Read 'Four Roses Join the Earth-Kind Roses List' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

The Fairy

The four roses that recently received the Earth-Kind designation are repeat-blooming and long-lived so offer a lot for your investment in time, money, and space.

‘Cecile Brunner’
Also known as the ‘Sweetheart Rose’, ‘Cecile Brunner’ bears waves of light pink fragrant flowers in airy clusters, typically with 10-15 flowers. Each flower develops from a slender bud and resembles a miniature hybrid tea but, unfortunately, they fade quickly in the sun. The bush is vigorous, almost thornless and tolerates light dappled afternoon shade but thrives in full sun.

'Cecile Brunner'

Classification group: Polyantha.
Flower color: Coral pink in the center and pinky white at the edges.
Flower size: 2”.
Scent: Medium, sweet and musky.
Bush size: 4’ H x 3”W*
Hardiness: Zones 5-9.
Use: Border with annuals and perennials.

‘La Marne’
The semi-double pink flowers have ruffled petals and are produced in loose clusters of 5-20. The upright bush is thornless, bears dark leaves, and always has a neat appearance in the garden.

'La Marne'

Classification group: Polyantha.
Flower color: Deep pink with white centers and yellow stamens.
Flower size: 2”.
Scent: Light and musky.
Bush size: 4-6’ H x 4-5’ W*
Hardiness: Zones 5-9.

‘Reve d’Or’
This climber produces double yellow flowers singly or in clusters of up to 15 flowers. The first wave of flowers is the most floriferous but subsequent waves continue until early winter. The bush is graced with large, deep green, glossy leaves that are nearly evergreen and the canes are thin, flexible and with few thorns so easily woven into place.

'Reve d'Or'

Classification group: Noisette.
Flower color: Medium yellow.
Flower size: 2.4”
Scent: Strong and tea-like.
Bush Size: 10-18’ H x 8’ W*
Hardiness: Zones 7-9 (prefers warmer climates).
Use: Arbors, arches, pergolas and other landscape structures.

‘Souv de St Anne’s’
This sport of the famous ‘Souv de la Malmison’, produces pink semidouble flowers with a spicy fragrance that perfumes the entire area. The large, bushy shrubs are especially appreciated near a doorway or window where the scent can be enjoyed.

'Souvenir de St. Anne's'

Classification group: Bourbon Rose.
Flower color: Blush pink.
Flower size: 4”.
Scent: Strong, sweet, spicy.
Bush Size: 5-7’ H x 4’ W*
Hardiness: Zones 5-9.
Use: Mass plantings; border.

Check out the website for more information on these and other Earth-Kind roses: http://earthkindroses.tamu.edu.

*Bush size varies greatly with climate especially temperature.

Read 'How to Care for Roses in Winter' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Roses take a rest in winter and so can the rose caregiver once the rose beds have been properly prepared. Winter care is not difficult but is important to protect the rose bushes and ensure that they will produce good flowers the following spring. Hopefully, the roses have slowly gone dormant due to the effects the lower temperature and shorter day length of fall and the caregiver has encouraged this process by not deadheading or picking the roses and NOT applying mulch. After a hard freeze has made sure that the roses are dormant you can begin.

1. Pruning. The tall canes of most modern roses (hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, polyanths) should be cut back to about 3 feet in order to prevent ice, snow and wind damage. This is important because damaged canes are susceptible to canker infection. Long canes of old garden roses should be cut back to avoid similar problems.

2. The soil around new plants should be checked for a funnel like depression that exposes the bud union. This depression is caused by wind and should be filled so that cold does not enter the soil and damage the bud union.

3. Some roses will need to be mulched to protect them from cold damage. This is especially true of teas and chinas but some hybrid teas are tender and will need mulch too. Exposed bud unions should be covered with mulch.

4. If you live in an area with acid soil, apply lime. Lime moves very slowly in the soil; it is washed into the soil by winter rains and takes several months to become available to the roses. Apply liberally over the whole bed rather than around individual bushes so that you make as much soil rose-friendly as possible. Lime affects pH and pH affects the nutrient uptake of the roses so this is an important step in rose care.

5. After cleaning the beds and disposing of the dead leaves and canes, spray lime-sulphur at dormant strength on the bushes and the soil around them. This needs to be done before new leaves appear because the lime-sulphur will kill any that persist. Also, the spraying must be done when the temperature is 50 F or warmer until the spray dries.

6. Spray plants with Wilt-pruf or a similar product to reduce drying. This must be done after the lime-sulphur application has weathered or the Wilt-pruf may seal off the spores of mildew and blackspot and reduce the effectiveness of the lime-sulphur.

