Blooming Roses at My Farm
I love this time of year when I can walk through my flower gardens and see all the wonderful blooms - everything looks so amazing this season, especially the roses.
As many of you know, I adore roses and have grown them for more than 25-years. Many of the rose cultivars growing at my Bedford, New York farm were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my home in East Hampton. I also have various David Austin roses and a selection from Northland Rosarium - all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- I have hundreds of rose varieties growing along the perimeter of my flower cutting garden – many are old fashioned and antique roses. They include: ‘Alchymist’, ‘Boule de Neige’, ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’, ‘Charles de Mills’, ‘Constance Spry’, ‘Dainty Bess’, ‘Pierre de Ronsard’, ‘Ferdinand Pichard’, Konigin von Danemark’, Louise Odier’, Madame Alfred Carriere’, ‘the Reeve’, ‘Pearlie Mae’, and ‘Sweet Juliet’.
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- Roses are aggressive growers, and the climbers are some of the most vigorous – capable of growing many feet in a season.
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- Climbers always do best when well supported by a trellis or fence – one that is the appropriate height, width, and strength for the climber. It should be strong enough to hold the weight of a full grown rose plant in both wet and windy weather.
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- Plant your roses in a sunny location with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
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- To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH. Slow-release granular fertilizers that supply the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other minor nutrients will also give rose bushes the nourishment they need.
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- The general rule is to prune all of the stems down half way. And try to keep the plant young by pruning out the older stems each year.
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- Rose bushes should receive six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
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- The best time to plant roses is in the spring, after the last frost, or in the fall at least six weeks before the average first frost in your area. This gives the roots enough time to burrow into the soil before the plants go dormant over the winter.
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- The amount and frequency of watering will depend on your soil type and climate. Roses growing in sandy soils will need more watering than those in heavier clay soils. Hot, dry, and windy conditions will also parch roses quickly.
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- Give roses the equivalent of one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.
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- And the best way to prevent rose diseases is to choose disease-resistant varieties. Many roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose problems.
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- I love this beautiful apricot colored climbing rose growing up one of the garden’s trellises. Some of the newer roses added to the garden include a selection from David Austin – ‘Abraham Darby’, Graham Thomas’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Lady of Shallot’, ‘Golden Celebration’, ‘Snow Goose’, ‘St. Swithun’, ‘Benjamin Britten’, ‘Brother Cadfael’, ‘James Galway’, ’Teasing Georgia’, ‘The Generous Gardener’, ‘Wolverton Old Hall’, ‘Malvern Hills’, and ‘Jude the Obscure’.
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- Look how wonderful these roses are doing on my tower trellis. I have several of these towers trellises in the garden.
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- Here is a gorgeous all white rose.
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- Roses will last the longest when they are cut immediately after the bud stage, when the petals are starting to open.
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- Cut roses when they are dewy fresh and hydrated, either early in morning or during the evening, so the plant isn’t stressed from hot weather and sun exposure.
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- Roses comes in many different colors, such as red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, white and apricot.
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- Last year, I added roses from Northland Rosarium, including ‘Night Owl’, Poseidon’, ‘Quick Silver’, ‘Colette’, ‘Cecile Brunner’, ‘Ebb Tide’, ‘Jeannie Lajoie’, Lykkefund’, ‘Veilchenblau’, and ‘Geschwind’s Most Beautiful’. All these roses are doing very well.
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- This collection of rose bushes is planted in the lilac allee just past my chicken coops and near my tennis court. During summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, fragrant rose blooms.
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- Here is one blooming so perfectly. A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
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- Roses can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles.
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- I also have many climbing roses growing along the fence of my vegetable gardens.
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- Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height.
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- The leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species they are about two to five inches long, pinnate, with at least three leaflets and basal stipules; the leaflets usually have a serrated margin, and often a few small prickles on the underside of the stem.
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- The flowers of most species have five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink.
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- Look at all these stunning blooms.
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- If properly cared for, a rose bush should live for about 30-years or more.
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- Here are some beautiful roses on my kitchen counter. Before placing in the vase, recut the rose stems to eliminate any air bubbles that will prevent them from taking in water. And cut the stems at a 45-degree angle so they don’t rest flat on the bottom of the vase. What kind of roses are blooming in your gardens this year? Share your comments with me in the section below.
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