Caring for Roses: Tragedies, Triumphs and Tips

It’s a myth that roses are fussy. It’s also not completely true that some rose cultivars are carefree. Like all plants and gardens, there is a bit of truth to each declaration.

I’ve had an easy time with a few roses, namely The Fairy, a shrub rose; the climbing version of Cecille Brunner and the floribunda Iceberg all come to mind. Eventually, however, they all died for one reason or another. Mind you, this could very well be the result of "user error." I never said I was a rosarian.

Shrub roses worked best for me, with hardly any problems. My mother, Oma Tike, pushed me, at one time, to try “own root roses” from Heirloom Roses in Oregon. Those purchases, both climbers, are still going strong. The blooms are profuse. Unfortunately, these are non-repeaters. If I can find room in the yard, I would buy from Heirloom again, and try a shrub or groundcover rose sometime in the future.

My neighbor Sandy has horrible luck with roses. She can’t even get past a season without losing them. She has lost a number of roses, including her prized David Austin’s due to the horribly inconsiderate behavior of voles and moles in her yard.  

Don’t you know, she still buys a new plant each and every season. The look of hope in her eyes when she plants each new rose is quite … well, you just can’t help but root for Sandy and hope this year will be the year the darn rose makes it.

I asked my friend Karen if she had any experience with roses. She claims she had really, really good luck with growing roses — and really, really bad luck with roses. To sum it up, she firmly believes that once the bugs find you out, that’s it. Game over.

Pat Aiello at Bell’s Nurseries on Hartford Turnpike has an upbeat perspective on roses. He loves them. He also insists today’s rose care is so easy; not like the old days at all.

Just follow simple upkeep, which includes watering, and fertilizing. Aiello also recommends the Bayer All-in-One for roses. He said it’s simple, easy to use and almost effortless.

A new line of hybridized roses is also cause for optimism. Aiello said his customers love the new Knock-Out roses. The roses are relatively new to the market and have been flying out the door since Mother’s Day. His nursery keeps reordering, so Aiello said there’s a fairly good selection if you drop by now. 

Additionally, he has a few tips on what to look for and look out for when buying roses for your garden:

• Select only healthy looking specimens.
• Plants should be heavily budded at this time of year; jam-packed with rose buds.
• Think twice about roses that show signs of distress, such as wilting, from lack of care or disease.
• Don’t choose the rose if it has black spots on the leaves.

Oma Tike Tip: Location, location, location. Don’t plant a new rose in a hole that previously had a rose in it. Dig in a new location.

Some Upcoming Gardening Events:

• July 24: CHS Garden Tours of two West Hartford gardens
• Through Aug. 28:  Lyman Orchards Sunflower Maze
• Aug. 3: Plant Science Day at Lockwood Farm, Hamden

Oma Tike Tip: Buy virus resistant and virus free roses. It’s not a guarantee, but you’ll have a head start over other choices, and a better shot at keeping your rose healthier longer.

From the Garden Bookbag:

Oma Tike’s Pick: “The Complete Kitchen Garden,” by Ellen Ecker Ogden, Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Food nourishes the body, soul and the family who’s starving at the table. When you and your family are into gardening, the food does taste better though. Ogden’s book shares beautiful and practical design inspiration for kitchen gardens, plus delicious recipes for the produce that you and your family grow.

Joy’s Pick: “Pink Ladies & Crimson Gents,” by Molly and Don Glentzer, Potter Publishers

The stories, myths and legends behind 50 roses within the pages of this book are cleverly written, with amazing photographs to captivate gardeners and tempt us to plant a few beauties in our own gardens.

Next Week’s Column: Gotta Have Summer Annuals; Bookbag; and more!