Green Finger Gardening

Would you like to cut down on the areas you would normally have to mow grass? You could plant roses as a groundcover. This will produce an effect that is quite pleasing to the eye. Roses as a groundcover won’t kill underlying weeds, therefore you will still need to prepare your ground to cut down on the chances of weeds growing underneath your groundcover.

They can grow out as wide as six feet and upwards as high as 2 feet. This may help you decide how many plants you’ll want to buy for adequate coverage.

The image of a rose plant is usually that of a rosebush, not as a groundcover. This is a fairly new concept. The beauty of it, of course, is more than just the benefit of coverage, but also that of gracing your yard with the ever-popular rose.
Why use a groundcover at all? It helps prevent erosion on banks, grows low, and covers a wide area. The groundcover rose is not to be misinterpreted as a ground-hugger.

It’s best to choose for repeated blooming and disease resistance. Pruning may still be necessary, depending on the effect you desire. Of course, to keep the groundcover looking its best, monitor for dead stems.

Some available choices for groundcover roses are: Flower Carpet Coral, Flower Carpet Appleblossom, The Fairy, Baby Blanket, Red, White, or Pink Meidiland, Foxy, My Rosy Carpet, and Sea Foam.

If you want strong fragrance, be sure to check on that feature before you purchase your groundcover rose. Many modern roses are simply not bred for a strong fragrance, but more so for your viewing pleasure.

Groundcover roses do tend to be quite thorny. Thorns for a true rose grower are but a minor inconvenience. If you’ll need access to the areas or plants nearby, you’d do well to consider placement so you aren’t continually fighting the abuse from being pricked and scratched. Weed removal is more of a challenge with this type of plant.

A particular favorite among groundcover roses seems to be the Flower Carpet Series. However, Rosa ‘Glacier Magic’ has a spectacular white flower. It is said to have glossy, large, self-cleaning flowers that are highly pest and disease resistant. The white blooms help the plant stand out and demand attention. It’s like adding a light to the darkness of a non-blooming groundcover!

Some groundcover roses don’t resemble your traditional expected vision of a rose. For example, the Rosa ‘Nearly Wild’ has fewer petals and opens wide. It’s a colorful vision that is still a joy to own.

When deciding where to plant your groundcover roses, remember to avoid areas where foot traffic would be a hindrance or vice versa. Consider whether you’ll need to drag a water hose out to the area. If so, you may want to purchase a soaker hose, and make sure it will be the proper length. If you’ll have a big area to maintain or if your groundcover will be spread out to include various areas of your yard, the purchase of a wheelbarrow could be an asset. Gloves that protect against thorns may be needed. Such items as a hoe for weeding, clippers for pruning, and knee pads could be necessary purchases.
Don

www.greenfingergardening.com

Who hasn’t heard of the song about ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas’? The yellow rose is one of the most popular roses in history. The song, however, was actually about a lady a Civil War soldier is trying to find. Dolly Parton also wrote a song titled ‘Yellow Roses’ about a romance with someone who both began and ended the relationship with a yellow rose.

There are companies named for the yellow rose, such as Yellow Rose Products, Yellow Rose Enterprises and Yellow Rose Gifts. There are books written, such as the Yellow Rose Bride, A Texas Sky, the Yellow Rose Trilogy and a series called The Yellow Rose Mysteries. There is yellow rose white gold jewelry. A concealer has been made called the Yellow Rose of Texas, which hides imperfections of the skin.

The yellow rose has been said to symbolize friendship, caring, freedom, dying love, and platonic love. In German-speaking countries, the yellow rose means jealousy or infidelity. It is appropriate to send yellow roses to graduates, Texans, new mothers, and newlyweds. If you send red roses mixed with yellow roses, it stands for happiness and celebration. A single rose of any color is a sign of thanks. A safe idea is to send a note with the yellow rose, explaining your intentions!
In the 18th century, yellow roses were discovered growing wild in parts of the Middle East. The first yellow roses found did not have a sweet smelling fragrance. Cross-breeding was a friend to the yellow rose’s scent. You can buy organically grown yellow roses, which would give support to environmentally-friendly farming.

