Welcome to our February " Rose Stroll," month of all things roses.
Depending on where you are , I doubt your roses look like the ones in the photo...mine sure doesn't, but come spring/early summer the most fizzled of rose gardens will come alive and continue to delight us far into the fall...if, we take the right steps early. ( the photo here is the "Julia Child" and grows in my hubby's rose garden.
Roses ( according to my history ) originated in China and spread via trade routes through India, Persia, and into the Middle East and Europe.
They are the most celebrated species of flower across many cultures and are grown in countless modern species and varieties.
The 3 oldest and most sought after of the 'old' roses are the Damask, the Cabbage, and the Apothecary's rose. The damask grows in Bulgaria and Morocco. The cabbage in France and North Africa, the apothecary's rose in France. They are all highly scented and not as perfectly shaped as the modern roses.
Rose plant parts are used in culinary, medicinal, perfumery and aromatherapy ways.
From a rose-hip tea to a fine rosewater splash...it is one of the finest and most beneficial herbs among us.
Like most plants, your location, your soil conditions, and your knowledge of how to care for them will dictate your success and the final look of your project.
This month we will explore as many varieties as you wish to know about.
My preference is of course the antique roses...Madame Plantier being my all time favorite. It will grow in zones 3-8 and needs full sun.
The spread is about 5 feet and height will reach 20." It grows beautifully on a fence or trellis.
You'll get pretty little pink buds that burst into white or creamy white blooms. They also grow well as a hedge or shrub border.
The fragrance from this rose is sweet and light.
Blooms in mid summer but the foliage is a treat both before and after the blooming season.
We can start preparing our soil now if it wasn't started in the fall months.
My soil is wet right now, so the only thing to do with wet soil is layer a good spread of dry compost across it and leave alone until the soil has dried to a easily workable state...a crumbly mass that doesn't ball up when squeezed in your hand.
Good compost is all you need in addition to good workable soil to plant roses.
Antique roses are not as easy to find as hybrids...so if you are planning to use antique/old roses-now is the time to get your orders in to a choice mail order company that specializes in such...they will ship when your planting time is right.
I'm looking forward to your participation....
Have a Rosy day~
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com/
5 comments:
I have tons of roses on my mom's backyard - There were two bushes that she had there for years but a whole section that had not roses at al - back in 2001 - after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and while she was going through the operations I decided that what she needed to brighten her life was lots and lots of roses and so I went and bought lots and lots of rose bushes picking out ones that I liked the colors and types and - well I cannot tell you their names or where they are from or whether or not they should be planted in our geographical area - but most probably having them planted here is OK because I purchased most of them from local nursery that I am pretty sure would not carry anything that would not be able to survive at least for a little while in our area - let me see if I can show you a few here - well what I did is find my blog with roses that are cut from a store and some from my mom's backyard and some just from my neighborhood and some from a beautiful Victorian Area in Southern New Jersey called Cape May:
I am sure that there might be other roses in my galleries but perhaps it might be better if you went and looked through things and discovered them on your own - :-)
P.S. I am not sure if I made the link work properly so you might just have to paste it into the address bar up top or if Bea is moderating this perhaps she can fix things for me a little -
Hi Walter, what a lovely and thoughtful son you are. I know your mom was delighted.
I would love to see your roses...you didn't leave us any link to work from. :)
Thanks for the visit and the post...looking forward to the link !
http://bebirianartroses.blogspot.com/
perhaps this will work - I tried to make it work with <> before and after the url but it just disappeared - :-)
Yes, it did work Walter, and your rose blog is beautiful. I will go again and view them all...I saw a beautiful ( what appeared to be an old variety. )
Thanks for sharing and have a "Rosey Day."
One very important part of growing roses successfully is knowing all the parts of the plant.
A rose plant usually grows on an understock selected for it's vigor.
The 'named' variety is then grafted or budded onto the understock and grown for two years before it's harvested and sold.
The point of the original graft is called the bud union ( or crown )from which flower-bearing canes emerge. These canes ensure the continued productivity and health of the plant.
Corolla is the technical term for the rose flower, Sepals, which drop down when the flower starts to bloom-protects the bud.
The swollen part directly underneath the flower is the calyx.
The stem below the calyx is the peduncle.
The reproductive organs, visible when petals open, are in the center of the bloom.
I'll post a chart of this info as a new blog-post...can't copy and paste to this .
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