A Rose A Day: Carefree Wonder

June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I don’t know about your grocery store, but many of our grocery stores have potted plants for sale. One that does it best is Kroger. They seem to pick all of my favorites and place them right by the door so I won’t miss them.

Last year I avoided gorgeous lavender plants, tall, fragrant phlox, a stunning butterfly bush or two, and others … But, the one I just couldn’t pass up was the Carefree Wonder rose. It was in full bloom, had a sweet fragrance and promised disease resistance and even shade tolerance. What rose gardener could pass that one by! Actually, I did pass it by but when I mentioned it to Mr. G, he turned around and went back and bought it for me. Yep, that’s my man!

As soon as I planted it, we went into drought mode. But, it just kept on blooming. This year this rose is almost too beautiful to believe.

This rose is shade tolerant, VERY disease resistant, has a mild fragrance and blooms like crazy. I love, love, love it! Easy … breezy … beautiful.

Did I go overboard?? I do love it! 🙂

Can’t wait for you to see tomorrow’s rose … it is a beauty too!

A Rose A Day: Reine des Violette

June 13, 2013June 28, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Reine des Violette is a lovely Hybrid Perpetual that dates back to 1860. Hybrid Perpetuals were developed as hardy garden plants between 1840 and 1900, by crossing the Portland, Bourbon and Gallica roses and were mostly used as cut flowers in the days before hybrid teas.

The “Queen of Violettes” has double, quartered blooms that are amazingly fragrant. This year in my garden she started out deep pink and faded to purple. The color is so intense that it is hard to capture … especially when all you use is your iPhone! 🙂

I have 3 of these roses and find them oh so charming! The have that wild, old rose growth habit and multi-petaled, quartered blooms that I just love!

This year she is giving me a run for my money with Black Spot and Powdery Mildew. Just a little to damp out for her! Hey it’s been a little to damp out for me too! We’ll get through it.

A Rose A Day: Sunny

June 11, 2013June 10, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Who wouldn’t love the lovely Sunny … a proud member of Knockout family of roses. This rose just blooms and blooms and blooms. And, is the most fragrant of the Knockouts.

Beautiful. Disease resistant. Adds so much to my overall garden experience.

Highly recommended for any sized garden. Prune back in early spring (when the forsythia blooms) at least a third of the bush for over all health. You can prune more if you have limited space. This rose is about 4 x 3 in my garden so far this year. Give it a little fertilizer and you are good to go!

My garden friend, Diane LaSauce, has only one rose in her garden–a beautiful Sunny. I am predicting that at the end of the month, she will be set for a few more roses–what do you think? Hey, check out Diane’s beautiful blog, About Home, Garden & Life .… don’t miss the post on her bluebirds.

See ya tomorrow.

A Rose A Day: Blanc Double De Coubert

June 9, 2013June 10, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Blanc Double de Corbert is large Rugosa rose that has been around since 1892. This rose has pure white large double flowers with a very lovely fragrance. And, this year I had the pleasure of watching these blooms stand firm even in torrential downpours! The picture below was taken after one of the many “downpours”!

Like all rugosas, this rose is tough, hardy, fragrant and naturally disease resistant. And, a good repeat bloomer for me.

A Rose A Day: Rosa Mundi

June 8, 2013June 10, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Rosa Mundi is an amazing Gallica rose with a shady past!

Gallicas are the oldest of the garden roses, having been grown by the Greeks and Romans! Gallicas are spring blooming shrubs with wonderfully fragrant blooms of pink, red and even some purples.

Rosa Mundi is the earliest known stripped rose and dates back to the 1500s.

Legend has it that Rosa Mundi was named after Fair Rosa- mund, a mistress of Henry II, England’s monarch from 1154 to 1189. In The Book of Old Roses, Trevor Griffiths tells the story of their tragic affair. Henry was forced to marry a princess who, brooking no competition, is said to have murdered the lovely Rosamund. By Henry’s order, Rosamund was buried at Godstow Nunnery near Oxford, England, and each year on the anniversary of her death, he ordered her tomb to be decorated with masses of Rosa Mundi. -Virginia Kean / Historical Rose Society

I have 3 of these roses. She is a one-time bloomer that requires very little care … and let me tell you, she is a beautiful charmer! I can see why Henry chose her to adorn Rosamunde’s grave. 🙂

A Rose A Day: Charlotte

June 7, 2013June 10, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Charlotte is a David Austin roses and the pictures tell it all. Every year she just gets better and better. Strong growth. Sweet fragrance. Good to repeat bloom!

You can read all about her here.

A Rose A Day: Roseraie de l’ Hay

June 6, 2013July 28, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Roseraie de l’Hay is a rugosa rose introduced in 1901 and was named for the French rose garden of the same name.

Technically rugosa roses are species roses native to eastern Asia, but to me they are a bit of heaven on earth.

I have several of these beauties in my Zone 5b garden. When these roses are blooming our entire garden is filled with their beautiful fragrance. If someone new visits our garden during this time, the first question is always, What is that?

In addition to beauty and fragrance, the upside to rugosa roses–they are tough, trouble free and need very little maintenance. But, you need some room because these beauties grow to be around 6′ X 5′ in my garden. An extra bonus … rugosas produce large red-orange rose hips that are very high in Vitamin C and I am told make great jelly. We just let the birds enjoy them.

Roseraie de l’Hay is a good repeat bloomer for me, but nothing compares to that first bloom of early summer.

A Rose A Day: Zephirine Drouhin

June 5, 2013June 10, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Zephirine Drouhin is a thornless, very fragrant climbing bourbon rose that dates back to 1868.

It technically is a repeat bloomer however it does not repeat very well for me. Regardless, I think it is so worth it!

Since it is thornless, it is the perfect choice to train over a trellis or porch near a pathway. And, since it is a Bourbon, there will be plenty of fragrance to enjoy!

Another thing to note… this has been a very, very rainy spring and her blooms have held up remarkably well when some of the others have not.

A Rose A Day: Julia Child

June 4, 2013June 14, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Julia Child is a buttery yellow power blooming floribunda.

This beauty grows to about 2.5′ high and wide in my garden, but is only a two years old. Next year it may reach the 3′ the catalogs describe.

I first fell in love with this rose when Chris (redneckrosarian.com) shared and shared and shared pictures of his beautiful Julia’s. So I succumbed to rose envy.