Heirloom Roses' Blog for Rose Growing and Gardening

Some people feel where did the summer go while others ponder when is it going to start. It was a strange growing season this year for most around the country. We are hearing of an abundance of  green tomatoes still in the garden, and where are all the giant zucchini! As you walk the garden you wonder why are the roses showing signs of giving up for the season, hips are developing at an alarming rate but our tendency is to search for the perfect bloom to stick our nose in for one last reminder of spring not wanting to give up on the end of this season which seems to be coming at an alarming rate. The weather should be an indication that fall is fast approaching as we dig through the closet looking for our light sweaters and jackets to wear in the cool mornings, shedding them throughout the day as the sun comes out to tease us into feeling like summer may still linger for a while. 

Hard to imagine it is time to stop applying fertilizer so that you can slow down new growth and help the rose into dormancy. To deadhead or not…. is there time for one last burst of bloom or do we need to let the hips signal to the plant that it is time to start getting ready for winter. Our minds already thinking about next year, what plants are keepers and which ones we need to shovel prune. We start to watch the mail box for the new catalogs which will be coming out soon to entice us into trying some new plant.  Do we need to do some winter protection and how are we going to go about it are starting to creep into our thought process. The goal is to prevent the rose bush from freezing and thawing, so waiting for the second hard freeze is a good guide to knowing when the rose is ready to be put to bed. As we watch the plant get ready for sleep the foliage turns and starts to drop off the plant, so begins the task of keeping the ground clean so that disease and pests do not harbor until spring to reappear and infect the newly awakened rose. 

The search begins once again for our loppers, making sure they are sharp for the task ahead, that of taking the rose down some so that the wind does not cause the branches to rub against each other causing lesions that will invite disease. An easy job as we do not care about an outside bud, cleaning out the middle for good air circulation or how many canes we intend to keep for our spring bloom. Cutting them back some now also helps in the spring when we want to really prune the rose for the coming season, as we will not have as much debris to contend with, making the task easier. 

As we sit and watch the sun filter through the trees drinking that first morning cup of coffee, we spot a hint of color in the garden and wonder if this is the perfect bloom to lighten our heart and keep summer around for just a little longer. A walk through the garden to appreciate the plants efforts to provide beauty for this short while as we await winter and a quick peak into the mail box seems to be in order. Is a sweater needed or do we dare the day to provide a hint of lingering summer warmth?

For the avid rose collector or a gardener simply looking for more unique varieties, the rose family offers some truly stunning and unusual roses that are sure to become conversation pieces in your garden.

Consider the world’s “smallest” and “largest” roses for a study in contrasts. Winning the title for smallest is the micro-miniature Si, averaging only 4″ tall. The largest rose is actually a tie between a Rosa banksiae banksiae in Tombstone, Arizona that covers an incomprehensible 8,000 square feet, and a Kifsgate rose located in England measuring 80 feet x 90 feet x 50 feet tall. Bloom size can also reach mammoth proportions; the hybrid tea Great Century can produce blooms up to 8″ in diameter, sure to be a standout in the landscape.

True rosarians may want to consider Old Garden Roses with particular historical significance for their gardens. The Apothecary’s Rose, for example, is one of the oldest known rose varieties and has been in cultivation since the Crusades. Quatre Saisons, a Damask, is recognized as the oldest repeat-blooming European Rose. La France has the distinction of being the first Hybrid Tea (ushering in the era of modern roses), while the supremely fragrant Kazanlik, a Damask, has commercial importance; it is the main rose grown for producing attar of roses (fragrant oil used to make perfume).

Other roses have unusual color or distinct markings that make them unique. Some varieties have spotted, freckled, or striped blooms; others provide multiple colors of flowers on the same bush. Or try one of the roses with russet, buff, grey, or dark purple blossoms to broaden your color palette. Bi-colored roses or those with a “reverse” (inside of petal a different color than outside of petal) also offer different, enticing color combinations.

Notable Old Garden Roses

• Apothecary’s Rose (dp)
• Crested Moss (mp)
• Kazanlik (dp)
• La France (lp)
• Quatre Saisons (mp)
• The Green Rose (w/green)

Multi-Colored Blooms

• Flutterbye (yb)
• Joseph’s Coat (rb)
• Mutabilis (yb)
• Pleasant Valley (pb)
• Rainbow Knockout (pb)
• The Magician (yb)

“Handpainted” Roses

• Champagne Cocktail (yb)
• Eyepaint (rb)
• Frühlingsmorgen (pb)
• Little Artist (rb)
• Maestro (rb)
• Picasso (pb)
• Regensberg (pb)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll (rb/ob)
• Watercolors (yb)

Colorful Fall Foliage

• Ann Endt (dr)
• Champlain (dr)
• F.J. Grootendorst (mr/lr)
• Indian Love Call (mp)
• Meidiland Roses (series)
• Pink Robin (mp)
• Rosa glauca (mp)
• R. rugosa alba/rubra (w/r)
• Roseraie de l’Hay (dr/m)
• Thérèse Bugnet (mp)
• Tuscany Superb (m)

