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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Rose season

Can there be any doubt rose season is under way? It's a thrill every year to note how much the roses have grown. Mine started out like gangbusters a few weeks ago and I'm chagrined to note that many of them now have leaves covered by black spot. Eventually, this maddening disease will denude my plants. With luck, the blooms will keep coming but it's a rather hideous sight to see beautiful roses atop skeletal bodies. I'm loathe to start nuking them with chemicals, though I understand the impulse. I may try - before it's too late - a home remedy I read about recently: one teaspoon baking soda, one or two drops of vegetable oil, in a spray bottle filled with water. Let me know if you have any ideas. Meanwhile, this is my Fourth of July climber, winner of an All-American Rose Award (always a good indicator) and an early bloomer. Sure enough, it was the first to bloom in my garden this year and fortunately, it has no black spot. What a stunner! I know you're probably thinking you prefer roses that are one color or soft pastel blends. I usually do, too. But after I saw this rose on a garden tour last summer, I was struck by its dramatic, open flowers, bold colors (red and white) and festive, ruffly sprays. The literature says its fragrance resembles fresh-cut apples (I'm going to have to check that out some more) and recommends placing it on a white trellis to echo the white stripes. My trellis is green and it looks great.  Last year, Fourth of July's inaugural, I had just a few blooms. Already this year, the trellis is loaded. May it continue. 
Posted by virginia smith @ 11:44 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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