7. Weed out any undesirable winter weeds like chickweed that will produce seeds with a few days of warm weather. Doing this now will save hours of weeding later when the thousands of seeds from these devils germinate.

8. If you haven’t planned ahead for your new roses get started. The catalogues come early and many roses are sold out by January 1st. Get your order in as soon as possible; your order will be shipped any time you choose.

With the work done you can sit back and enjoy the rose catalogues and anticipate the beauty that will come in spring. Warm days will draw you out to the rose garden but resist the urge to prune as you will only encourage new growth that will be killed by frost.

Read 'How to Prepare the Rose Garden for Winter' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Autumn in my rose garden is a beautiful time. The sunny days and cool, longer nights give the blooms more time to grow and develop so the flowers are larger and the colors are more intense. This is a time to enjoy the rose garden and begin to prepare for winter. Nature prepares the roses for survival by putting them into a dormant condition in response to cooler temperatures and shorter days and all you have to do is encourage this dormancy. As the plant goes into dormancy the cell walls thicken providing protection against damage by freezing temperatures. Damaged plants are more susceptible to pests and diseases that weaken the plants for the year to come so you want to do what you can to get the plants into dormancy.

Timing is the most important aspect of rose care at this time. There are 2 significant dates: the time of the first frost and the time of hard freezes (usually about a month or so after the first frost). Find out your first frost date and plan accordingly.

Most roses take about 5-6 weeks or a bloom cycle so about -6 weeks before the first frost in your area do the following:

1. Stop fertilizing. Fertilizer will stimulate growth but the new growth will not be mature enough to survive the winter and a damaged plant will result. (Remember, damaged bushes are more susceptible to diseases and pests.)
2. Stop deadheading (removing faded blooms). A rose plant’s role in life is to reproduce by producing seed. If you remove the seeds by cutting the flowers the plant will produce more flowers and not go into dormancy. If you don’t like the look of the dead petals just remove the petals leaving the “hips” (the enlarged area at the base of the petals that contains the seeds).
3. Have a soil test by your local extension office and add lime if needed (usually about a cup per bush). Scratch the lime into the soil surface being careful not to disturb the roots.
4. Get rid of all dead leaves and petals in the rose beds because they harbor fungal spores and the eggs and grubs of insect pests.

N.B. If you have a regular spray program continue it as it does not hurt the dormancy process and will protect the leaves and flowers from disfiguring damage.

After the second or third hard freeze (temperatures below 28 degrees F) the plants will have gone into dormancy and you can proceed.

1. For most roses, prune long canes that might be blown by the wind to about waist height. Minis should be pruned to knee-high height, old garden roses as little as possible.
2. Spray with a anti-desiccant spray such as Wilt Pruf or Cloud Cover to protect the canes from drying out.
3. Mound 10″-12″ mulch (half as much for minis) such as chopped leaves or pine needles around the base of each rose. These will feed the bushes in spring as well as protect them in winter.

If you live in a mild area you may not need to mulch especially if your roses are not grafted and are grown on their own root. ‘Own root” roses may die back entirely but will probably sprout in the spring and grow into good sized bushes.

With no rose chores to do you can plan for next year. Design new beds, get out the catalogues, and order by December (for spring delivery) so you can have more beautiful roses next year.

Read 'An Elixir for Roses: Alfalfa Tea' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

As a member of the local rose society, I get many tips for growing roses and this is one of the best. It is an alfalfa tea that I use every 6 weeks during the growing season on all my roses with considerable success; leaves get greener, flower color is richer, and over all vigor increases. This tea should be used immediately after the first flush of bloom in spring. I have over 50 roses so I make a big quantity as given below but you can easily cut the recipe in half or quarters, etc. This tea should be used with the regular fertilizing program unless you choose to fortify it as explained below. You will need a gallon per bush, but about half that amount for miniatures. If you make extra you can use it on your annuals and perennials with equal success. I keep the garbage can ready for use hidden in my garden near a water supply so I can easily use the tea on the plants once it is ready.

You will need:
Large garbage can (30/32 gallon) with lid or similar container
About 12 cups of alfalfa pellets
Water to fill the container

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients, cover tightly to eliminate mosquitoes, and let steep for 2-3 days. Stir and recover ever 2-3 days for a week, no longer. At the end of a week the contents should be foamy and foul smelling because of the fermentation process that has gone on. Do not stir; let the solid material stay at the bottom of the container and refill the can for a second batch that will be ready in a couple of days.