Roses with Trailing Habit

• Green Snake (w)
• Peachy Creeper (ob)
• Ralph’s Creeper (rb)
• Red Cascade (dr)
• Wing-Ding (mr/or)

Spotted/Freckled Blooms

• Alain Blanchard (m)
• Cramoisi Picoté (rb)
• Dorcas (pb)
• Euprates (pb)
• Freckle Face (pb)
• Freckles (pb)
• Marbrée (rb/pb)
• Spanish Rhapsody (pb)

Striped Blooms

• Candy Cane (pb)
• Earthquake (rb)
• Fourth of July (rb)
• Honorine de Brabant (pb)
• Life Lines (or/ob)
• Oranges ‘n’ Lemons (ob)
• Patriot Kordana (rb)
• Purple Tiger (m)
• Rosa Mundi (pb)
• Scentimental (rb)
• Secret Recipe (rb)
• Stars ‘n’ Stripes Forever (rb)
• Strawberry Swirl (rb)
• Tawny Tiger (r)
• Tigress (m)
• Tricolore de Flandre (pb)
• Variegata di Bologna (rb)
• Wonderstripe (pb)

Bloom size greater than 6″

• Acapella (pb/rb)
• Alec’s Red (mr)
• Big Purple (m)
• Brandy (ab)
• Buxom Beauty (dp)
• Dolly Parton (or)
• Falling in Love (pb)
• First Prize (pb)
• Great Century (pb)
• Ingrid Bergman (dr)
• Legends (mr)
• Love’s Magic (dr)
• Medallion (ab)
• Moonstone (w/pb)
• Peace (yb)
• Pristine (w)

Roses of Unusual Color

• Black Baccara (dr)
• Black Ice (dr)
• Black Jade (dr)
• Black Pearl (dr)
• Blue Girl (m)
• Bronze Star (ab)
• Burgundy Iceberg (dr)
• Butterscotch (russet)
• Café Olé (russet)
• Cinco de Mayo (russet)
• Denver’s Dream (ob)
• Distant Drums (mauve/tan)
• Green Diamond (w/green)
• Green Ice (w/green)
• Greensleeves (w/pb-green)
• Hot Cocoa (russet)
• Iced Tea (russet)
• Julia’s Rose (russet)
• Kaleidoscope (mauve/tan)
• Lagerfeld (m)
• Lavender Pinocchio (m)
• Midnight Blue (m)
• Night Owl (m)
• Outta the Blue (m)
• Paradise (m)
• Remember Me (ob)
• Rhapsody In Blue (m)
• Stainless Steel (m)
• Teddy Bear (russet)
• Tom Thumb (rb)

Strong Bi-Color/Reverse

• Betty Boop (rb)
• Cherry Parfait (rb)
• Double Delight (rb)
• Gemini (pb)
• French Perfume (yb)
• Handel (rb)
• Iced Raspberry (rb)
• Léonidas (red blend/russet)
• Lynn Anderson (pb)
• Nicole (pb)
• Night Light (dy/yb)
• Rosy Dawn (yb)
• Sassy Cindy (rb)
• Typhoo Tea (rb)

THORNLESS ROSES

Common sense and conventional wisdom tell us that every rose has its thorn.  Indeed, most rose gardeners learn to accept thorns with a kind of quiet resignation, arming themselves against the less-pleasant tasks of rose care with gauntlet gloves and loppers.  We turn philosophical:  “Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy the thorn bush has roses” (German proverb).  But in the end, no matter how hard we try to overlook thorns and focus on blooms, we find ourselves longing for a kinder, gentler bush.

Fortunately, nature provides exceptions to every rule.  While there are not many, some truly thornless roses do exist.  A greater number of “nearly thornless” roses are available, which have scattered thorns here and there on the stem.  Certain kinds of roses, such as Polyanthas, tend to have fewer thorns as a class.  An interesting botanical side note:  technically roses don’t have thorns.  All of those projections along the stem are really called prickles.

Thornless varieties are useful when roses are planted along walkways or other high-traffic areas. They are also a great idea for children’s gardens, elderly gardeners, or anyone who has let thorns get in the way of enjoying the world’s most popular flower.

Roses classified as “nearly thornless” tend to have thorns on lower/older wood, with unarmed new growth perfect for cutting.

Thornless Roses

• Bleu Magenta (Hybrid Multiflora, mauve)
• Chloris (Alba, light pink, very fragrant)
• Goldfinch (Hybrid Multiflora, light yellow/white, fragrant)
• Hippolyte (Gallica, mauve/red blend)
• Kathleen Harrop (Bourbon, light pink, fragrant)
• Lady Banks Rose (Species, white or yellow)
• Lykkefund (Large-flowered Climber, white/light yellow)
• Mme. Legras de St. Germain (Alba, white, fragrant)
• Mme. Plantier (Alba, white, fragrant)
• Tausendschön (Hybrid Multiflora, pink blend)
• Veilchenblau (Hybrid Multiflora, mauve, fragrant)
• Zéphirine Drouhin (Bourbon, medium pink, fragrant)

