Why antiques? Antique roses are those breed by species, sports, varieties, or cultivars prior to the first hybrid tea, (LaFrance) in 1867. Some people are not as strict in their interpretation of antique roses as the American Rose Society, and claim any rose 75 years or older as being old.

Why antiques? They have withstood the test of time. Many are alive and well, living in old grave yards, home sites, and near public buildings that are over 100 years old. Although some get black spot or something, they nevertheless flourish.

Why antiques? Modern day roses, especially the hybrid teas have to be pampered and babysat. Not only do they have to be fertilized, watered, and prune just right to live for any length of time. Hybrid teas are usually grafted on to other root stock. It appears to most horticulturalists they plants are hardier on their own rootstock.

Why antiques? Hybrid teas have been breed for form of flower, how well they do in vases, and repeat bloom. Fragrance, hardiness, and other great qualities have mostly disappeared, although now there are hybridizers experimentally with fragrance. I read recently of petunias being used in experiments to give hybrid teas and other new roses an old flower smell. For the most part, new roses make the ugliest of bushes, whereas the antiques are often graceful in form.

In the late 1700′s to early 1800′s, visitors to China, specifically botanists, brought back to the west rose that would bloom more than once a year, called remontant. They named these roses “China” Roses and “Tea” Roses. Until then, all roses in the west bloomed only once a year. These were the hardy roses, sports, and varieties grown in the Americas, Europe, and parts of Asia. These roses flourished in the wild, even.
The Chinas and Teas did very well in warm climates. In northern Europe, they could not withstand the cold. So nurserymen and other began crossing the Tea and Chinas with such native species as the dog rose, the Centifolias, Damasks, and Gallicas. The end product of all this hybridizing produced Bourbons, Grandifolias, Hybrid Perpetuals, Noisettes, Portlands, Polyanthas, etc.

Old roses look spectacular in all types of situations. The native species of rose go swell with other natives, especially on rustic, naturalistic sites. Antique roses look well in rustic garden laid out formally or informally. Most old roses look fantastic in abstract modern, baroque, or classical formal or informal gardens. The antiques set off perennials, herbs, and other shrubs in the border. They are at home on either city plots or vast estates.

So the least you can do for your one and only is to give her a rose garden. After all, Napoleon gave Josephine, “Malmaison”, outside Paris, reportedly the greatest rose garden since ancient times.
Josephine had a painter who strolled around her garden painting flowers, particularly roses. His name is Redoubte and his works command a high price.

Some of the rose varieties grown at Malmaison can be purchased today, as well as, many others. Petals From the Past in Jemison, Alabama is a great place. So is the Antique Rose Emporium in Tyler, Texas and Suburban Atlanta. In Watsonville, California, there is Roses of Yesterday and Today. You can order old roses from http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ and http://www.rosesofyesterday.com/rosenn.htm.

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Many people could not resist a rose’s beauty and scent. Imagine this coming from your rose garden. These flowers are known to be a bit complicated to grow, but anyone could start rose gardening in the comfort of her own backyard. Good rose care will keep it beautiful.

To make sure that your most prized rose garden is in the pink or even red of their health, simply follow these tips on rose care dealing with most of their health dilemma:

1. Black Spots on Leaves in Your Rose Garden

This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots appear as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves to yellow. The solution is to remove the infected foliage and pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. For the rose care artificial sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of rose disease.

2. Stunted or malformed young canes

Known as powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that covers leaves, stems and buds with wind spread white powder. It makes the leaves to curl and turn purple. Spray with Funginex or Benomyl to treat this fungal disease that could ruin your rose garden.

3. Blistered underside of leaves

A disease of roses known as rust, it is characterized with orange-red blisters that turn black in fall. In spring, it attacks new sprouts. This disease can even survive winter. What you can do is to collect and discard leaves that are infected in fall. Benomyl and Funginex spraying every 7-10 days may help.

4. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers – not for your rose garden

What could have caused this is the presence of spider mites. They are tiny yellow, red or green spiders on the underside of leaves. They also suck juices from leaves. The application of Orthene or Isotox is good rose care and will help in treating this infestation.

5. Weak and mottled leaves with tiny white webs under them

This might be caused by aphids. They are small soft-bodied insects that are usually brown, green or red. Often clustered under leaves and flower buds. They suck plant juices from tender buds. Malathion or diazinon spray may help roses to survive these bugs.

6. Flowers that don’t open or are deformed when they open.

The infestation in your rose garden is probably thrips. It is characterized with slender, brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings thriving in flower buds. They also suck juices from flower buds. The rose care for this is to cut and discard the infested flowers. Using Orthene and malathion may also treat this health problem of your roses.

This valuable information regarding the diseases your roses are prone to have will prove to be very helpful in making your rose garden ever more inviting.

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Everyone who builds his own garden and choosing different flowers to plant in his garden necessarily chooses rose as one of those plants. Roses are indeed very beautiful flowers and they add a lot of charm to your garden. Hence, who would not like to have rose plant as one of his flower plants?