Yellow roses will bring a touch of sunshine to any flower arrangement. You won’t be disappointed in the addition to your flower bed. They add elegance to any décor in a home. The yellow rose is a pleasant image on items of clothing, bedding, curtains, and so on.

The yellow rose has brought financial gain to Texas by association with the song title. It has benefited Texas for years by way of its commercial value. But the yellow rose is certainly not limited to Texas or Texas products and services. It is available in many areas of the world. People in countries that have no connection to Texas have enjoyed the silent, quiet, soothing beauty of the yellow rose.

On the downside, there is a link between yellow roses and blackspot. Blackspot is a leaf disease that defoliates and kills. Hybrid yellow roses have been bred stronger and more resistant to blackspot, however, resistant roses still need care to avoid disease. Also, the area makes a difference in how well a yellow rose will be able to fend off disease. A warm and humid climate will be more inviting to the disease. There are sprays available to help guard against blackspot, such as apple cider vinegar spray. Wild herbs like stinky nettle, horsetails, and comfrey are also used by some as a spray for blackspot. Whatever the case, if you truly want yellow roses, where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Don

www.greenfingergardening.com

The hybrid tea might also be called the flower of lovers. It makes the perfect long-stemmed rose. It flowers repeatedly and can be strong with the proper care. It is the resulting combination of the tea rose and the hybrid perpetual. A hybrid tea is an ideal choice to present to the love of your life, a special gift for a mother, or just to display on your tabletop. It will add a touch of elegance to any room even as a lone flower in a vase. There are at least 237 varieties available.
If you worry about thorns, you can choose a thorn less type of hybrid tea. In my humble opinion, the thorns add to the artistic charm of the flower. It demands respect and adds character.

Be sure to take care of your newly acquired plant. You’ll want to decide what to feed it for endurance and strength and overall health. Each established gardener most likely has a favorite recipe or brand of plant food. Guard against overuse when feeding. It is possible to chemically burn your leaves or stems. The food is often concentrated and requires diluting. Watering heavily also helps dilute the food for the hybrid teas to process more easily and acceptably. You really only have to feed once in the spring and again in the fall. Some gardeners may choose to feed more often.

Pruning, feeding, proper watering, insect and disease control all sound a bit overwhelming at first. But it’s actually an easy process to learn. Like any living thing, there is a necessity for proper growth and development. Try keeping notes you feel are important about your hybrid and its care. These may even come in handy should you choose to try your luck with other flowering plants. Once you become more comfortable with the care of your plant, you’ll be better able to appreciate it.

Some hybrid teas have romantic names, such as Bride’s Dream, Bronze Star, Change of Heart, or Classic Beauty. If you like card games, perhaps your landscape would be more complete with the Ace of Hearts. Like many other things, there are hybrid teas named after famous people such as Barbara Streisand, Barbara Bush, Bing Crosby, and Bob Hope. Whatever your choice, you shouldn’t be disappointed in one of the most popular and beloved of roses.

It would probably be next to impossible to count all the things ever written about the rose. Often when one pictures a love scene, if a rose is involved, it would be a long-stemmed hybrid with or without thorns. Although they are not known for their strong scent, a hybrid tea has its own appeal in its appearance alone. Commercially, it is a welcomed rose. Shown in many pictures and used in many images, the hybrid is greatly admired. It’s image is used on gift wrap, tattoos, dinnerware, in wedding decorations, and especially on assorted items for Valentine’s Day, to name a few.
Don

www.greenfingergardening.com

One type of rose that seems saturated with sophistication beginning with its name is the English rose. There have been stories and books written with the name. But the English roses are especially deserving of a name that suggests class and royalty.

English roses are a group of roses, introduced by a hybridizer in the 1960’s. They were created to enhance some of the Old Roses, although a rose is a special flower in its own right and would seem to need no such enhancing. A rose by any name or type is a long-admired favorite among almost anyone.

