Avant Garden su19
by Derek Fell
To be truthful, my property Cedaridge Farm is not ideal for growing roses. The ground in winter is generally too wet, causing root rot among all but the most robust varieties and we are plagued with rodents such as field mice that make a feast of the roots, especially if the roots are mulched to protect from cold, although a few moth balls mixed under the mulch can provide some protection. What I have discovered is that certain vigorous shrub roses and climbers have a sufficiently strong root development to survive rodent damage and produce a glorious display.
If you are completely unfamiliar with rose varieties there are some beautiful rose gardens to visit in June, such as the Morris Arboretum, Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer Garden, although I recommend the Hershey Rose Gardens above all because it is so extensive, much of it laid out around the famous Hershey Hotel where I have enjoyed many a spring weekend with views over the nearby chocolate factory and the amusement park.
In recent years several classes of roses have gained a lot of publicity for their disease resistance and/or unique appearance. Although shrub varieties such as ‘Knockout,’ ‘Flower Carpet’ and ‘Oso-Easy’ have made a name for their reliable repeat-blooming ability and disease resistance, the flowers individually are not large nor are they especially attractive in bouquets. Perhaps the most intriguing class of rose is the ‘English’ family of mostly fragrant roses bred by English rosarian David Austin. Almost all are distinctive in that they have an old-fashioned appearance – mostly large cupped flowers with swirling petals around a button center. They have names associated with British literature or horticultural expertise such as ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ (red), Graham Thomas (yellow) and ‘Constance Spry’ (a pink climber) that I have seen reach the roof of a barn in a Solebury garden. Even though ‘Graham Thomas,’ a climber, has been voted one of the world’s most popular roses my personal favorite among Austin roses is ‘Abraham Darby’ (named for the inventor who built the first iron bridge at Ironbridge village in Shopshire. A shrub rose, its color is a rich combination of deep apricot and yellow with a fruity fragrance. The flowers are as large as ‘Peace’ and more compact than most other Austin roses, and if you wish to grow a rose bush in a container to decorate a patio ‘Abraham Darby’ is the one I would choose.
Most of Austin’s roses are repeat flowering, although personally I don’t much care whether a rose continues to bloom beyond June because in Bucks County, with its hot summers, the repeat flowering display is generally weak until a final flush in fall. For a good repeat flowering performance I find dead-heading essential (and rather tedious), also plants generally need a booster application of general purpose fertilizer in mid-summer and watering in the absence of natural rainfall.
Recently, I received from the American Rose Society a booklet naming North America’s most highly rated roses with points awarded from 1 to 10. Very few, I noticed deserved more than 9, but I was delighted to see that the old garden rose, ‘Belle de Crecy’ (a heavenly fragrant red shrub rose) was one. Be aware that in Bucks County the multiflora rose (a white cluster-flowered shrub rose from China) is a pest and should be avoided. Although the multiflora rose provides food for wildlife, its thousands of red berries known as rose hips will seed all over the place and quickly cover a meadow. The only way to eradicate it is by grubbing up the root and burning the entire plant.
Although roses can be planted year-round, avoid planting when the ground is frozen, saturated or during a drought. Plant container-grown specimens rather than bare root. When planting bare root plant in spring after the soil has warmed and prune away any broken roots. I would say that the best way to keep roses healthy is to examine them carefully in the fall and remove any dead canes. This is particularly true of climbers that require no more than five strong upright canes to produce a generous flowering display in the spring.
Remember that the purpose of any rose is to flower. If you experience sparse bloom the plant may not be getting enough sunlight or in need of feeding.
During a career of more than 50 years as a garden writer, Derek Fell has authored more than a hundred garden books and calendars. Unfortunately, owing to ill health and a forced retirement, this will be his last contribution to Bucks County Magazine.