Rose gardening phobics can welcome easy-maintenance lush blooms
By: Patricia Taylor
Are you one of the many gardeners who have spurned the lush beauty of roses because they are so labor intensive? Take heart and take a second look.
Over the past two decades, horticultural houses in
France, Germany and England have been introducing roses that are both
beautiful and low-maintenance. As a result of their efforts, the term
"easy rose" is no longer an oxymoron.
These new roses and there are hundreds of them
share several key characteristics. Chief among these are their
long blooming periods and their minimal maintenance needs. All they
require are at least a half-day of full sun, well-drained soil, watering
during drought periods, and, for super abundant blooms, a douse of
slow-release fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season.
Four local rose experts suggest the best of the
easiest roses suitable for growing in the Greater Trenton area:
Carefree Delight is beautiful all year, according to
Steven Scanniello, former rosarian at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and
author of "A Year of Roses" (Henry Holt).
"Its five-petalled carmine pink and white flowers
bloom in massive clusters from late May to hardest frost," he explained.
"The orange-red seed hips provide an extra bonus in fall and are
handsome in bouquets. Finally, in winter the bare canes are plum-tinted
and can be pruned into interesting shapes."
!["Flower]("/local/Z/ZWIRE1091/zwire/images/rose1.jpg") |
| Flower Carpet Pink is considered to be the most disease-resistant rose ever bred. |
Carefree Delight was introduced by France’s House of
Meidiland in 1989 and went on to win the Gold Medal for Landscape Roses
from the Hague in Holland and the prestigious German All-Deutsche Rose
Trial Award.
The rose is notable for its rigorous three-year
performance test conducted with absolutely no spraying. In 1996,
Carefree Delight was named an All-America Rose Selection after an
extensive two-year trial program in 24 test gardens across the United
States.
Carefree Delight reaches 4- 5-feet tall and has a
spread of about 6 feet. Mr. Scanniello uses it both as a hedge around
borders and as a border end point. When used as a hedge, he shears the
plants straight across in early spring.
"Because Carefree Delight is so disease-resistant," he
says, "the foliage is a beautiful glossy green throughout the heat of
summer. And while the flowers are not fragrant, they are handsome in
cut-flower arrangements. "Carefree Wonder is perhaps the easiest rose
that I have seen for the landscape," says Jim Browne, author of "The
American Guides: Rose Gardening" (Pantheon Books).
"It has little disease problems," he explains, "blooms
for an extended period of time and grows even while neglected."
Another House of Meidiland selection, the flowers on
Carefree Wonder are semi-double and a softer pink than those on Carefree
Delight. Orange-red hips begin to appear in late summer, adding dots of
color to the mass of flowers.
Carefree Wonder is slightly shorter than Carefree
Delight and has a maximum spread of 4 feet. This greater compactness
allows it to shine as a specimen plant in borders. When planted en
masse, it forms ribbons of color that are perfect for edging driveways
or acting as natural fences.
Thriving in a wide variety of soils, Carefree Delight
tolerates partial shade, wind and environmental stress. Its long-lasting
beauty and high disease-resistance earned it an AARS award in 1991.
As horticulturist for the Government Center Complex in
St. Louis County, Mo., Douglas R. Wolter is responsible for choosing
beautiful, low-maintenance flowers for more than 20 acres situated in an
environmentally tough urban setting. As a commercial and residential
landscaper, Mr. Wolter must select similar plants to keep clients happy.
Inboth roles, he is a steady user and staunch advocate of Flower Carpet
Pink.
He likes it for its looks, carefree nature and
healthiness. Flower Carpet Pink Holder another winner of an ADR award,
received the highest rating given for natural disease resistance.
A 1991 German introduction, this rose is covered with
iridescent rose-pink blooms lightly tinged with white at their centers.
Mature plants reach about 2 feet in height and have a spread of 4 feet.
They can each produce up to 4,000 flowers per season.
Flower Carpet Pink plants bloom right through St.
Louis’s hot, humid summers. While this sterile rose does not produce
seed hips, it often holds its dark green leaves well into winter. Mr.
Wolter often twines Christmas lights among the plants at his home.
"Tamora is one of David Austin’s finest roses," says
Clair G. Martin, curator of the Rose Collections at The Huntington
Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif., and author of "100 English
Roses for the American Garden" (Workman Publishing).
Ms. Austin, a noted English rosarian, has created a
stir in horticultural circles with her creation of a revolutionary class
of roses that feature luxurious unfolding blossoms, beguiling fragrance,
repeat bloom, and disease resistance. Tamora, appearing in 1983, is
among her earliest introductions.
"I also believe," Ms. Martin says, "that Tamora is one
of the easiest roses one can grow. It is outstanding as a hedge, a
container plant or a single specimen in the garden. It features a lovely
apricot pink color that reminds me of a maiden’s blush."
This rose just can’t stop blooming. Bright orange-red
buds open on 3-foot stems in spring and continue to bloom until struck
down by heavy frost. Each flower releases a strong myrrh fragrance,
which is particularly delightful on warm summer evenings.
Patricia A. Taylor loves low-maintenance flowers and
describes more than 500 of them in her book, "Easy Care Native Plants"
(Holt).