With Just a Little Planning, It’s Easy to Have a Bloomin’ Rosy Future
My middle name is Rose. So it seemed fitting that 12 years ago when I moved into my home in Old Orange, I should become the owner of more than 30 rosebushes. Fitting--and overwhelming. Of all the things I had heard about roses, easy care was not one of them.
That first afternoon in my new home, I stood and admired the numerous colorful, fragrant blooms, and then I panicked about what to do next.
Over the next year or so, thanks to helpful advice, good reference materials and hands-on experience, I learned that roses--although admittedly not as simple to grow as annuals--aren’t all that complicated either. It’s possible to enjoy months of fragrant rose blooms without excess work.
The first secret to good rose production is choosing the right rose for your yard, says Steve Kawaratani, owner of Laguna Nursery in Laguna Beach, where they specialize in roses.
“In general, reputable nurseries in your immediate area should carry roses that will thrive in your yard,” he says. “In our nursery, for instance, we have roses that do well near the coast. We also try to carry no-hassle roses that are disease-resistant and have plenty of flowers.”
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With the myriad roses available today, there is no need to plant those that succumb to rust or mildew, or only flower once a year, says Lillian Biesiadecki, past president of the Orange County Rose Society, who is a consulting rosarian and a certified horticultural judge and has hundreds of roses in her Newport Beach garden.
“If you have a rosebush that doesn’t do well, pull it out and plant one of the many disease-resistant types that bloom continuously,” she says.
To choose the best roses for your situation, it’s important to understand the main categories.
HYBRID TEAS
“The hybrid tea is what you see most often in nurseries today,” says Biesiadecki. The first hybrid tea rose, ‘La France,’ was introduced in 1867. These roses usually have many petals and a high-pointed center bloom.
“Hybrid teas are the ones used in florist bouquets,” says Biesiadecki. “They usually have one bloom per stem. Some, though, produce clustered blooms.”
Two new hybrid teas introduced last year are ‘Moonstone,’ which is white with a deep pink edge. It is disease-resistant and almost always in bloom. With an upright form, it grows to six feet. Another new introduction is ‘Rosie O’Donnell,’ a brilliant red on one side of the petal with yellow on the other. It also grows upright, is disease-resistant and is a frequent bloomer.
Other popular hybrid teas that are favorites among rose experts include ‘Olympiad,’ a deep-red, large flower; ‘Color Magic,’ a pink blend with very large, fragrant blooms; the white flower ‘Honor’; and the fragrant ‘Double Delight,’ which has a pale yellow-white center and pinkish-red edges.
OLD GARDEN ROSES
Before the 1867 introduction of hybrid teas, many classifications of roses existed, and some are still in existence today, including hybrid perpetual roses such as ‘Barronne Prevost,’ which gets 6- to 7-foot-tall canes that can be bent when young, and which blooms almost continuously, in deep pink.
‘Comte de Chambord’ is a Portland rose type. It blooms continuously with pink flowers and gets to be about 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. ‘Irene Watts’ is a China rose, a small bush with pale peach flowers that blooms continuously.
FLORIBUNDAS
Floribundas have their roots in the polyantha roses. ‘Gene Boerner’ is a well-known, pink-flowered floribunda named after its creator, who popularized these flower types and is often referred to as the father of floribundas.
In general, floribundas have clusters of blossoms on each stem and a wider, more bushy growth than hybrid teas. They usually grow 3 to 4 feet high and flower continuously, such as the popular ‘Iceberg.’ It is almost pure white and intensely fragrant. ‘Playgirl’ is a deep pink and ‘Playboy’ a racy, vivid yellow-orange-red.
GRANDIFLORAS
These rose types originated as seedlings of floribundas, according to Biesiadecki. The first and most famous grandiflora is ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ which can grow eight to 10 feet in our climate, without even leaning. It has large, medium-pink, fragrant flowers. ‘Tournament of Roses’ is another favorite with long-lasting flowers that are also medium-pink and fragrant.
MINIATURES
Largely developed in the United States, miniature roses may look delicate, but they are hardy little plants that tend to bloom most of the year. They are also the perfect container plant for those gardeners with limited ground space.
For the most part, miniatures stay under 3 feet; some have single blooms; others have sprays. They are generally grown on their own rootstock and therefore don’t come bare-root.
Some popular types include ‘Magic Carousel,’ which is white with pink edges, the bright yellow and red ‘Rainbow’s End,’ and ‘Snow Bride,’ a white rose with hybrid-tea-like buds.
DAVID AUSTINS
Not to be confused with old garden roses, David Austins are classified by the American Rose Society as shrubs. They were created to mimic old garden roses but with repeat blooming and a lot of fragrance. Some grow as tall as 15 feet. Smaller examples include ‘Perdita,’ which is a soft, pale apricot; ‘Sharifa Asma,’ a translucent pink; and ‘The Squire’ is very fragrant and a dark crimson.
