At the end of the growing season,
you often ask yourself “How did my garden grow?” Now is the time to assess a few things to
make plans for next year.
What roses did well and what
didn’t? Was your garden better or
worse than last year? If it was better
last year, what did you do or omit to do this year? How much can you blame on the weather? More importantly, what can you do to make it
better next season?
The answers to these questions
will vary from individual to individual because we all have different gardens,
soil conditions, exposures, watering methods, microclimates and problems unique
only to a few members. In addition, we
all have different styles of gardening, some very intense and others more
relaxed.
As we evaluate our gardens there
are many ways we can help each other by sharing our observations and
information. For example, which bushes
did well and which didn’t. In my garden I was surprised that in spite of the
heat, some roses did remarkably well when most of the others were stressed
out. One of them that’s a survivor is Bow Bells, a great David Austin
Rose. Bow Bells is a pink rose that will even grow in the semi-shade area
of your garden. If you want constant
color and easy care in the garden, this rose is a good candidate. Bow Bells is not an exhibition rose
but a garden rose that’s superbly healthy and blooms non-stop even in the heat
of summer. I planted mine on its own root just this spring and it grew up to
six ft tall in its first year. While Scentimental
which grows next to it was completely defoliated, Bow Bells green foliage is intact, no blackspot. I don’t spray and
have only used four applications of Bayers All-In-One for the whole season.
My hybrid teas succumbed to
blackspot but recovered quickly after the summer heat. I tolerate a little blackspot but I kept my
garden tidy and free of diseased leaves. I planted companion plants to hide
their bare legs in the summer. Much as I
love the award-winning form of the hybrid teas, I prefer the fragrant
varieties. I miss Lancôme and Perfume
Delight and wish I had dug them up from my garden when I left New
York. Another favorite is Gardens of the World which I was able to
get from K&M Nursery.
As for miniature roses, I lost
four minis this summer, three of which were planted in 2008 in our first
growing season here and were on their own while we still lived in NY. Memphis
Music though quite exceptionally beautiful in form and color is susceptible
to disease and was completely denuded by the end of summer. First
and Foremost which I got as a gift from the Lundbergs is quite disease
resistant. I like it very much. Thanks Bob and Sandy. I don’t have many minis here but in New York,
the older more established minis with deeper root systems survived the
best. Misty Dawn, Magic Carousel and Dreamglo
were with me for years. One miniature rose in my garden which was totally
unscathed by heat and drought and bloomed madly all season was Misty Dawn. It’s the most disease-resistant, care-free
rose I’ve ever grown.
Speaking of care-free, two shrub
rose that are easy maintenance is Caldwell
Pink and Oso Easy Cherry Pie. They are very healthy and bloom
constantly. Since I don’t spray, it is
amazing that these roses fare well. Caldwell Pink is truly a delightful pink
polyantha that is so carefree. Mine is
in a pot and quite happy. Cherry Pie, also in a pot, is a single
that bloomed all season long and quite disease resistant. Cherry
Pie is a red Oso Easy Rose that deserves some praise. My new favorite Old
Garden Rose is Cramoisi Superieur
which seemed to take the heat and drought very well. It is a non-stop bloomer and very
disease-resistant. Louis Philippe which is mistaken sometime for Cramoisi Superieur did not fare well at all. They really look alike. Marechal
Niel, a yellow noisette, is a monstrosity and taking over the whole fence,
mine and my neighbor’s.
As I ponder plans for next
season, one of my gardening “new year’s resolutions” is to put a thicker layer
of mulch on the roses. Summer is brutal
here and watering is a pain. I might
even go for a soaker hose. Yes, I hand
water my roses, always have for the last 40 years. As I watered my plants, I
could see what was going on in the garden.
How did your garden grow? If anything interesting happened that you
would like to share, please post a comment.
Roses are not difficult
to grow contrary to popular belief as long as you know what they need. Why do
you think Roses have been around for
millions of years? All they need are food, water and sunlight. Just
like you and me.
Here at Rose Gardening World, we’ll educate you about the Rose - our National Floral Emblem
and the state flower of several states. Welcome to the World of Rose
Gardening or Rose Gardening World where Rose Gardening Tips, Rose Growing Advice, Planting a Rose Garden,
Rose Descriptions, Where to Buy Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture,
Rose History, Rose Events, Rose Verses are all here in one place.
We are constantly updating our
contents so visit Rose Gardening World often. We want to help you
grow Beautiful Roses and we welcome
comments. Take time and smell the roses.
Happy Rose Gardening!
Check my other blogs:
·
