I just read from the
November-December 2012 issue of The Capital Rose, the newsletter of Arlington
Rose Federation that the “Word in the rose industry is that the Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora
and Floribunda are slowly moving up to the forefront as the favorite consumer
rose sale. Many are becoming less enamored with the “non-maintenance”
types. Disease has affected some
plantings that lack total maintenance.
In particular, the dense, untouched mass plantings. Rose Rosette disease has also devastated many
public plantings of the low maintenance types, rarely leaving a few plants unscathed.”
I do agree with the current
sentiments. When we bought our
townhouse, they planted four Blushing Knockouts in front of my house. Knockout roses have been planted everywhere in
my development by the landscaper. By the
time we moved here permanently last year, my Blushing Knockouts were totally
pathetic with few ratty blooms. As an American
Rose Society Consulting Rosarian, I felt it was an embarrassment for me to have
such a disgraceful front yard. So I dug
them all up this spring and started to put in other roses instead. I planted fragrant roses with eye-catching
colors. I walked around the neighborhood
and the Knock Out roses were in terrible shape except for the newly planted
ones this year. The old plantings are either
in terrible shape or practically dead.
When Knockout roses were
introduced years ago, I was lucky to be a member of the Garden Writers
Association and came home with 2 Knockouts and 3 Blushing Knockouts from one of
their symposia. They all did very well the first 3 years but after that lost
their appeal. To be honest, I never
really liked them because there is no fragrance and it lacks the beauty of the
hybrid tea. Some of them get blackspots
later in the season.
In my new garden, I don’t
have Knockouts. I rather have Old Garden
Roses. They are low maintenance also and
they are fragrant. I like Hybrid Teas
and if they get blackspot, so what. They
are the standard of the true beauty of a rose and recently some of them are now
hybridized for disease resistance. When
you work hard for something, the reward is always great. If the rose was to be no maintenance, it
would be like an ordinary plant. We wouldn’t
need any standard at all. Do we want to
go that route? Why do we need a rose
society if you can just plant a rose and forget it. Any fool can grow them. There is no need for Consulting Rosarians. You don’t have to be a member of a rose
society. Why pay $45 to ARS or $20 to a
local society? What for? The American Rose Society will be
irrelevant. I don’t think that’s what we
are aiming for. Will that be the end of
the American Rose Society as we know it?
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.
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!
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