Gardening : Think Small Growing These Roses : Miniatures: Gardeners are discovering that new long-blooming varieties are showy in pots and versatile in the garden.
Miniature roses once were curiosities, not taken seriously by hybridizers or nurserymen, all but ignored by home gardeners. With the growing interest in gardening in general and roses in particular, miniature roses are now receiving considerable attention.
Hybridizers over the past 10 years have introduced some top-rate varieties, and many gardeners are discovering that the new long-blooming miniatures are showy in pots and versatile in the garden. Because of their size, they’re perfect for today’s smaller gardens and patios.
In Southern California, when a rosarian thinks of miniature roses, one individual comes immediately to mind: Luis Desamero, a Studio City grower who cultivates more than 600 plants of 150 different varieties.
He is a nationally recognized expert on miniatures, serving as editor of the only journal devoted to miniatures, and as chairman of the American Rose Society Miniature Rose Test Garden Committee.
Desamero has won so many local and national competitions that entire walls of his home are covered with prize ribbons, plaques and trophies. In one season he garnered the gold, silver and bronze awards in five consecutive rose exhibitions--in other words, he collected all the top honors in the Southland for miniatures for the entire year.
Desamero grows miniature roses to perfection. Around the pool of his hillside home, he has five-foot wooden planter boxes filled with Jean Kenneally (apricot), Loving Touch (apricot), Cheer Up (bright orange) and Red Beauty (dark red) as well as fragrant hanging baskets of Sweet Chariot (lavender) and tall brick planters filled with Magic Carousel (red and white) and Little Jackie (orange blend).
He gives them sunny locations (six or more hours of sunlight daily), good potting soil and a regular care program.
He favors minis for many reasons. “Their petiteness and perfectly formed blooms are hard to resist. And their color range is astounding--from deep red that’s almost black to yellow-and-red bicolors to soft pinks and pristine white.”
Hybridizers have been busy developing a wide range of colors and forms in minis; this past year four times as many miniatures were introduced as hybrid teas.
Because of their diminutive size, mini roses are sometimes overlooked by gardeners. Desamero thinks they are more versatile than their big sisters, especially for patios and small gardens.
“They’re great in pots or in the ground, he said. “What other plant will give nine months of bloom and be ready to continue after a three-month rest?”
He likes to group several plants of the same variety in a seven-gallon, squat container, forming a full, colorful specimen that can be moved wherever needed.
In the ground, miniatures can form hedges, outline a patio, cascade over low walls or be used to underplant tree roses. And in the ground, they require less water and care than minis grown in pots.
Miniature roses are very different from big roses in their root structure. Instead of being grafted onto root stock, they grow on their own fibrous roots, forming a clump, much like many garden perennials.
This means that they can be divided into small plantlets, providing a supply of surplus plants to share with friends and to use in the garden. To divide a mini rose, grasp the root ball and pull it into portions, each having some stem structure.
To feed miniature roses, Desamero recommends using fish emulsion every other week with an occasional feeding of a balanced fertilizer (20-20-20). The important thing he warns, is to apply fertilizers at half strength. He warns that “full-strength fertilizers on mini roses are too much of a good thing, resulting in blooms with ugly green vegetative centers.”
When is the best time to plant minis? Desamero says that in Southern California they can be planted any time of the year, but the best selection of plants is in the spring.
Last year, Desamero received the ultimate honor a specialty flower grower can earn--the introduction of a new cultivar bearing his name. The late Dee Bennett, prominent miniature rose hybridizer from Chula Vista, honored Desamero’s contributions to the miniature rose world by naming a pastel yellow mini ‘Luis Desamero.’ Since that time, Desamero has given his namesake added distinction by winning three silver awards in exhibiting it.
The number of miniature roses now being marketed is bewildering. To provide some guidance in selecting successful varieties, see the list of favorites recommended by Desamero.
Most of these can be found at local garden centers or ordered from specialty miniature rose nurseries in California such as the following: Moore Miniature Roses, 2519 E. Noble Ave., Visalia 93277; Nor’East Miniature Roses, P.O. Box 473, Ontario 91762; Pixie Treasures, 4121 Prospect Ave., Yorba Linda 92686; Tiny Petals Nursery, 489 Minot Ave., Chula Vista 92010.
For more information about growing miniature roses, join the American Rose Society ($25), P.O. Box 30000, Shreveport, La. 71130, and receive a special quarterly bulletin, Florettes (edited by Desamero), devoted to miniatures. Additional information can be obtained by joining the Los Angeles Rose Society ($10), 3053 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City 91604.
RECOMMENDED MINIATURE ROSES Black Jade--A color breakthrough, with almost black buds opening to deep red accented by gold stamens.
Jean Kenneally--Most popular miniature rose in the country, pale apricot color with excellent form.
Jennifer--Lovely light-pink/lavender with white reverse, very fragrant.
Magic Carrousel--Petals are white-edged red, leathery foliage, magnificence, long bloom season.
Minnie Pearl--Light pink with darker reverse, high centered bloom with slight fragrance, long bloom season.
Old Glory--Red bloom with touch of yellow at base of petals, prolific, vigorous, dark-green foliage.
Party Girl--Outstanding compact miniature with excellent form, soft apricot pink.
Rainbow’s End--One of most loved mini roses in the country, yellow with scarlet-edged petals, easy to grow, mildew-resistant, excellent in containers.
Red Beauty--Dark-red blooms, one of first to bloom, slight fragrance, dark green foliage.
Snow Bride--Best white mini, excellent form, continuous bloom all season, vigorous.
Winsome--Bright lilac long-lasting blooms on bush or cut, best all-round lavender mini.
