Tonight on Rose Chat Chris and I were joined by Pat Shanley, incoming President of the American Rose Society.
Many of my rose loving friends are concerned about the effects of chemicals in their garden. Pat offered so much insight and encouragement to those wanting to grow a beautiful yet sustainable rose garden. Pat does not spray her beautiful rose garden and has joined with other environmentally concerned rose gardeners to write a book, The Sustainable Rose Garden.
Read the Midwest Book Review…
Roses, with their bright colors and sweet smell, have earned a special place among floral enthusiasts. “The Sustainable Rose Garden” is a collection of essays written by rosarians for fellow rose lovers. Speaking on the sustainability of roses and their surprising impact on the environment, there is much to ponder about how roses can be improved for their future. With nearly forty contributors, “The Sustainable Rose Garden” is a read that is very much recommended for the environmentally conscious rose lover.
Pat also shared her vision for the future of the American Rose Society, America’s oldest horticultural society. Pat’s vision is a society that is relevant in today’s world–a society that breaks down barriers and unites everyone who loves the rose. Pat is often described as a woman of “boundless energy,” and tonight we had a glimpse of that!
To listen to our chat, click on the Rose Chat icon below…
During this season of Thanksgiving, I want to send out a big “THANK YOU” to you for joining me on this gardening journey. You mean the world to me!
Now it’s time for me to start waiting the winter out.
“Waiting the winter out” brings to mind something I learned from Mr. Rogers…. “let’s think of something to do while we’re waiting… ” Mr. Rogers was right, it IS always good to have something to do!
INSIDE GARDENING…
I have several pots of amaryllis and daffodils I will soon enjoy in the Potting Shed. And, will continue to “tend” the gerainiums and herbs that are over wintering there. The shed is a tiny space so the roses and herbs that we had outside this summer in large pots will spend their winter in Mr. G’s woodworking shop. They will be very happy there.
ROSE CHAT…
Chris and I will keep you in the “rose gardening know” with past and upcoming Rose Chat podcasts. There are 100+ recorded podcasts you can listen to here via your computer or on your mobile devices by using iTunes or the Stitcher App.
We will take a short break from live shows for Christmas, (All the archived show are still there for you!) and start back strong in 2015 with…
One of my favorite winter activities is planning and plotting what I will do to the garden next spring. And, pouring through catalogs to make my plant buying decisions! We have so many options … isn’t it great!
PICTURES…
Another thing that gets me through the long midwest winters is pouring through the pictures I take. Actually, I consider my iPhone one of my most valuable garden tools!
Here’s a gallery of some of my 2014 favorites…
Falling In Love
Gemini with Dick Clark in the background
The line up ….
Comte de Chambord and neighbors
Our Lady of Guadelupe and neighbors.
Hansa and Roseraie de la Hay
Early June evening…
Roses and peonies…
Rainy day…
Poseidon and company…
Amber Carpet Roses around the fish pond.
Etoille de Violette in the background…
Mr. H’s first visit to the garden! You knew he would be in this gallery, didn’t you?!?
SOCIAL MEDIA…
Many of you are growing in areas where things are blooming right now and I sure appreciate your shares via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks!
Today I find myself in the middle of the most perfect weather any August in Indiana has ever had to offer. I am gardening and thinking about my morning. This morning I had the pleasure of interviewing Peggy Martin on Rose Chat and what a delight she was. NOTE: This interview was recorded in 2013 and some of the information is dated but the story of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy and Peggy’s experience is the same! Listen here.
Peggy’s family went through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina where she lost her parents, her home, her husband’s commercial fishing boat and her 35-year-old garden filled with many hard-to-find plants and a rose collection that included 450 roses. Many of the roses were rare and unique varieties. Peggy had been very involved in the New Orleans Old Garden Rose Society and worked tirelessly as a volunteer in many garden restoration projects.
Peggy Martin
As we talked I could tell that the pain of losing her parents is something she is still going through. I lost my Dad this year … losing a parent is a special kind of loss.
Most of my time with Peggy was spent talking about her garden experiences before and after Katrina.
