Fairhope, Alabama, was established in 1894 by an “adventurous” group of people who believed that they had a “fair chance of success” in creating their “utopian single tax” city. Located on the southwestern tip of Alabama on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, Fairhope today is a resort town known as Alabama’s Seaside Paradise. ‘Fairhope’, […]
What is in a name? Many times, not much! The rather cumbersome name of this rose would not give you the slightest indication of its beauty or vigor. There is nothing stingy about the bloom display on this superb, no fuss shrub rose. The class of shrub roses was created by the American Rose Society
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Some have accused this writer of being an Anglophile for featuring so many English roses. Well, here’s one for the French. The story of the rose, ‘Peace’, is well known to rose lovers, but always puts a lump in my throat and hope in my heart. The Meilland Family of France have been growing roses
Every year the All America Rose Selections (AARS) tests new rose bushes in gardens across the U.S. After two years of testing, they select the best varieties for disease resistance, growth qualities and overall appeal. The only AARS winner for 2010 was ‘Easy Does It’. It is distinctively delightful, and as its name implies, super
You’ve been pouring over catalogs, making lists, seeing how many new roses you can squeeze into your garden. Now it’s time to decide about actually buying the roses. There are a few things to decide before you go any further – What should I be looking for when choosing a bare root rose? Does the
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‘Memphis Music’ is a sport of ‘Memphis Magic’. It has a very striking deep red color with yellow stripes. Because it is a sport, it varies considerably in the variegation and may revert to all red as found in its parent, ‘Memphis Magic’. It is successful in exhibition, winning many prizes. Many people think that
You love roses. Visions of bountiful blooms carpeting your garden with color and fragrance dance in your head as you swoon over the catalogs brimming with all too many choices. You want lots and lots of flowers, but you’re limited in space. You’ve already taken over a good part of the lawn, and still, you
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Lavaglut, a German word for lava glow, comes from a well-known German family, Kordes. ‘Lavaglut’ was bred in 1978 and introduced to the market in 1979. This eye-catching floribunda is a cross of ‘Gruss an Bayern’ x Seedling. The glowing clusters of deep velvety red seem to continually erupt from a blanket of clean, glossy
My favorite colors are green and yellow, so what could be a more perfect combination than our Rose of the Month, ‘St. Patrick’? Although this presentation is a bit late for its namesakes’ holiday, still a lovely addition to any garden. I’ve grown this rose for several years and it presents lovely long-stemmed blooms, opening
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