You may have heard the term old garden rose, but what exactly does that mean? The category of Old Roses (OGR) can be confusing. The working definition of OGRs are classes of roses that were known before 1867. The category of Old Garden Roses was created in 1867 when the first hybrid tea rose ‘La […]
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The ethereal green lacewing is one of the more recognizable garden “good guys.” With its slender pale green body, delicate gossamer wings, and immense golden eyes, it gives the appearance of a fairy prancing on garden leaves rather than the aggressive predator that it is. Lacewings, also called aphid lions, are natural enemies of several
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Rose of the World; th’ embroidered Tuscany;The scented Cabbage, and the Damacene;Sweet Briar, lovelier name the eglantine;But above all the MuskWith classic names, Thisbe, Penelope,Whose nectarous load grows heavier with the duskAnd like a grape too sweetly muscadine.V Sackville-West, The Garden, 1946 I couldn’t agree more with the noted gardener Vita Sackville-West. Let me introduce
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If you’re adding new roses to the garden this season, buying bareroot plants offers you the widest selection at the best prices. You may get these at a big box store where plants are usually wrapped in plastic, or at your local nursery where they may be “dug in” – loosely buried in some sort
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Just what are species roses? They are wild roses that have developed on their own without help from us humans, and within the genus Rosa. There are an estimated 150 – 200 types of wild roses in the world, some supposedly having been around for more than 30 million years. All are native to the
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The holidays are behind us and now is a good time to start your winter pruning. This is the brief period of time when roses in Marin go into semi-dormancy, and the best time to prune repeat blooming roses and a lot of other trees and shrubs. If you’re new to pruning, or simply want to
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Roses have been around a very long time – there are fossils of roses dated 35-40 million years ago that are thought to originate in Asia. The oldest identified rose is Rosa gallica, commonly called the French Rose, that can be dated back as early as the 12th century B.C. From early times, many varieties and
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Looking for some more new roses? Featuring deep purples, to brilliant oranges, old-fashioned style, to elegant hybrid teas, towering grandifloras to dainty shrubs, here are some of the introductions for 2024 from Weeks Roses and Star Roses. Descriptions and photos are courtesy of Star Roses and Weeks Roses catalogs. Cosmic Clouds – Flowers of magenta
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As we approach pruning season, you’ll be looking more closely at your roses, and you may encounter rose canes that appear darkened or dead. Likely, this is dieback, a condition characterized by the progressive death of stems and canes that can ultimately compromise the health and appearance of your rose plants. The dying areas may
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It’s nearly bareroot season, and time for the annual process of rose introductions. A new player in roses (at least new to me) is Altman Plants with renowned rose hybridizer Ping Lim. According to their website, Altman Plants began with the vision to grow the highest quality plants and make them available to everyone. Today,
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