Rose Garden Mania

Unlocking The Secrets To The White Rose

As we well know, “a rose is a rose is a rose”. But certainly, even among roses there is a hierarchy, or at least an ordering. Each variety has its own beauty; each color has its own meaning. The two most prominent colors are undoubtedly red and white. Two colors so famous for their meaning, red conveys passion, while white conveys purity. The stories of the red and white rose have long converged and diverged, most famously in history, in the War of the Roses, a late medieval fight for the British crown. Here, we shall leave the passionate red rose to her own affairs, and turn our attention to unlocking the secrets to the more subtle white rose as the focus of our article. The white rose, which has undoubtedly been linked to purity for many years now, has come to represent much more. Christian symbolism has turned it into a sign for the Virgin Mary. In history, especially recent history, the white rose has become a strong political symbol, standing for truth and fighting totalitarianism, starting with the anti-Nazi German student group called the White Rose. White rose petals also manage to smoothly fall into the pages of prose and poetry, leading to beautiful lyrics and strong symbolism. Thus, the white rose, through its different meanings given to it by different ages of humanity, has come to be a strong political emblem, as well as a beautiful image that has been and will continue to be used in literature.

Unlocking Those Longed For Secrets Of The White Rose

Image by dosbears via Flickr

Innocence and purity are the main symbols which the white rose conveys. Likely it is due to this that the white rose is associated with the Mary. The white rose is also said to have blossomed without thorns in Paradise before the fall of Adam and Eve. This image reinforces the idea of the white rose as a return to innocence and purity. It has also come to mean loyalty and faith, which can be strongly linked to purity. In true love, faithfulness and loyalty are implicit, despite distance or time.  For these symbols, white roses are a perfect gift to a beloved who is far away, as they will display not only your love, but also your fidelity. White roses are also the perfect gift to send to a platonic friend, for a similar reason: constant, faithful love, mixed with the symbolism of innocence, is a wonderful way to show your love for a dear friend. From the times of the War of the Roses, the white rose carries great significance in England, and the white rose is said to refer to death to those that betray their word. Again, the white rose is strongly tied to ideas of fidelity and trust – to such a degree that death is deserved by those who break their vows.

Breaking vows is something that the political group The White Rose did not do. This group of students in Munich actively worked against the Nazi regime during World War II, upholding their ideals of freedom. The majority of this group of brave youth did receive death for remaining faithful to their beliefs. The potential reasons for choosing the name “The White Rose” include the relation of the white rose with another of its symbols: secrecy. Loyalty to their cause could have been another reason why they chose the name. Perhaps they chose the white rose, as white is free of any color, and thus, their ideas and work were not linked to any main political thought of the day.  This young group of brave activists has given a special connotation to the white rose. It is the purity of youth, staying faithful to their ideals.

This special rose has its place in world culture as well. From folk songs to children’s stories to rap, references to the flower can be found. A Russian folk song called “White Roses” describes with sadness how white roses add life to and decorate winter parties, only to be left to die after the party is over. This song implies that the white rose sacrifices itself for our enjoyment and short-lived merriment. Nana Mouskouri, in her famous song “The White Rose of Athens”, waits for the blossoming rose for her distant love to return. In this song, the white rose stands for its best known symbols: fidelity and love, waiting for her love to return when the white rose blooms again. In the all-time favorite children’s classic “Alice in Wonderland”, the Red Queen’s servants are frantically “painting the roses red”. When Alice asks why they are painting the white roses red, the servants explain that she will have their heads cut off unless the roses are all red. The Red Queen, known for her cruelty, can be equated to lost innocence, and thus the purity of the white rose does not at all suit such a Queen. The symbolism of the rose is not lost in contemporary culture either. Tupac Shakur, the famous rapper killed at too young an age, wrote an autobiographical poem about a rose. The poem is entitled “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”, which speaks of hope and the ability to overcome obstacles when least expected. Thus, the white rose has firmly established its place in prose and poetry, both of days gone and by and of our contemporary world.

The white rose is a very strong flower. It is pure in its snow white, a favorite flower to accompany brides to the altar, and does represent purity and innocence. At the same time, as the uses throughout history have shown, the white rose is also a symbol of strong resistance and the will to stand for one’s beliefs at any cost. Giving a white rose as a gift is a very strong gift. It is not fleeting passion or romance, which is too often what the red rose conveys. The white rose is a strong and consistent love, which is pure, faithful and sacrificial. Not many flowers have such a powerful meaning to their name. And this meaning comes to the rose not only through folklore and stories, but through true histories of brave people fighting for their cause. The white rose is a beautiful flower, with beautiful symbolism, and a friend or lover should be proud to give this flower as a gift to those they love steadily and faithfully.

So there you have it – we have now unlocked the secrets to the White Rose!

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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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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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