Plant a Rose
Broken Arrow’s Plant a Rose is just around the corner. See info on home page or Keepbabeautiful.org/plant-a-rose.
It’s been a week since Karen Barrett came & pruned back the hard freeze damage from my roses. There’s lots of new growth! So now is the time to look closely at roses and see if any need to be replaced and figure out where new roses will be planted. Two of my oldest roses have been on decline so may be replacing them. Roses will soon be arriving at local nurseries. It’s time to get serious about choosing new roses!
But first let’s review wisdom on…
Buying New Roses
It’s easy to be drawn to a specific rose, it’s color or name, but keep these things in mind:
- Location: Your rose will need at least 6 hours of sunshine.
- Space needed: How big a space do you have? Example: I’m ordering an Earth Kind Rose, Belinda’s Dream, pictured above. Very special to me as it was first rose that Bring Back the Roses planted in 2011. In reading info I learned it will need a 7 foot planting space! So glad I checked. While it won’t start out that big, I must alot the space. Lesson learned… check the size you have for your new rose and make sure it matches size of rose you choose.
- A chemical free garden. Look for roses that are disease resistance and hardy. This will be listed on the label. Brenda Johnson, (featured in March 30 Blog) says, “The best choices are own-root roses like shrubs and drift roses. A David Austin shrub is a lovely choice.”
- Consult with your local nursery staff who have a wealth of information to help in your decisions.
Roses Without Chemicals
My friend Josephine who has been growing roses chemical free for many years, recommended this book. Found it at the Tulsa Public Library but plan to buy it. Great info!
Roses Without Chemicals, by Peter Kukielski, ‘Whose Roots are Those,’ page 64. Peter says, “The vast majority of new roses are grown on their own roots rather than grafted onto a rootstock. Own-root roses take a little more time to build up…but they are always true to their variety , are more likely to survive hard winters and temperature fluctuations, and tend to be healthier garden plants less prone to pathogens.”
Great advice! Read the product label!
Consider Earth Kind Roses
Karen Watson has shared her thoughts on Earth Kind Roses. Karen is both a Master Gardener and Linnaeus Gardener and is an incredible presenter. Thank you Karen! She says:
Earth-Kind Roses is a special designation given to select rose cultivars by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service through the Earth-Kind landscaping program.
These special roses are the result of extensive research and field trials awarded to roses demonstrating superior pest tolerance, combined with outstanding landscape performance.
The roses have been grown in a variety of soil types from well-drained acid sands to poorly aerated and highly alkaline clays. The roses also have good heat and drought tolerance once established, The limited use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water make these sustainable practices work to preserve and protect our natural resources and our environment.
Examples of Earth-Kind Roses and their care can be found on the Extension link:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkindroses/cultivars/
How to order Earth Kind Roses
Earth Kind roses can be purchased at Chambleeroses.com/catalog/roses/earth-kind and antiqueroseemporium.com. I ordered 2 from Chamblee Roses this year and will order from the Antique Rose Emporium next year. Chamblee will ship on April 26 to be sure last freeze has passed. I chose Belinda’s Dream, featured picture above & Marie Daly. They will be my first Earth Kind. I’ll be waiting to see how they respond to pests and diseases as compared to other roses in my chemical free garden. Picture of Marie Daly
Honoring our Veterans & Loved Ones
Our Plant a Rose Facebook Contest is a perfect way to honor our vets and loved ones. Plant your rose, take a picture and post it on our Facebook page: Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful and tell us who you’re honoring. I’ll be planting 2 roses to honor my special veterans. For my step father Rev David Alther ( featured in March 3 blog) who served in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge, I’m choosing Sanders Nursery’s “Let Freedom Ring” as it was hybridized by Earnest Earman a WWII vet. The second rose will honor my brother, George Dunn and Dr Clarence Oliver (my partner in starting Bring Back the Roses). Both served in the Korean War. I’ll be choosing their rose at Riddle Plant Farm Pictured: Let Freedom Ring
Thank You! Plant a Rose Sponsors
Sanders Nursery and Riddle Plant Farm are sponsoring our Plant a Rose this year! Please stop by, do some rose shopping, and thank them for their support! Don’t forget to take a picture when you plant your rose. Post it on our Facebook page: Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful and tell us who you’re honoring. If it’s a veteran include branch of service and where & when they served. There will be a drawing of entries with winners receiving rose bushes donated by Riddle Plant Farm & Sanders Nursery.
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