Plant a Love Rose

Valentine’s Day is linked with the giving of chocolates or flowers, especially roses, which are considered the flowers of love. As a gardener, I wonder if it really is coincidental that the introduction of the year’s new planting roses happens around Valentine’s Day. All the exciting new colors, varieties, and styles of roses are introduced at this time. I also think that planting a rose in your Valentine’s garden might be a welcome change from the usual bouquet of cut roses.

The new roses and the established favorites are available from local garden centers, mail catalogs, and Internet sites. I would choose a rose plant from a garden center rather than from the other two sources, but not only because I own a nursery. The benefit of buying roses from a local garden center over an online or mail purchase is that at the garden center you can see and touch to choose the best of the bunch. At my place we only carry the very highest grade possible; we pick the best-of-the-best for our customers, leaving the others to be sold elsewhere, usually as bare root plants.

As I mentioned in last week’s column, bare root plants are shipped with no soil adhering to their roots, which reduces shipping costs. Experience has taught me that the combined stresses of our arid climate and prevailing spring winds create a nearly insurmountable challenge for bare root plants. Because of repeated lack of success with bare root roses, I never plant them in my own yard. Which is why I refuse to sell bare root roses to my customers.

Purchase roses for planting now that are rooted either in recyclable containers or in peat pots that are not removed before planting. Sometimes negative gardening experiences are not your fault, but rather the result of planting the wrong varieties or following the wrong advice on how to plant in the mountains. No matter where you buy roses this year I encourage you to stop by and ask for my rose planting guide. It is meant to increase your chances for a successful addition to your garden.

Fragrance is a passion of mine, so not only do I choose to stock the new rose varieties with interesting colors, but those with great aromas. In my opinion, beautiful roses should have an equally captivating fragrance. Here are my descriptions of some of the 2010 roses.

“All Ablaze” climbing rose – We might as well start with the biggest and boldest rose of the new bunch. You can’t help but get all fired up over the showy clusters of big red ruffled flowers. The red is not too orange and is quite striking against the pure green foliage. Hardy, vigorous, and clean this rose keeps on blooming through the entire season.

“Vavoom” floribunda - Ever seen a rose stand up and say ‘howdy’? Vavoom has the color that does the trick. Its combination of gleaming orange flowers against deep mahogany red growth and glossy green leaves delivers a lollapalooza addition to any landscape. This compact rounded plant can be tucked into the smaller spaces of the yard. Its bright orange tones make your eyes pucker with glowing colors that last an extra long time. Caution: Sunglasses may be required!

“Fragrant Plum” grandiflora - Imagine the rose "Paradise" touched with smoky blue tones and a marvelous fragrance. This tall rose has more vigor than most, producing armloads of very long elegant buds atop premium-length cutting stems. Now any home garden can display the enjoyable vision of lush deep green foliage and this pretty plum-colored rose.

“Hot Cocoa” shrub rose – Mysteriously indescribable, there is just no other rose color quite like this one. Pointed buds of deep rust unfurl to reveal a chocolate haze of velvety tones that often take on a purply cast. The ruffled fragrant flowers are set against globs of glossy, really green leaves. Its easy vigor and natural disease-resistance make it a must for any mountain landscape.

Those are my top picks from this year’s new roses. All can be planted outdoors right now no matter the weather, and should bloom beginning in May right through fall.
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Like many parents, I do what I can to entice my family’s next generation to get away from computers, gaming consoles, and I-pods and spend some time out of doors. I especially like ‘backyard projects with Dad’ to achieve that end.

Here’s how I use roses to connect with my daughters. I take each girl to the garden center and allow her to choose her Valentine from me: any color rose she likes. Then we go home and put it into the ground together. Each time that particular rose blooms we reminisce about the shopping trip and the planting experience we shared. It’s such a nice way to engage with my daughters, that my son and I have enjoyed similar projects with the same results.

I encourage you to do the same with your children or grandchildren. It doesn’t matter if this experience doesn’t cultivate a life-long gardening enthusiast. You will have given your little gardener a practical aspect of property management that is likely to come in handy in the future, and you both will have an invaluable precious memory to look back on for many years.
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When you come in to make your rose selections remember to ask for my printed handout on growing better roses. Also, to further your rose tending skills, this week’s free gardening class is “Roses Made Easy”. As usual, class is held Saturday morning at 9:30.

Until next week, I'll see you in the garden center.