Rose Buzz: Companions & Beneficials

Link | October 31, 2015February 5, 2016 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

As gardeners, we learn just how important the right companions are to our plants. Many act as a host to beneficial insects to help combat those who come to destroy! They can also cover up shortcomings when a plant’s beauty begins to fade.

It is the same way for us! We need the companionship of others. They help us grow and learn, but so much more–with the right companions, success is more fun and failure is not so bad.

In a group we can accomplish much more together than we can on our own.

Learn. Grow. Share. Serve. Create Awareness. Celebrate.

As you know, I am a big believer in Social Media! I truly believe social media is shrinking our world and giving us easy access to those who used to be so far away … some even in our own neighborhoods. Our pace of life is often fast and on the go! Multi-tasking has come and gone out of favor more than once.

We are busy.

We are connecting online.

Is it enough?

Of course NOT!

We still need face-to-face.

Much joy is brought to my life by being up close and personal with family, friends and those who share my love of gardening and roses.

JOIN THE FUN.

I am a member of several rose organizations. Two of them are below…

The Indianapolis Rose Society

In this organization I have met some amazing people of all ages. We are all at different stages of the gardening experience and have different passions. Some are into just growing while others with the competitive spirit, enter the most amazing blooms and arrangements in competitions! We have those who use chemicals and others who are all organic.

But it is so much more.

We spend time enjoying all things “rose” together. We learn, we laugh, we celebrate successes and we deal with failures & issues together. It’s not just roses that keep us together, over the years–we have become family.

The American Rose Society

The American Rose Society exists to promote the culture and appreciation of the rose, through education and research to members, to local rose societies and their members and to the public. Read on for more information…

As a member of the ARS, I receive their award-winning magazine and informative newsletters. I have learned about the bigger picture of roses on an international scale! I’ve had the opportunity to attend national conferences where you meet and learn from rose lovers from around world. At these conferences, I have met many rose loving friends who I first “met” online, as well as experts in the field who have become cherished friends.

Exciting Times

Our newly installed ARS President, Pat Shanley, joined us on Rose Chat a few months back to share her dreams and goals for ARS. Take a few minutes and listen to this passionate and energetic leader share her story…HERE.

Yes, growing roses and spending time with my rose companions is very “beneficial” to my health! 🙂

Feel free to share this post and/or the Rose Buzz graphic to help spread the news!

Is 2016 your year to join?

2015 Top 5 Roses

October 25, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

2015 was a beautiful rose year in my neck of the woods. To pick only 5 roses from this year provides quite a challenge. But, I do want to get down to some of the top performers in my Zone 5 garden and share some standouts with you.

Dick Clark – Grandiflora: This was the 3rd year in my garden and it was a blooming machine. Staying healthy all the way to October. Very little disease. I have to say the first year this rose was not impressive in the blooming department but that was all forgotten this year! Many roses do not show their best self until the third year. Maybe you’ve heard this about perennials and shrubs…

1st Year: Sleep
2nd Year: Creep
3rd Year: LEAP!

So, it is best to give them 3 years in your garden to prove what they can do and be for you. This rose was hybridizing giants Tom Carruth and Christian Bedard.
More information @ http://www.weeksroses.com/_Roses/DickClark.html

Petit Pink – Shrub: This easy care shrub from the Proven Winners OSO Happy series bloomed all summer with no sign of disease. Looks good up close and from far away. The long-lasting blooms are small—about an inch in diameter.
More information @ https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/rosa/oso-happy-petit-pink-landscape-rose-rosa-x

Little Mischief – Shrub: (Easy Elegance Collection) These adorable deep pink sprays look amazing in the garden as well as in arrangements. I should know… arranging these little blooms put me in the winners circle at our local district rose show!

More information @ http://www.easyeleganceroses.com/roses

Music Box – Shrub: (Easy Elegance Collection): This is a shrub rose with a pretty little bud and a hybrid tea like bloom. True to the series name, this rose is easy and elegant and completes the package with a lovely fragrance.

More information @ http://www.easyeleganceroses.com/roses I bought mine the last two years from my local Lowes.

Moje Hammerburg – Rugosa: This rose could not be easier or prettier or more fragrant. A medium size Rugosa — some of them can get quite large! If you are not familiar with Rugosas, let me tell you there is not a more hardy, disease resistant family of roses.

There were so many beautiful roses this year. Look at some of my recents posts and you will see many more!

THE 2016 LIST

Like many of you, I am now beginning to make a list of wants and needs for next year. One that is already on the list is my second Tahitian Treasure from Star Roses and Plants. She was a late bloomer and it took the 3 years for her to really show off. But this rose was fabulous this year. Pretty, fragrant, disease resistant and very long lasting in a vase!
More information @ http://www.starrosesandplants.com/plants/grandiflora-rose/tahitian-treasure

This rose was on my potting shed desk for more than a week when I took this picture!

AND, JUST ONE MORE…

Honorable Mention for 2015…

Belinda’s Dream: A rose from the Earth Kind Rose collection. This floriferous rose has beautiful form, is disease resistant and has a beautiful fragrance.

