The Reverend Samuel Reynolds Hole wrote, “He who must have beautiful roses in his garden, must have beautiful roses in his heart.” Born in 1819 this much loved preacher went on to preach in 500 churches, was the friend of Dickens and Thackeray, and was called “the rose king” by Lord Tennyson.

We hope to have beautiful roses in our hearts and in our gardens, and the colder months are the ideal time to buy and plant bare root roses. Bare root roses are less expensive and offer an almost unlimited palette of colors and types to grace your garden.

My favorite rose source is a small family owned nursery called Roses of Yesterday (www.rosesofyesterday.com 831-728-1901). Other outstanding nurseries are Jackson and Perkins, (www.jacksonandperkins.com toll-free 1-877-322-2300), and Edmunds’ Roses (www.edmundsroses.com 1-888-481-7673). Heirloom Roses sells many rare roses including the Buck Hardy Rose Bushes. Dr. Buck is described as an artist of plant breeding (www.heirloomroses.com 503-538-1576). These websites offer excellent information on how to select, plant and nurture your roses.

Looking at the roses offered by Roses of Yesterday and Today will make your spirit sing as you read. The names alone are evocative of the numinous. White Pet (1879), clusters of perfect white flowers; zones 5-10. Wild Ginger (1976), soft orange tones, deep bronze foliage; zones 4-10. Henry Nevard (1924), rich perfume, large, full rich red blooms; zones 6-10. Gipsy Boy (1909) is the rose everyone wants when they see it in bloom. Deep crimson purple, white in center; zones 4-9.

Jackson and Perkins has been breeding roses for 136 years, with 12 new roses for 2008, including Rose of the Year “April in Paris” with perfumed pale dawn pink petals, and Floribunda of the Year “Lovestruck” with pink-brushed cream petals. Jackson and Perkins sells 6 “Roses for a Cause”, including Diana, Princess of Wales (cream with pink blush) and Ronald Reagan (red with rare silvery reverse and long stems).

Edmunds’ Roses offers a wealth of rose choices, and information on dealing with rose pests and preventing diseases. They sell handsome 36 inch tree roses, including Barbara Streisand, in shades of lavender, and Double Knock Out with its red blooms from late spring to frost. Among their hybrid tea roses, Billy Graham calls out to be added to gardens, with its pink blossoms on long stems, and for flowers of pure gold and great size, take a look at Helmut Schmidt.

Select roses that speak to you, that you must have! As Reverend Hole wrote, “What is a garden for? For the soul, sir, for the soul of the poet!” Edmunds’ Roses offers excellent advice for planting bare root roses. Do not allow the plant to dry out; soak the roots overnight and plant immediately. Dig a hole 15 to 18 inches in depth and mound some soil in a hill in the center of the hole, spreading roots over the mound. In mild climates (not below 20 degrees F) plant with the graft union even with the soil, and in colder areas, plant with the graft up to two inches below the soil surface. Mulch for the first month to protect from cold and to prevent drying out.

Roses need a minimum of six hours of sun, good drainage, plenty of water and regular feeding. Place them far enough apart so that air circulates around them and do not feed until two months after planting. Plant bare root roses as early as late December in zones 9-11, after the first week of February in zone 8, after March 7 in zone 7, after March 23 in zone 6, after April 11 in zone 5 and the first week of May in zones one to four.

Reverend Hole grew 5,000 roses, and when asked to select his favorite, he chose Gloire de Dijon. This buff-apricot-orange very fragrant climbing rose, imported from England and dating to 1853, is available from Heirloom Roses. While we may not tend 5,000 roses, every garden will be enlivened when we add the shimmer of rose blossoms to its palette.

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Rose photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org, per GNU Free Documentation License.

 

Copyright © by Terra Hangen