One of the most beautiful romantic roses ever created is the Meilland rose, ‘Pierre de Ronsard’. France’s “prince of poets” was an avid gardener, and it was appropriate to commemorate him with a rose by his name. He was best known for his romantic sonnets. The city of Paris decided they would pay a tribute […]
It is often difficult for rosarians with limited space to plant a rose that blooms only once, especially if it gets rather large. In the case of ‘Complicata’ it is worth it! In The Graham Stuart Thomas Rose Book, Thomas says of ‘Complicata’, “In the light sandy soil in my garden, in close competition with
I love April. A chickadee family has already moved into one of my birdhouses, there are daffodils, blossoming trees and birds singing everywhere. Now too, the roses have begun their season. Amazing to me that only weeks ago they looked like dead sticks and now they have the most beautiful shiny, lush green or red
Rose Care for April Read More »
This rose is special to me because it bears the name of one of my family ancestors on my father’s side, the French part. The rose was given to me by Gail Trimble, and that makes it even more special. It is a hybrid perpetual and retains the old rose form. It has large, globular
It’s a good time now to give your roses about two cups per plant of alfalfa either pellets (buy at a feed store) or meal (sold at some nurseries). Alfalfa is a great soil amendment and provides a bit of nutrition, it contains a growth hormone triacontanol which is said to be a plant growth
Rose Care for March Read More »
Here in northern California, we prune roses from January until mid-February, putting our roses into dormancy to provide a good bloom cycle in the spring. Most of the varieties bloom on new growth. Remember the following: dead, diseased, crossing, and skimpy. Use these four words as a guide to remove canes for all hybrid teas,
Rose Care for February Read More »
Winter is a great time to shop for new roses. Whether you’re looking for the newest rose on the market or searching for that special rose to fill a corner of the garden, this is the BEST time of year to shop! The selection is the widest and prices are generally lower than container plants.
Shopping time for new roses Read More »
We’re deep into the winter pruning season. This is the brief period of time when roses in Marin go into semi-dormancy, and the best time to do your annual pruning. If you’re not quite done, or are just getting started, here are some things that may be of help: Learn How to Prune Roses in
Done with your pruning yet? Read More »
‘Just Joey’ rose is a beautiful hybrid tea rose with orange – copper blossoms. The elegantly, pointed orange buds open into large blooms that are four to six inches across. The wavy-edged petals are a rich apricot color when new, softening to a light peach at the outer edges as blooms mature. The foliage is
Looking to add some new roses to the garden? In addition to their beautiful blossoms, and delectable fragrance, go for disease-resistant varieties. A careful selection now can make your rose growing easier, and gentler on the environment. What’s disease resistance? It’s a plants ability to fend off infection. In our climate the diseases of concern
Dozens of Disease-Resistant Roses Read More »