More info @ https://www.chambleeroses.com/order.php?id=25.

This picture show’s Belinda’s Dream growing in a large pot on my deck. She will over winter in her pot in our dark, slightly heated garage. Fingers crossed she will emerge in April ready for another wonderful year! Note: All my roses that I over-wintered in the garage last year did very well!

WHAT ABOUT YOUR GARDEN?

If you have roses that have done particularly well for you this year, please share the name and your growing zone in the comment section below. We learn best from each other!

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ROSE BUZZ: Fall Rose Care

October 2, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

It’s time for me to admit that fall is here and winter is coming and it’s time to prepare the garden for it’s long winter’s nap. In my Zone 5b garden that could mean most anything as I’ve seen winters with more days than I care to count below 0 and then there are the mild midwest winters like last year.

Regardless, good fall care makes spring all the sweeter.

STOP FERTILIZING & DEADHEADING

About 6 weeks before expected frost, it is time to stop fertilizing and deadheading the roses. Since in my neck of the woods, the first frost date can be anywhere from October 5 – October 28.

Stopping the deadheading process tells the roses it’s okay to begin to go to sleep and start producing seeds in the form of rose hips. (Read more about rose hips here.) Don’t trim those off either–the birds find them particularly yummy.

GENERAL CLEANUP

Remove all diseased leaves from around your roses. Black spot and other fungal diseases are not discouraged by cold temperatures and will just over winter and be there next spring– so they must go! Don’t add any of your diseased leaves to your compost pile … they will overwinter there too!

PRUNING

I don’t do much pruning in the fall (Read about spring care here.), unless there are rose canes that have gotten extra tall or spindly. Those I trim back to prevent them from flapping in those cold winter winds as there is a danger of loosening around the roots and making the roses more susceptible to damage from the cold. Pruning says, “Let’s get busy growing.” That is the wrong message to send in the fall!

MULCH

I think it is very important to add an extra layer of mulch to protect the roses through the winter. And, for roses that are more tender, I will mound the mulch much higher on them–to about 1/2 the height of the shrub.

NOW WHAT?

Now it’s time to sit back, relax and pour through those beautiful catalogs and websites and get to dreaming, plotting and planning. Spring will be here in about 169 days. 🙂

HERE ARE THE BASICS…

Rose Buzz: Stories from The Convention

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

While the Rose Chat crew was at the American Rose Society National Fall Convention last week we had the opportunity to hear from our rose friends from around the world. We took the time to do some mini interviews so they could talk to you and let you know what they have been up to.

We invite you to visit our You Tube Channel and listen in. Most of the videos are less than 2 minutes but our rose friends sure packed a lot into their time!

Here is some Rose Chattin’…

Check back, we’ll be adding more videos later in the week!

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Rose Buzz: Hearing from the hybridizers themselves!

September 19, 2015September 18, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

There were so many wonderful things about the American Rose Society Fall Convention, but one of the things I will never forget is meeting and hearing from the top hybridizers from around the world. They are without exception, amazing men dedicated to bringing us the most disease resistant, sustainable, beautiful roses.

You can hear from them too and get some information that is hot off the press!

Check out their video at the bottom of this page. 🐝

Here they are…

Will Radler: Father of the Knock Out family of roses and so much more. (Hear him tell his story on Rose Chat here.)

Alain Meilland, director of Meilland Roses of France who first brought us the Peace Rose.

Steve Hutton, president of Star Roses & Plants.

Michael Mariott, chief designer of David Austin Roses.

Thomas Proll, head of the rose breeding program at Kordes Roses.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

With all the new sustainable and beautiful roses coming out it has never been a better time to surround yourself with the beauty and the fragrance of roses. Whether you have a big yard or a patio, there are roses to fit every spot. I can tell you there is nothing quite like picking your own roses to add to the dinner table or to take to a friend.

And, there is no better way to learn about roses than to join the American Rose Society. We have just installed Pat Shanley and Bob Martin as our President and Vice President and there are none more qualified or more excited about what the future holds. None are more committed to bringing us the very best.

Jump over to ROSE.ORG and take a look around … then SIGN UP! The American Rose magazine that you will receive bi-monthly and the newsletters you will receive bi-monthy will entertain, inspire and educate you as you learn and grow with roses.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to help.

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Rose Buzz: Rose Show Coming Soon!

September 18, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

For those of you new to rose shows, there is never a better time to see what can grow in your area and to meet with the experts on the subject of roses than a local rose show.

If you are in the Indy/Illinois area your time is now … Saturday, September 26. You will see the most beautiful roses from the area and hear from two of the greats in the rose world. And have the opportunity to meet with others who love roses and gardening too.

All the way from NY, noted author, rose historian and garden expert who knows how to have fun growing roses… Stephen Scanniello. (See more info below.) You can follow Stephen on Facebook HERE. Stephen is also the President of the Heritage Rose Foundation-doing great work to educate about and preserve our historical roses. Follow them on Facebook HERE.