The English roses tickle the senses with their delicate charm and fragrance. If you enjoy the idea of a larger rose, this type is a good choice. Being a fuller flower with many lovely petals, it is a delight for the eyes. Having been bred also for the excellent scent, English roses are a delight for the nose as well. The old-style combines with the modern style for a nice balance.

Although roses are mostly associated with the thought of the female gender, many types of English roses also carry male names. If you’d like a garden to suggest a theme, you could devote an area to roses with names of each gender. A few of the English roses with names are: Charles Austin, David Austin, Brother Cadfael, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Britten. Some English roses with female names include: Barbara Austin, Claire Rose, Cordelia, Evelyn, and Gertrude Jekyll.
Maybe you’d like to include some English roses with names that play on your tongue to exercise your palate. Try Corvedale, Glanis Castle, Jaquenetta, and Mortimer Sackler. If you yearn for English roses with names from other lands, try Queen Nefertiti, Sharifa Asma, or Shropshire Lad.

As with most anything these days, there are many websites devoted to the famous David Austin English roses. They are beautiful hybrids that can only add pleasure to your landscaping. They are meant to be admired and enjoyed by all. One man’s dream and creativity reaches people worldwide with something as simple and yet complex as the English roses.
Roses have the most elaborate vocabulary of any flower. Rose buds generally signify youth and beauty, red roses signify passion, white roses purity and innocence, and yellow roses jealousy and/or infidelity. You’ll find a wide array of colors available in the English roses. They can mean much or nothing, depending on what you want from your garden.
An interesting tidbit of information is that rose water is not a perfume. It is still used in cosmetics and perfume. The Romans created a beauty treatment using dried roses and lion’s fat.

English roses are enjoyed by people in all walks of life: rich, poor, famous, and the regular “joe”. You don’t have to speak a certain language or be anyone special to plant and enjoy the endearing English roses. You don’t have to have an entire garden of roses either. An English rose plant is beautiful all by itself.
Don

www.greenfingergardening.com

Some say roses aren’t climbers by nature and must be taught. Just think….a climber that can grow to forty feet up a tree, yes, it’s possible! If you prefer a smaller version, there is also the miniature climber to consider. Any rose is beautiful, but you might say climbers have a farther “reach”.

Suppose I give you an image flower lovers can appreciate? Imagine a field such as seen under the warm California sunshine. It’s a grapevine field, with rows and rows to fill. Now substitute the grapevines with climbing roses! What a vision that would be to behold.

However, you must choose your climber with care, for some are only able to tolerate small amounts of sunshine and will bloom only with the proper amount of sunlight. You’ll need to keep it properly pruned for the better health of the plant. It will need plenty of room to spread its spectacular beauty. Some climbers grow taller and larger depending upon their climate. You’ll need access to the taller parts of the plant. You may decide to shape it.

Some questions to consider are: ‘how often will you want the climber to bloom’, ‘will you want a certain color theme among your climbers’, ‘would you need to treat it for bugs native to your area’.

A climber and a rambler are different types of rose plants. Climbers need to be tied to a structure to maintain stability. They have heavier vines, or canes if you will, than the rambler. The rambler’s vines are more flexible and must be trained to grow over an object.

As with many flowers, the best time to plant a climber is at least 6 weeks before the first hard frost or in the spring or fall when the weather is cooler, but not wintry. You could start the plant indoors and then move it to the garden. Build a teepee of wooden poles; make sure the height of the legs will suit your container; wind nylon wire or string in a criss-cross fashion around the poles to give the plant places to grab as it works its way up the poles.
An easy idea for use with climbers is a trellis, which is made with either lumber or plastic. Although, personally, I would think the plastic surface would be harder for the plant to grab and hold. You could substitute nylon netting in place of the string or wire.

If you have little ones who want to help garden, you could buy popsicle sticks for them to glue together in lattice fashion for use with your climber. If you are comfortable with the art work of a child, you could have he or she paint the container and put their own pictures and letting on it. One idea that may be of interest to moms or grandmothers is to allow the child their own climbing garden area. It would teach them the wonders of the rose on a level they could accept more readily.
Don

www.greenfingergardening.com