People usually have wrong notions regarding roses. They think that roses are difficult to grow and they might often have a lesser life span than expected. However, this notion is not true. Rose plants are easy to grow and they add a lot of charm to your garden when they blossom. All you need to do is arrange the rose plants the right pattern in your garden. Then you can observe for yourself how roses look so attractive whether in combination with other color flowers and separately by themselves.

There are some requirements for a rose plant to grow properly. The first requirement is good soil. The site used for planting roses must be free from weeds and rocks. Any previous vegetation that was planted on the site must also be removed. Then the soil must be turned and adequate quantity of fertilizers must be added. Fertilizers ensure that your soil is rich is nutrients and help your rose plants to grow properly.

Ensure that the soil has good drainage facility. Keep turning the soil for one or two weeks. Compost, a mixer of soil and materials like banana peels, eggshells, apple cores, and coffee can be added continuously during this period to increase the nutrient content of the soil.

Rose plants can be acquired in a number of ways. Like everything else, even rose plants can be purchased on the internet. There are a number of websites relating to horticulture which deliver rose plant bulbs to your doorstep, which can then be planted in your garden. Rose plant bulbs can also be obtained from the local nursery in your area for a decent price. They will give you the right variety of rose plant that can grow and flourish in that specific season.

The good thing about rose plants is that their growth can be controlled by pruning them from time to time. After you have planted the bulbs in the soil, keep watering them regularly. Within a few weeks, beautiful looking rose flowers will emerge in your garden and it will be a pleasant sight to watch

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Contain It: Ten Things to Think about when Growing Container Roses

If your space is at a premium, but you love roses, you may want to think about growing container roses.

1. Convenience of Location

Growing roses in containers had a lot of advantages. If you don’t have a yard to garden in, or are limited to a balcony on your apartment, container gardening is perfect. Containers can be set on a patio or moved about as needed to give you the most decorative effect you can get. As long as you are gentle, it is fairly easy to move container roses. Larger containers can get quite heavy after they are filled up with plants and soil. If you are planting a large container, put it where you want it to sit before you begin to fill it. If you put it on a rolling stand, it is easier to move the container later or rotate it to get even sun exposure.

When choosing a spot for your container rose, remember your rose needs six hours of direct sun every day. You’ll also want to keep in mind how easy it is to water your rose in your chosen location, and what kind of temperatures will your rose be exposed to in its container.

2. What Roses to Plant

Be aware that not every rose is going to adapt to growing in a container. Do some research on what varieties will grow well in a small space. Ask at your local garden center. They should be able to recommend many varieties that will be suitable.

3. Size of Your Container

Plants are usually planted closer together in containers than they are in the ground. Be sure to leave enough room in the container for your rose to grow. It needs room for root growth and space for good air circulation. Many beginners to container planting make the mistake of planting their roses in containers that are really too small. They end up repotting quickly as the roses outgrow the original pot.

4. Type of Containers

There are a lot of different containers to choose from for your roses. While most roses come in perfectly usable plastic pots, remember that black and other dark colored plastic containers will absorb heat and dry out the soil much more quickly than lighter colored pots. Ceramic and wooden pots are also good choices. You can find decorative terra cotta pots at many garden centers, but they lose water more quickly than some other types of pots. Be sure you choose one that is practical as well as decorative. Consider the size of your rose, the color and the surroundings in which it will sit when choosing your pot.

5. Drainage

Be sure the container you select has good drainage. No matter how pretty a pot is, if it doesn’t have enough holes for the excess water to flow through, your rose will not thrive.

6. Soil Mixture

It is essential to provide a high quality soil mix. You can find a perfect pre-mixed soil at your garden center, or you can mix your own with compost and top soil.

7. Watering

Be sure you don’t overwater your rose. Underwatering it can be just as disastrous. Remember that water will drain out much faster from a pot than it does in the ground. If you have roses in hanging baskets, they will need to be watered much more frequently than other kinds of containers. Hanging baskets lose a lot more water than other containers. Try not to get a lot of extra water on the leaves of your rose.

8. Feeding

Dilute the food you feed your container roses. You may need to feed more often since the water draining from the bottom of the pot will carry fertilizer with it.

9. Grooming and Pruning Your Roses

Always inspect your roses for signs of pests and disease. This is extremely important if your roses are located inside. Remove all old blossoms and prune out the old canes.

10. Watch the Temperature

It makes sense that a rose in a container is going to be more sensitive to heat and cold than if it were planted in the ground. Give them a little extra care and they will continue to thrive. Protect them from freezing by bringing them into a protected area or bring them indoors for the winter.

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Many gardeners like to enjoy their roses twice — first in the garden, then indoors as cut flowers. By choosing the right roses, cutting them at the proper time of day, and conditioning them after cutting, you can enjoy your cut roses for the longest possible time — up to five days or more after cutting.

When to Cut Roses

In general, the more petals a rose has the slower it will open and the longer it will last. So, the best roses to use as cut flowers are the fully double varieties. Flowers with fewer petals open quickly and need to be replaced more often. Old garden and shrub roses generally wilt rapidly because their petals lack the substance (thickness and sturdiness) of modern roses and therefore don’t make good cut flowers.

