To those of you who are new to the more organic way of gardening, here are a few tips:
Monitoring — that means catching problems when they are small. For example, rose slugs chew holes in the leaves from the underside. Watch for them when they are small and easier to control. A horticultural oil is effective at this time. Once they get large it’s more difficult to slow them down.
Another control is to keep a water supply close by to attract birds. Larger birds often like worms, caterpillars and such. Smaller birds-especially hummingbirds-will keep the aphid population down. Keep bushes hosed off and that should help with most insects.
A Rose History Lesson:
Species roses have been growing wild for hundreds or thousands of years. Early Romans loved roses and used them in many ways, even as medications. Early Christians used rose pictures in stained glass windows of medieval churches. The rose garden of Josephine, first wife of Napoleon, at Malmaison, is still in existence. It contains almost 250 different roses, mostly distinct species and natural hybrids.
China roses and ever-blooming types came from the Orient. The Bourbon roses from Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean, are also ever-blooming.
Hybrids between ever-blooming China roses and Rosa Moschata led to the Noisette roses. The ‘Hybrid Perpetuals’ were developed from mixed parentage. These were crossed with tea roses from China, resulting in the first hybrid tea rose, known as ‘La France,’ in 1867. Thus any rose introduced before 1867 is classified as an Old Rose. *
The subdivision of Old Garden Roses:
- Alba-Usually white or pale pink with gray-green leaves. Once flowering.
- Bourbon-First repeat flowering roses. Very fragrant.
- Centifolia-“Cabbage” roses. Over 100 petals. Once blooming.
- Damask-Very fragrant. Usually white, pink or red. Some bloom once, others repeat.
- Hybrid China-Open plants. Repeat flowering. Need winter protection north of zone 7.
- Hybrid Gallica-Pink, red or purple. Intense fragrance. Once flowering.
- Hybrid Perpetual-Repeat flowering. Pink, red or sometimes white.
- Moss-Centifolia roses. Have slightly sticky green or brown moss like growth on flower stems and buds. Fragrant and mostly once blooming.
- Noisette-Large sprawling plants with clustered fragrant flowers.
- Portland-Very fragrant. Repeat blooming. Usually with pink flowers. Sometimes called Damask Perpetuals.
- Tea-Repeat flowing. Usually light yellow, pink or white. Few thorns.
*Old Roses tend to grow tall and wide. Give them room.