Can you imagine what it was like for her to go back to the site of her home to see everything devastated. Gone. The entire area had been under salt water for more than 2 weeks. Salt water and plants just do not mix and at first look every living plant seemed to be dead. At closer inspection, two roses were found that had not only survived, one was to beginning to thrive—The Peggy Martin Rose…
This is a picture of the Peggy Martin Rose that now grows in her new rose garden….
Hardy in Zones 4 – 9, this rose is a vigorous, almost thornless climber that often reaches 15’ high and 6 ‘ wide.
Rose experts from around the world have been brought in to help identify this rose, but no one has any clue as to the actual name or origin. I think that is probably as it should be. Perhaps this rose is now fulfilling it’s purpose in reminding us to never give up even when all seems to be lost.
“This rose has become a symbol among gardeners and rose lovers of a tenacious plant associated with a spirit of renewal and regrowth in the aftermath of a devastating blow of Nature against those living and gardening in the Gulf Coast area.” –William Welch (Prof Texas A & M)
Friends Made the Difference
“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” -Helen Keller
During the very dark days and months after Katrina the last thing on Peggy’s mind was creating a new garden and that’s where her friends came in. One of the ways they helped her heal was through rebuilding her garden. One by one they began to bring roses back into Peggy’s life. Peggy’s lovely new garden is now filled with 240 roses and rose companions of every kind. She is currently involved in many rose organizations, like the Heritage Rose Foundation and she is the Chairman for the Old Garden Rose and Shrub Committee of the American Rose Society.
Below are pictures of Peggy’s current garden…
Beautiful and charming just like Peggy herself.
It’s All About the Soil
In talking with Peggy I learned that she has been a completely organic gardener for 40 years. She is all about healthy soil and integrated plant and pest management — a system she calls “the easiest way to garden.” During the interview, she gave many tips for creating a healthy garden whether you are new to gardening or someone who wants to take your garden to the next level. She also gave us her advice on rose selection.
The Podcast
During our time together we talked about so much more–like her complete step-by-step guide for taking rose cuttings.
June is National Rose Month. Roses have a long and colorful history. They have been symbols of love, beauty, war and politics.
Did you know that the rose was almost overshadowed by the marigold? On January 12, 1959, the president of the W. Atlee Burpee Co., David Burpee, wrote newly-elected Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, proclaiming the virtues of the marigold and calling it “the flower of the people.” David Burpee was vigilant in the fight. He was known for using PT Barnum’s model for promotion and advertising — just like his dad! For nearly 10 years Burpee and Dirksen campaigned for the marigold.
Many other flowers were considered too … there were even those who strongly suggested the corn tassel be our national flower. What?
A ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE
But, we know the end of the story… In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed a resolution making the rose the national floral emblem at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden…
“Americans have always loved the flowers with which God decorates our land. More often than any other flower, we hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity. For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose.
We see proof of this everywhere. The study of fossils reveals that the rose has existed in America for age upon age. We have always cultivated roses in our gardens. Our first President, George Washington, bred roses, and a variety he named after his mother is still grown today. The White House itself boasts a beautiful Rose Garden. We grow roses in all our fifty States. We find roses throughout our art, music, and literature. We decorate our celebrations and parades with roses. Most of all, we present roses to those we love, and we lavish them on our altars, our civil shrines, and the final resting places of our honored dead.
The American people have long held a special place in their hearts for roses. Let us continue to cherish them, to honor the love and devotion they represent, and to bestow them on all we love just as God has bestowed them on us.
The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 159 has designated the rose as the National Floral Emblem of the United States and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation declaring this fact.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the rose as the National Floral emblem of the United States of America.”
A ROSE A DAY
I have loved roses ever since I received my first bokay, which makes sharing my roses with others very important to me whether in a vase, a story or a picture. If you were here I would be sure you had a vase of flowers before you left, but for now … I’ll share pictures of some of the roses blooming in my garden this year.
Every day for the 30 days in June, I plan to share a rose that I have the privilege of growing in my garden. I hope you’ll come along for my rose celebration.