In addition to the form of a rose, you should consider its blooming stage. A rose will last longer if it is cut when the sepals have separated from the bud and have turned downward, and when the bud has softened but before the stamens are visible. If you squeeze the bud and it is still hard, wait a day or two before cutting it or it may not open after it is cut.

Roses should be cut from a well-watered plant, late in the afternoon when the sugar and nutrient content of the plant is highest. This provides the bloom with ample energy to develop and open normally, and to stay open longer without wilting. During hot weather, when there is chance that a flower may be dehydrated by late afternoon, water the plant well several hours before cutting.

How to Cut Roses

Using pruning shears or flower-cutting shears cut the stem at a 45-degree angle, no shorter than just above the first five-leaflet leaf below the flower. You can cut a stem as long as you like, provided that at least two sets of leaves are left on the main stem to act as food producers for future growth and flowering.

Carry a bucket of water with you into the garden so that you can place the cut stems in the water immediately. The flowers will last much longer if the uptake of water is not interrupted for too long and the stems don’t dry out. It’s all right to submerge the leaves temporarily as they too will absorb moisture.

Although you will not harm a plant if you cut off all its flowers at one time, you may want to leave a few on the plant for garden color. Cutting roses, whether new or faded, encourages the plants to grow and re-bloom quickly.

After you have cut the roses re-cut the stems at a slant with the stem underwater to permit maximum water absorption.

How to Condition Roses

Place the bucket of water containing the cut roses in a cool, dark place, like in the basement, to allow the roses to become “conditioned” before arranging them in a vase. Conditioning roses allows them to get used to being detached from the plants and slows down the respiratory rate of the leaves. Leave them for at least several hours; preferably overnight.

You can condition cut flowers in a refrigerator as long as the refrigerator is intended only for roses and not for food. Many types of fruit stored in a refrigerator release ethylene gas, a ripening agent that causes cut flowers to open prematurely.

Water for cut flowers is best if it is slightly acidic because acid breaks up air bubbles in water by neutralizing the carbon dioxide gas. Air bubbles can clog capillaries in the stem and prevent water from reaching the flowers and foliage. Water also travels more quickly up a stem when the water is acidic. If you’re not sure whether your water is acidic, ask your water supplier. If it is not acidic, add lemon juice to acidify it.

You should not use artificially softened water; it contains sodium, which is toxic to plants. In most cases, use cold water; it slows down the respiratory rate of the leaves. However, if the flowers have wilted because they have been out of water too long or because the stems were not cut underwater soon enough and the stem ends have become clogged, hot water will revive them faster than cold water. The stems absorb hot water more quickly.

How to Prepare Roses for a Vase

Before placing the roses in a vase, remove any leaves and thorns that will be below the water after arranging, because these will quickly disintegrate, foul the water, and shorten the life of the cut flowers. Thorns can be snapped off by hand or with a special thorn-stripping tool sold by florist supply stores. Then clean the remaining foliage with soap and water if necessary to remove dirt or spray residue, and make the leaves shine by rubbing with a paper towel, a soft cloth, or a nylon stocking. If any of the leaves are ripped or chewed, they can be manicured with small scissors.

More tips: If the roses you have picked are fragrant, handle them gently. The petals of fragrant roses have more scent-emitting glands than do those of less-fragrant kinds, and they therefore tend to bruise more easily.

To lengthen the life of your cut roses, always use a clean container for the flowers, and add a floral preservative to the water. Because they are acidic, contain sugar, and include a bacteria-retarding agent, floral preservatives provide some nutrients and restrain the growth of bacteria that will shorten the life of the flowers. These preservatives can be purchased at a flower shop. If you can’t buy one, mix any clear citrus-based soft drink containing sugar with three parts water; or mix 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, and l/2 teaspoon household bleach in 1 quart of water.

Keep the container filled with water to reduce the chance that it will evaporate or be consumed by the roses. If possible, change the water daily, re-cutting the stems underwater each time. Or check the level every day and add water as needed. To prolong the life of cut roses, keep cool and away from drafts, air-conditioners, radiators, and full sun.

Display the splendor of single rose stems in simple vases. When enjoying blooms from first-year roses, it’s usually better to cut short stems.

Good Roses for Long-Stemmed Cutting
Barbra Streisand (‘WEKquaneze’)
Bride’s Dream (‘KORoyness’) Crystalline (‘ARObipy’)
Elina (‘DICjana’)
Jardins de Bagatelle (‘MEImafris’)
Kardinal (KORlingo’)
Love & Peace (‘BALpeace’)
Moonstone (‘WEKcryland’)
New Zealand (‘MACgenev’)
Peter Mayle (‘MEIzincaro’)
‘Royal Highness’
Toulouse Lautrec (‘MEIrevolt’)
Valencia (‘KOReklia’)
Veteran’s Honor (‘JACopper’)

Bambi Coker
© Bambi Coker All Rights Reserved

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