Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Roses are the universal flower


What gardener doesn’t like roses? I love roses, but as I have stated in this blog before, I have terrible luck growing them. Any rose bush that I buy ends up dead within months of arriving in my garden.
I suppose one of the reasons this happens is that I have a problem with spraying chemicals on any plant and spraying is part of the process that keeps roses healthy.
These pictures are from my one and only thriving rose bush; it has been with me for three years. It came as a cutting from my Dad’s garden and, thankfully, this one I have not managed to kill.
The great things about this rose are that it is not susceptible to disease, has no thorns, and it flowers year-round. This month's blooms are the most it has ever had in the three years it has been in my garden.
What I most love about this rose is that it changes color it during the life of the flower, a wonderful sight to see. The different colors on one bush--dark pink, yellow, and a combination of both, make for a gorgeous corner of my garden!

11 comments:

Mary Beth said...

It looks like there are three completely different roses on your rosebush! Do you know its name? I too love roses - but grow very few because they have to survive on their own.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried Knock Out Roses by Jackson and Perkins? I have about 5 of them and they are wonderful. Pretty pics by the way! I'm wondering about the different buds too.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

I'm a fan of roses too !
My difficult one is getting climbing roses to go the way I want them to .. but I am trying again this year with two different selections. My favorite rose, even thought it doesn't have a lot of scent, is Morden Sunrise .. a compact shrub rose bred in Manitoba .. so I know it makes it through the winter with no problem .. it is disease resistant too !
Nice post !
Joy

Brenda Maas said...

Lovely color. I don't use any chemicals on my roses. I grow garlic in with them which helps control the pests and if they do get bugs I spray them with soapy water only. Seems to work so far. The high summer heat here is hard on them though and I have lost a couple of them because of not being able to get them out of the sun in the summertime. No shade; hopefully we are going to get a roof over our patio soon though so that might help.

Anonymous said...

gosh, these roses are uber stunning!

Wicked Gardener said...

Don't blame yourself Rusty, blame humid Florida weather. I can't get roses to grow either. They get black spot in days. The only plant I have now is a Knock Out, and it does okay, but it isn't the prettiest rose around.

Jeanette said...

Hi Rusty, Im another rose lover, I just buy them put them in the ground give them water dead head the as they flower then give them a heavy prune in winter, I never use spray on them, Iceberg is a good hardy climbing rose. you may have a chameleon rose...

Anonymous said...

Wow Rusty!!!
Those have to be the nicest looking roses I have seen in Florida. The lack of a cold winter here usually makes for some pretty crummy blooms. Do you know what rootstock they are on?
Rees Cowden
No Brown Thumbs!!

thepowerguides said...

They are pretty cool roses thanks for pointing them out I think we might have a try at them ourselves if we can find some round here

Steve From
The Power Gardeners Guide

Tira said...

That is a beautiful rosebush-even if you only have to have one!

Anonymous said...

Jackson Perkins provides all kinds of beautiful flowers & outdoor decor at most discounted prices.....