When you see a rose, what’s likely the first thing you do? Take a sniff? That’s a pretty common response to roses. Yet, when you put your nose up close, you may find a trace of a fragrance, but often not a very strong one. There are a few reasons for that – first, it […]
Dozens of Wonderful Fragrant Roses Read More »
Thinking about adding some new roses to your garden? Bare root season is the BEST time to do so – more varieties are available, and prices are generally lower. Check out Tips for Choosing the Best Garden Roses before you start shopping; it’s a good idea to do a little homework and identify varieties that
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It would be hard to find a more colorful rose than ‘Sheila’s Perfume’! Classed as a floribunda, this rose is more similar to a hybrid tea in bloom form and shrub structure. The classic shape of the buds on long stems with often single blooms make ‘Sheila’s Perfume’ perfect for cutting. In the vase you’ll
Dr. Griffith Buck was a professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University and was an excellent hybridizer of modern roses. His main goal in hybridizing was to breed roses that were able to survive the harsh winter temperatures of -26F without protection. Of course, along with that were disease resistance, repeat bloom, good flower form
Want fabulous plants? You need healthy soil. While garden soil will never be glamorous, it is the foundation for our gardens. What you can see going on with your roses above the ground is largely determined by what goes on beneath your feet that is all but invisible to you. The conditions the roots of
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The colors of ‘Westerland’ are those of a sunset – lovely apricot-orange with a touch of pink. The perfumed blooms are generally more than three inches wide, double, ruffled, with 20 petals that are slightly serrated. Officially classified as a shrub rose ‘Westerland’ is often sold as a climber. In our mild climate it grows
‘Baby Love’ was bred in the United Kingdom by Len Scrivens in 1992 from a cross of an orange blend miniature called ‘Sweet Magic’ and a seedling that was a cross of an unnamed seedling and the light red species, ‘R. davidii elongate’. Modern Roses 12 lists nine registered roses for Len Shrivens – the
Peter Beales introduced this gallica in 1982, just before James Mason’s death in 1984. James Mason, a well-known British actor, was an avid rosarian and a lover of cats. He and his wife, Pamela, wrote a book about their cats and James illustrated it. Due to his keen interest in roses, the James Mason Medal
Not complicated or fragile. Hardy and enduring. Well, in a word, sensible. Thomas C. Cooper writes: “the rose ‘Betty Prior’ is rumored to be the favorite of the Queen of England, and if this is true, I imagine the appeal for her is similar to that of another English institution for which she has a
I am fortunate to have many roses blooming in my garden right now and this is one of them. At present this rose is in a pot, but eventually it will find a home of its own on the hill, in the white bed. I photographed this in the evening after both a rain and
Blanc Double de Coubert Read More »