Nearly Thornless Roses

• A Shropshire Lad (Shrub, David Austin, yellow blend)
• Aimée Vibert (Noisette, white, fragrant)
• Bride’s Dream (Hybrid Tea, light pink)
• Cardinal de Richelieu (Gallica, mauve, fragrant)
• China Doll (Polyantha, medium pink/light pink)
• Climbing Iceberg (Climbing Floribunda, white)
• Climbing Pinkie (Climbing Polyantha, medium pink)
• Clotilde Soupert (Polyantha, white)
• Complicata (Gallica, pink blend, single)
• Cornelia (Hybrid Musk, pink blend/yellow blend, fragrant)
• Crépuscule (Noisette, apricot blend)
• Crown Princess Margareta (Shrub, David Austin, apricot blend)
• Frau Karl Druschki (Hybrid Perpetual, white)
• Geoff Hamilton (Shrub, David Austin, medium pink)
• Ghislaine de Féligonde (Hybrid Multiflora, light yellow/yellow blend, fragrant)
• Golden Showers (Large-flowered Climber, medium yellow)
• Heritage (Shrub, David Austin, light pink, very fragrant)
• J.P. Connell (Shrub, medium yellow/light yellow)
• James Galway (Shrub, David Austin, light pink/medium pink)
• John Clare (Shrub, David Austin, deep pink/light red, fragrant)
• La Marne (Polyantha, pink blend)
• Lady Hillingdon (Tea, yellow blend, fragrant)
• Leander (Shrub, apricot blend)
• Mlle. Cécile Brunner (Polyantha, light pink)
• Mme. Alfred Carriére (Noisette, white, fragrant)
• Mortimer Sackler (Shrub, David Austin, light pink)
• Oceana (Hybrid Tea, apricot blend)
• Outta the Blue (Shrub, mauve)
• Paul Neyron (Hybrid Perpetual, medium pink)
• Pure Perfume (Shrub, white)
• Reine des Violettes (Hybrid Perpetual, mauve, fragrant)
• Rose-Marie Viaud (Hybrid Multiflora, mauve)
• The Generous Gardener (Shrub, David Austin, light pink)
• Thérèse Bugnet (Hybrid Rugosa, medium pink, fragrant)
• Tuscany Superb (Gallica, mauve, fragrant)
• Veilchenblau (Hybrid Multiflora)

Thoughts of winter care for the gardens are on minds everywhere. What is done in gardens around the country vary as much as the color and size of roses do.

How much time you want to spend and what you want to accomplish are a determining factor. Some things to consider now is checking the pH, it is a good time to lime if needed as the rainy weather will help the lime become absorbed into the soil. pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of the soil on a scale of 0-14. 0 – 6.9 being acid, 7.0  neutral and 7.1 – 14 being alkaline. Heavy clay is more acid and adding organic soil amendments can lower the pH even more. Roses like a slightly acidic soil of 6.0 – 6.5.  Dolomite lime is the preferred type if you have a magnesium shortage in your soils, because it provides calcium and magnesium both of which are essential for plant growth.

If you use Epson Salts (magnesium sulfate) then regular garden lime is better. To much magnesium can cause problems with the uptake of other essential elements. If you already feed your roses a balanced fertilizer containing magnesium then you probably do not need to add any Epson Salts to your soil. Only a soil test will tell for sure. 

Deadheading now is a good time to prevent botrytis. If you dead head pretty severely now you will reduce the height of the bush and get rid of excess rose canes. Cutting them back to about waist high will help to prevent the wind and rain rocking the rose and creating a problem of opening up an area around the roots. The opening can extend below the ground and may allow freezing temperatures to easily reach the underground parts of the rose. You don’t need to bother about the cuts as you would in the spring, when you doing a fine prune.   

The same conditions that favor roses also favor diseases and pests. Frequent rainfall and high humidity encourage several leaf diseases. Mild winters allow pests and diseases to live through the coldest part of the year and warm summers give them the chance to build up their populations to survive yet another winter. A year-round approach to pest control will help you manage all of these problems.  

Black spot usually occurs on the lower portion of the rose bush first and moves up the plant as the season progresses. Leaves infected with black spot produce the hormone ethylene. High ethylene content in the leaves causes leaf drop. As a result, rose plants infected with black spot lose their leaves and look bare. The dropped leaves around the base of the plant serve as a reservoir of fungal spores which re-infect the plant when it rains or water splashes up. The fungus over-winters on living or dead tissue such as leaves and stems that were infected the previous growing season. Spores will not survive in the soil, so cleaning up the ground is a good practice.   

Rust is also a foliar disease that begins in the spring and peaks in early summer. The lesions are small, rusty orange on the top surface of the leaf and can affect the stem as well. Later in the season different spores are produced, they are dark brown with dark thick walls that help them survive the winter. 

Powdery mildew is another disease that is present caused when dry days are followed by nights with high humidity. The first infections are on new growth which arises from the previous year’s infections. 

Aphids can live through the winter in protected nooks and crannies on the plant. 

So you are not giving disease and pests a place to reside for the winter, keep the ground and plant, healthy now. A little work now will prevent a lot of work next season.