Use a gallon bucket to apply the tea to the roses; 1 gallon on most plants, more on very large plants, and about ½ gallon on miniatures (remember that in a couple of days you will have another batch.)

When you have used up two batches of tea, sludge will remain in the bottom of the can. Distribute this sludge on your perennials as an organic mulch or add it to your compost pile. The sludge is not attractive to the eye or nose so use it in the back of the bed.

Why is this so special? Alfalfa provides nitrogen,  phosphorous, and potassium in the ratio of 5-1-2, and is also a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamins (A, D, B1, B6, E, K and U) and triaconatol, that is food for soil organisms that stimulate growth.

You don’t have to make tea to use the alfalfa. Alfalfa pellets or meal can be scattered around each rose bush and watered in but the tea acts more quickly. If you use alfalfa meal, do so on a day without wind or you will get a face full of meal. If you use alfalfa pellets, use the ones for rabbits as they are smaller and will dissolve more quickly.

Fortified Tea (Optional):
If you want to make a fortified tea, add the following just before applying:
8 Tablspoons of Sesquestrene 330 or other iron chelate
½ cup Epsom Salts (to promote basal shoot growth and wards of slugs and snails)
1 cup of 20-20-20 soluble fertilizer (or the equivalent)

I use a high nitrogen fertilizer before the roses bloom in spring and then apply the fortified alfalfa tea after they bloom every six weeks all summer until fall when I stop fertilizing and dead heading so they will shut down for winter.

Treat your roses to this great elixir and they will give you pleasure all season!

Read 'How to Plant Potted Roses' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Roses that you buy in pots are easily planted any time of year, although spring is best. I always generally  follow the directions given by rose nurseries such as Heaven Scent in North Carolina or Roses Unlimited in South Carolina because they are easy and practical.

Select a Site: Roses like…
- at least 6 hours of sun. Morning sun is generally preferable to afternoon sun. Some roses like Albas and Noisettes, will tolerate less sun but many (hybrid teas, floribundas), will not produce top quality blooms.
-good drainage (roses do not tolerate wet feet)
-good air circulation (close packed plants lead to disease such as black spot)
-no competition with tree roots (trees hog water leaving the roses with a loss)

Good Soil: Prepare the soil….
-dig a hole at least 18″ (for 1 gal) 24″ (for 2 gal) deep and wide
-make a soil mixture of:

-Add

Planting
-Refill the hole with about 10 inches of the above mixture.
-Cut away the pot or carefully slip the roses out of the pot.
-Put the rose with the soil from the pot into the prepared hole.
-Refill the hole with the soil that you have prepared making sure that the bush is at the same level in the hole that it was in the pot.
-Water the bush by letting a hose run on it gently for 10-15 minutes or whatever it takes to water it deeply. You want the roots to grow as down as far as possible so that they can provide the plant with water even in droughty times.
-Water deeply every 4-5 days for the first growing season.

Read 'Rose Winners 2009 AARS' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Rose Garden

Three Winners of the 2009 AARS (All-American Rose Selections) Award of Excellence offer attractive options for rose growers. All roses considered for the award undergo extensive testing across the country in a two-year trial program where they are judged on flower production, diseases resistance, color, and fragrance.

Pink Promise

“Pink Promise” (Hybrid Tea) The high centered flowers of this long stemmed beauty has up to 30 petals in various shades of pink set off by lush dark green foliage. The 5” flowers give off a lightly fruit-scented fragrance. The large, upright plants have good disease resistant and grow well even in cooler climates. The National Breast Cancer Foundation chose this rose as its official rose and a percentage of every sales price will go to help support the Foundation.

Cinco de mayo

“Cinco de Mayo” (Floribunda) Your first glimpse of this rose tells you that it is special. The multi-colored flowers up to 3 ½” across are a blend of smoked lavender and rusty red-orange and are borne in large fragrant clusters on stems up to 60” long. The medium sized bush is very rounded and bushy and sports attractive, glossy green foliage and dark red new growth. The bushes rebloom quickly, have excellent disease resistance, and will grow well in gardens across the country.

Carefree Spirit

“Carefree Spirit” (Landscape rose) This is one of those really tough roses that almost anybody can grow and in test trials had no fungicides. It has excellent resistance to black spot and total resistance to mildew and rust. This very vigorous, bushy, mounding rose sports medium to dark green glossy foliage and single 2” –21/2”cherry red blossoms with a white eye that finish deep pink in heat. It performs well in all parts of the country but, unfortunately, has no fragrance.