Also with us is noted rosarian, ARS rose show judge and rose show photography expert, Bruce Monroe. (See more below.)

What a great time this is to learn from the best of the best! 🌹⭐️🌹

Registration cost for the meeting and rose show is $50.

Since time is running short, no problem, just register at the door on Saturday morning!

Need more information? Download the Illi-Ana newsletter for schedule of events and registration form and much more! … 2015 Summer Illiana.

LOCATION:

La Quinta Inn & Suites
5120 Victory Drive
South Indianapolis

Detailed Map & Directions: laquintaindianapolissouth.com/

PROGRAMS

Roses in Harlem by Stephen Scanneillo
An accomplished international rose personality, author and lecturer.
Stephen donates a portion to his time to the children in Harlem. He teaches rose care, developing and maintaining rose gardens in the community.

Photographing Roses by Bruce Monroe
Accomplished rose gardener, rose show judge and photographer of roses.
Bruce is an expert in all phases of rose growing and will share with us his tips for presenting photography at a rose show.

Don’t have time for a whole day?

You can still stop by to see the beautiful roses!

The rose show is open to the public from 1 – 4 pm on Saturday afternoon.

Please share the graphic below on all your social networks to help us send out reminders to everyone!

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Rose Buzz: Helping Roses be Their Best Self

September 4, 2015December 12, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Contrary to popular belief, roses are simple creatures with basic needs like…

SUN: You’ve heard it said over and over …. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. Pick a spot with 6 – 8 hours of sun!

WATER: All living things need water. The best tip for watering I can give you is—water deeply. Shallow watering leads to shallow roots—which leads to plants that are more susceptible to dry conditions. Send those roots down deep!

NUTRITIOUS SOIL: This is the most important part! Good soil is the best gift you can give your plants. Roses don’t like like “wet feet,” (Neither do most other plants!), so drainage is key. For those of you in my region (midwest Zone 5) you are probably dealing with clay soil. Amend clay soils with compost and aged manure.

DEADHEADING: To keep your roses blooming throughout the season, remove spent blooms.

FERTILIZER: We ask a lot of roses … Be your best self and bloom all season long, so they appreciate a boost! For shrub roses the best time to fertilize is the spring. For hybrid teas and floribundas, they will appreciate some fertilizer in early spring and mid summer.

MULCH: 2-3″ of mulch helps retain moisture and provides a weed barrier. It is one of my fav parts in the process as it adds the finishing touch in the garden!

GOOD COMPANIONS: We all benefit from good companions. They truly help us be our best self and in the case of roses, many of those companions play host to the good bugs they need to fight the bad bugs lurking about!

YOU! Like in all good relationships, there is no substitute for time together. They like to show off for you and the more you visit the more you will recognize what is working and what is not! Maybe it is time to take a selfie of you and your roses and post it on social media. That will surely prove how much you love them. 🙂

GARDEN REPORT…

We have not had significant rain for 3 weeks and temps are soaring into the 90s. This is hard on all plants (and people).

As we’ve talked about before, I have a “system” (read about that here) that helps with a portion of my garden and those areas hardly know what the real weather conditions are, but for the rest of the garden, very little watering is happening due to the fact that the gardener (me) has been in a very busy season and has had very little time.

Proving once again that roses are not the divas many believe they are, here are pictures of my roses this week. Yes, many of these blooms are coming from areas that have not had the benefit of extra care!

Lady Ashe ... short climber — Lady Ashe … short climber

Doris Day ... lovely rose from Weeks Roses — Doris Day … lovely rose from Weeks Roses

Ice Cap ... new rose from Star Roses and Plants. Once of very favorite roses in the garden this year. Couldn't be easier! — Icecap … new rose from Star Roses and Plants. Once of very favorite roses in the garden this year. Couldn’t be easier!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope this week is filled with all that you need to be your best self and that you have time to “stop and smell the roses.”

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Rose Buzz: Fall Rose Tips

August 7, 2015August 8, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Every season brings new garden adventures…some we like and some we want to avoid–like spider mites and black spot. They can make themselves known in the early fall even if we have not had problems throughout the summer. It is best to be on guard! Early detection is key and there are many ways to treat … whether organic or inorganic. Find the one that is best for you. If you need product suggestions, I’ll be happy to help!

We all want blooms right up to the first frost. The better we care for our roses in the fall the more likely that is to happen. Around here the first frost is usually mid October. The bokays we bring inside and share at this time become more and more precious!

Enjoy this special season and do take time to “smell the roses!”

Rose Buzz: Some Like It Hot

July 31, 2015August 1, 2015 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but around here it is HOT. As you know, it has been RAINY and I mean RAINY. Now it is HOT and I mean HOT. Or at least around here the 90s are HOT. In the deep south my friends are hotter but 90 is hot enough for me … HOT.

I thought as the temps soared, I would have very few roses blooming but that has not been the case. Although I am wilting, the roses aren’t. There are certainly a few that are laying low or sending out small blooms, but today we are going to focus on the ones that don’t seem to be bothered by the heat…