Founded in 1892,the American Rose Society is the oldest single plant horticultural society in America. The ARS is an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to the cultivation and enjoyment of roses. ARS supports its members by providing educational programs, resourceful publications,and continuing research. We have more than 300 affiliated rose societies in our national network.
I am a proud member of the ARS and draw routinely from their wealth of information. For membership information, click here.
EVERYONE HAS A FAVORITE
If I were voting … of course the rose would be my pick as National Flower. What would your pick be?
And, if like me you would choose the rose, what is your favorite rose—-so far this year?
Bourbons were the roses of Victorian England and probably originated from a natural cross between Old Blush (China Rose) and Quatre Saisons (Damask), two roses which were used as hedge material on the island of Bourbon (now Reunion). They produce beautiful, large, full old rose, crepe-like blooms on vigorous growing bushes. These blooms have a wonderful, heady fragrance and many Bourbons repeat bloom.
One of my favorite Bourbons is Queen of Bourbons (sometimes called Bourbon Queen) although it does not repeat bloom for me in my Zone 5b garden–when she blooms, she BLOOMS!
Last year I sent a picture of the Queen of Bourbons to The American Rose Society and she was chosen to be in the 2013 calendar. So, you could say my Queen of Bourbons is a calendar girl.
I think she took her calendar girl status to heart and upped her game because she went from beautiful last year to magnificent this year. I may have to send another picture or two to ARS.
With her neighbors…
Reaching for the clouds……
Peter and the Old Beauties
I often say that I have never met a rose I didn’t want. And, though that may be true, it is the old roses like the Bourbons that legendary rosarian, Peter Beales’, referred to as the Old Beauties—they are my very favorites.
Old Beauties are survivors. Old Beauties are beautiful. Old Beauties are enchanting. Old Beauties are incredibly fragrant. Old Beauties have a rich history.
As I write today in my Potting Shed, I have on my desk a bucket of Old Beauties. Yes, I think Peter had them aptly named.
The Bill Warriner Floribunda is one of my very favorite roses. I refer to it as my blooming machine. It is rarely without bloom.
Bill Warriner was bred by Keith Zary of Jackson and Perkins in 1996 and named for the renowned rose breeder Bill Warriner who died of cancer in 1991.
The American Rose Society gives Bill Warriner a 7.9 rating in their 2013 Handbook for Selecting Roses. For more on the American Rose Society, click here. Their latest American Rose magazine is amazing. Sign up for it today! See cover pic below…
“William (Bill) Warriner (hybridizer from 1963 to 1984) developed 110 rose varieties that resulted in the sale of 40 million plants and 20 All-America Rose Selections. Two of his roses, Medallion and Red Masterpiece, were selected for special-issue postage stamps by the United States Postal Service in 1978.” -Jackson and Perkins Website
Other Bill Warriner roses are Simpliciy, Intrique, Love, Honor, Rio Samba and Tournament of Roses.
My first Bill Warriner was planted in a bed that had the least amended soil in our garden and yet it flourished! After I saw what “Bill” could do, I moved him to a better location and bought 2 more. I love them. I am hoping I can find more. If you know of a company selling Bill Warriner roses, please let me know!
The color of this rose is a unique blend of apricot, orange and pink. It pairs very well with a vase of pink and yellow roses. As you will see from the pictures, sometimes the blooms are more pink and sometimes they are more apricot/orange.
This rose is medium sized with a compact growth habit and most definitely passes my fragrance test … a lovely, sweet rose scent.
Recently we have had at least two nights of plant-damaging frost in my neck of the woods and yet this morning, I went out to see Bill with beautiful blooms hanging in there! Love the rose but do not love the frost …. And, just so you know, it is only 158 days until spring! 🙂
Many of my rose loving friends are concerned about the effects of chemicals in their garden. Pat offered so much insight and encouragement to those wanting to grow a beautiful yet sustainable rose garden. Pat does not spray her beautiful rose garden and has joined with other environmentally concerned rose gardeners to write a book, The Sustainable Rose Garden.
