My Many Roses in Bloom
My roses are at their peak and looking absolutely splendid this year - I hope you all saw some of the beautiful arrangements on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
I've been growing roses for more than 30 years. Many of my rose cultivars were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my former home in East Hampton, New York. Earlier this week, I shared images of some of my David Austin roses growing behind my main greenhouse - all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances. I also have roses planted along both sides of my lilac allée, around my vegetable garden, at my pergola, and in the perennial flower cutting garden - and all are blooming.
Enjoy these photos.
-
- This collection of rose bushes is planted just past my chicken coops and vegetable garden. During late spring and summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, red, and white fragrant rose blooms.
-
- 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.
-
- Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
-
- Rose 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 also usually have a serrated margin. and remember, rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles, not thorns. A prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.
-
- Rose bushes need 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.
-
- And be sure to plant them in a location with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
-
- Among my many favorites is the swirled ‘Variegata di Bologna’ with its large, cupped flowers and petals of creamy white cleanly striped with purple crimson. It is one of the most striking of the striped roses providing a fantastic display in any garden.
-
- Rosa ‘Mme Zoetmans’ is another lovely variety. It has full-petalled, rosette-shaped flowers with a button eye and a strong fragrance.
-
- And here’s one in deep red with delicate ruffled petals.
-
- Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height.
-
- 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. We amend the soil here at my farm every season.
-
- I also have thousands of roses growing along all four sides of my perennial flower cutting garden fence – some are climbing and spilling over the sides.
-
- Many of these roses are old fashioned and antique varieties. 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’.
-
- 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’.
-
- I’ve also 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’.
-
- I always knew I wanted many different roses in all sorts of petal formations. Double blooms consist of 16 to 25 overlapping petals in three or more rows.
-
- The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.
-
- And this is a rosette bloom with many slightly overlapping petals of different sizes.
-
- When watering, give roses the equivalent to 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.
-
- Over a section of my pergola are the climbing vines of my beautiful Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ – the violet rambler also known as ‘Bleu-Violet’, ‘Blue Rambler’, ‘Blue Rosalie’ and ‘Violet Blue’ that bloom from May to June. 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.
-
- From the carriage road, one can see the abundance of pretty blooms – my guests love to stop, take photos, and “smell the roses.”
-
- And look at this gorgeous arrangement in my Winter House kitchen. If you didn’t already see them, there are more photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. Before placing in the vase, always 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.
-
- These flowers are just so spectacular this year and so very fragrant. What roses are blooming in your garden this season? Share your comments with me below.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
