion varieties that will protect your roses and provide beautiful flowers to enhance the roses. In addition, marigolds, mignonettes, lavender and thyme are good companions for roses.
All in all, roses are very rewarding to cultivate. There are few things in the garden more beautiful. Roses truly are the “Queen of Flowers” and will add elegance and a real sense of joy to any yard.
Links to antiquity are strong among old roses and is one of the many reasons gardeners love them. The oldest rose planted today was in existence some 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. Rosa Gallica var. officinalis migrated from Iran through Turkey to France and finally into England just in time to be named “The Red Rose of Lancaster”, figuring prominently in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. Known as “The Apothecary’s Rose”, because during the past thousand years or so it has been extensively utilized by herbalists.
Ancient civilizations have revered roses for their beauty, aromatic oil and medicinal powers. Rose petals have tannin, which is an astringent and were used to control bleeding. Rose oil and rose water were used in China for stomach and colon problems. Rose hips are rich in vitamin C.
The supremely fragrant “Desiree Parmentier”, a Gallica rose, was called so after the Frenchwoman who became the queen of Sweden. In her younger years, she financed Napoleon’s second campaign with her jewelry after her father had refused to do so. When one of Napoleon’s commanders ended up getting himself crowned king of Sweden, Napoleon played matchmaker – introducing Desiree to the king, who was in the market for a wife.
“Souvenir de la Malmaison”, was first grown by Josephine Bonaparte in her chateau gardens near Paris and was so loved by Catherine the Great that she filled the Imperial Garden at St. Petersburg with these pale pink Bourbons.
While a truly “easy”, carefree rose doesn’t really exist outside of our imaginations, some are easier to grow than others and a few tricks will help make sure your endeavors are a success.
Be sure to choose varieties proven in your climate. When in doubt, look for AARS winners. They are invariably good bets for your garden.
Plant your roses where they will receive a minimum of five or six hours of full sun per day. They would probably like even more than that.
Diligently water your roses. They are quite thirsty plants and you should soak the entire root zone at least twice a week during dry summer weather. If it’s really hot, you may even need to do this daily. Don’t let the leaves get wet. Wet foliage invites fungus and, once you have it in your garden, it’s not easy to get rid of. I like a soaker nozzle on my hose, but a drip or soaker hose also works well. Water in the morning for best results. Please avoid frequent shallow sprinklings, which won’t make it to the deeper roots and could encourage fungus, the bane of rose gardeners everywhere.
For newly planted roses, the experts tell me that one of the most important things is this: DO NOT FEED YOUR ROSES WITH FERTILIZER IN THE FIRST YEAR!! Sounds crazy, I know, but the logic behind it is infallible. When you plant, add LOTS of organic material to the soil, preferably composted manure. With all these cows and horses around, we should all be able to locate some, right?
The reason for this? If you feed heavily with a commercial fertilizer, you will discourage the development of a strong root system. The rose thinks it doesn’t have to look very far for food and the result will be a puny and weak root system. The developing roots will not be able to use a lot of this easily available food and you could easily kill a newly planted rose by giving it soluble fertilizers. One expert, local to the Rogue Valley, suggests “If you MUST feed your roses, a mild feeding of ½ strength fish emulsion can be applied once or twice in June or July. But they won’t really need it if you’ve done your job correctly.” He further recommends a vitamin B solution at the rate of ONE DROP per gallon of water. It is a growth stimulator and has the ability to encourage strong root growth.
Once they’re established, feed your roses. They have big appetites. The absolute best thing to feed your roses with is the age-old gardener’s choice of soil amendment – aged manure. Fork in a 3 to 5 inch layer of manure every spring for established plants. You might want to add more later after the first blooming has ended. Fish emulsion fertilizers are wonderful as well since this kind of organic feeding can actually contribute to the long-term health of the soil by introducing compounds that feed the naturally occurring organisms. In May and June, add a tablespoon of Epsom salts. Magnesium sulfate encourages new growth. Kelp is also an excellent natural fertilizer. Stop fertilizing one month before the first expected frost. In my opinion, fertilizers that offer a sudden burst of harsh chemicals damage the soil and could – over time – render your garden toxic. That’s just my opinion – I’m OK with those who prefer the three-in-one granulated insecticide/anti-fungus/fertilizers. I personally prefer a different way.
Roses like a nearly neutral soil pH, somewhere between 6.5 and 7. For best results, test your soil and follow the recommendations for adjusting the pH levels. Contact a good local nursery or the Master Gardeners for help with soil testing. In addition, roses need really great drainage. Many of us in Rogue River have the rocks-and-clay soil that simply puddles up water. If you can’t provide good drainage to help keep their feet dry, perhaps a raised rose bed would be a better alternative. Allow at least one foot of space between rosebushes for good air circulation. This helps prevent disease as well. Remember that one foot of space means that you will probably need to plant them about three feet apart to allow for growth.
It is so much easier to prevent disease than to cure it! Many die-hard rose gardeners treat their roses weekly with a general-purpose spray such as Funginex. I have been told that a solution of 1 tablespoon of baking soda, one tablespoon of Ivory dish soap and a gallon of water will prevent black spot. Use a hose type sprayer to apply. When the weather is damp and spores are abundant on old diseased foliage is when your plants are at the greatest risk. Deadhead regularly and religiously. Keep your beds clean. Don’t leave your rose trimmings lying about. Keep your plants strong – pay attention to their other needs such as sun, food and water – and it will help hold your losses – if they occur – to a minimum.
Insect pests can really be pests. My first choice in insect control is ladybugs. They eat enormous quantities of aphids and other pests. Spider mites and praying mantis are also lovely to have help keep order in your garden. An excellent natural insecticide is neem seed oil. Garlic plants and sprays are fine organic techniques to help keep a variety of beetles away from your roses.
Another method of helping your roses be all that they can be is mulch. Mulch after they are planted. Mulching is the practice of adding plant material, such as leaves, dead grass or shredded bark on top of the soil. The plant material will eventually be broken down and pulled into the soil by the friendly denizens living there. It will become humus. Mulching also helps the soil retain moisture. In a natural environment, leaves fall to the ground and stay there. They act as mulch. Your roses will appreciate your activities in this area very mulch.
Roses should be pruned in the spring. Cut out any dead wood and damaged branches. Always sharpen your shears and soak them in a solution of half water and half bleach before pruning. This will help protect your bushes from diseases and insects.
Plants of all kinds are a little like humans – some play well with others and some don’t. Some plants grow well together and actually help each other survive. Other plants are oppressive to neighboring plants. Plants that grow well together are referred to as “companion plants”. I mentioned garlic earlier and have to restate that roses really do love garlic as well as other members of the onion family. The onion family is made up of around 500 species. While planting garlic will help protect your roses, there are many other onion varieties that will protect your roses and provide beautiful flowers to enhance the roses. In addition, marigolds, mignonettes, lavender and thyme are good companions for roses.
All in all, roses are very rewarding to cultivate. There are few things in the garden more beautiful. Roses truly are the “Queen of Flowers” and will add elegance and a real sense of joy to any yard.
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