CLIMBERS
Climbing roses need something to hang onto, says Biesiadecki, who suggests a trellis or wall for support. “They bloom on lateral growth, so their branches must be spread out horizontally and tipped down at the ends to develop the lateral growth,” she says. “Tie them up against a trellis or fence with twine.”
Some famous climbers include ‘Altissimo,’ which is a dark-red rose with five petals that blooms abundantly. It grows 10 to 12 feet high. ‘Compassion’ is another classic climber that reaches over 12 feet with clusters of pale apricot blooms. And ‘Casino’ goes to 12 feet with a rich yellow bloom and a fountain-like structure.
BUYING AND PLANTING
Choose healthy rosebushes to start, says Kawaratani.
“Cheap roses are rarely a bargain and require as much if not more care than good ones,” he says. “Plants are graded according to standards established by the American Assn. of Nurserymen. No. 1 grade is the best, and the only one I recommend.”
When buying, also look for bushes with sturdy canes, says Nick Van Kampen, general manager of Lakewood Nursery in Cypress, where they carry almost 200 rose varieties.
“To get your plant off to a healthy start, you want one with three or four big, heavy canes,” he says. “Avoid bushes with spindly canes.”
PLANTING BARE-ROOT ROSES
Plant your bare-root rosebush correctly and you’ll be rewarded with lots of lush blooms come spring, says Biesiadecki.
“It’s like bringing up kids,” she says. “Provide roses with a good environment and they’ll thrive.”
If you are planting in a space where there have been no roses grown previously, Biesiadecki recommends mixing one-third to half of the existing soil with amendments such as potting soil, peat moss, Nitrohumus or Gromulch.
If you will be replacing a rose with a new one, you must remove all the old soil, because if it is not removed, “the new rosebush can be killed by soil sickness, which is due to bacteria from the old bush,” says Biesiadecki. She prefers to use potting soil to refill the hole.
Never fertilize with nitrogen when planting a bare-root rose, but do add a phosphorus fertilizer according to package directions.
Kawaratani also suggests using what he calls a “rose cocktail,” a special mixture that helps to condition the soil and make it more hospitable for new and existing roses. Mix 1 cup Gypsite; 1 tablespoon soil sulfur; 1 tablespoon chelated iron; and 1 tablespoon Epsom salts and add to planting hole.
Before planting, water the hole well or surrounding dry soil will soak up all the moisture in the bare-root rose, says Biesiadecki.
Refill the hole with soil, making a mound. Place the rosebush on the mound, spreading out the roots. The bud union should be just above the soil level. Holding the rose, backfill with half the remaining soil mixture. Water again, and let water settle; then finish filling, lightly tamping down soil with your palms. Water thoroughly.
Keep new rosebushes well hydrated or you could lose them, says Van Kampen. “A lot of people don’t water new rosebushes enough, and they dehydrate and shrivel up,” he says.
To protect new rosebushes from drying out, Biesiadecki covers her plants with grocery bags with the bottom cut out. Then she fills the bag with mulch, leaving just the tip of the canes sticking out. Once she has 2 or 3 inches of growth on the roses, she removes the bag. This is especially helpful in preventing roses from drying out during Santa Ana winds.
Most roses can be grown in containers, except for very large types such as climbers. For hybrid teas, you need at least a 15-gallon pot. Miniatures do well in a seven-gallon pot. Use a good potting soil heavy on perlite or add your own perlite. Plastic pots are preferable, as they dry out much less quickly than ceramic and terra cotta. Containerized roses must never go dry.
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Cultivating Better Skills With Roses
Today and Sunday there will be a free lecture on rose care and a pruning demonstration by the Orange County Rose Society at the Westminster Community Center, 8200 Westminster Blvd., just east of Beach Boulevard. A free booklet will be offered.
The Orange County Rose Society meets the first Thursday of every month, except July and August, at 7:30 p.m. at the Huntington Beach Mall in the community center, 7777 Edinger Ave. (310) 596-0017.
How to Buy Flowers and Learn More
Reach the American Rose Society at (318) 938-5402, or on the Internet at https://www.ars.org. The page can link you into most rose catalogs. You can also ask questions of a consulting rosarian in your area.
Some mail-order rose sources:
* Pixie Treasures in Yorba Linda specializes in miniature roses as well as Austins and old garden roses, (714) 993-6780.
* Edmunds Roses, (888) 481-7673.
* Jackson & Perkins, (800) 292-4769.
* Bridges Roses, (704) 538-9412 (miniature roses).