Read 'Three Steps to Buying Roses' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

English rose Bishop's Castle

Sally Holms

My second step in buying a rose is to consider the disease resistance of the potential purchase. Many roses are susceptible to a variety of diseases and in my area (Piedmont of North Carolina) blackspot and mildew can be  problems. They do not generally kill a rose bush but they can make it look unsightly even with a regular spraying program. I try to reduce this problem by picking disease resistant roses and there are many. Determining the disease resistance of a rose is probably the biggest problem; the Encyclopedia of Roses, put out by the American Rose Society, is a great resource for this information. Read tags on the rose as it often will include this information.  

Next, you have to decide if you want to buy your rose bare root or in a container. Both can be purchased at stores and garden centers, or by mail order. In general, bare root roses from a reputable dealer is a better value. They are less expensive and completely satisfactory. Reputable dealers keep the roses in cold storage and will ship them to you during the appropriate time to plant them. The local stores that carry bare root plants do not keep them in cold storage and the roses will begin to grow while they sit in the store. These are not a good value. In addition the wax on them will cause wilt once the summer’s hot sun temperatures hit. That being said, I will admit that I have bought bare root roses from big box stores on an impulse and had enough success to do it again, but only if the roses are still dormant and not leafed out. There are many good mail order rose growers and dealers, Jackson and Perkins being the most famous. Their selection is limited if you want old garden roses or modern shrub roses, but they have a large selection of hybrid teas and floribundas.

The alternative to a bare root plant is one that has been planted in a container. These may be purchased almost any time of year both from retail stores and on line. They are generally more expensive than bare root plants but you may be able to see the plant in bloom. Look for a plant has healthy foliage and roots that almost fill the pot. Beware of plants purchased late in the season, as they may be seconds or leftovers from the bare root season that have been potted. Roses purchased at the end of the summer may have been stressed by heat and are best avoided.

Read 'Carefree Roses' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Earth Kind Rose - Duchess de Brabant

Are you the kind of gardener that likes roses but does not have a lot of time spraying, fertilizing, watering and pruning? Have no fear, there IS a rose for you and some of the best are called Earth Kind Roses, chosen by Texas A & M after careful study and rigorous testing. Only 15 roses of hundreds tested have received the Earth Kind designation. Of these, ten are pink (Marie Daly, The Fairy, Caldwell Pink, Belinda’s Dream, Else Poulsen, Carefree Beauty, Duchess de Brabant, Spice, Climbing Pinkie, and Georgetown Tea) , two are white (Sea Foam, Ducher), one is red, (Knock Out), one peach (Perle d’Or) and one has flowers that open yellow and fade through pink and orange to crimson (Mutabilis). Several are fragrant and their growth habit ranges from small and low to very large. Like most roses, these need to be planted in a location with good air circulation and at least 6 hours of direct sun. Although these roses were tested in unimproved soil, they will do better in good garden soil or a mixture of equal parts of aged compost, sand and manure. To conserve moisture and add nutrients, 2-4 inches of hardwood mulch should be added to the surface of the bed. By adding an additional inch of mulch twice a year no further fertilizer should be needed. The plants should be well watered (1 inch/week) during their first year but nothing after that. Some of the Earth Kind roses may show fungal or insect diseases but it will not kill them and pesticides do not need to be used. None of the Earth Kind roses need regular pruning but will tolerate a light shaping if necessary. In addition, these roses are self-deadheading (drop spent blossoms) but will set buds more quickly if deadheaded.

To read more about Earth Kind roses with specific information about the varieties included go to:

earthkindroses.tamu.edu

There are two other series of roses that offer a big bang for the buck but are not as drought tolerant or soil tolerant as the Earth Kind roses. Their outstanding qualities are disease resistance and abundant flowering throughout the season. The first is known as the Flower Carpet series that comes in hard pink, soft pink, white, coral, yellow, and red. In my garden the white, pink and red are disease free while the yellow variety gets a touch of black spot by late summer but not enough to stop the plant from blooming until frost. These roses make excellent ground covers but can be cut back if necessary.

The second series of roses that offers outstanding disease resistance, large blooms, extended bloom time, compact growth habit, and long vase life is the Dream series. They may be pink, yellow, orange, or red. The down side of these roses is that they are hard to find.

There are many roses that will thrive in your garden with little care BUT you need to give them a good start. You will have to water them the first year so that they can grow a good root system but once they get established many will do fine on their own. If you like roses they are worth the effort for that one year.