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Friday, December 26, 2014

JANUARY IN THE ROSE GARDEN


By Sandy Lundberg

 
Even though January is a time to relax from some of the garden chores, there are a few things that should be done.  The most essential is making sure that your plants are well watered if there is not enough rain.  The freezing temperatures are tolerated better by a well hydrated plant.   Be sure to water plants in pots several times a week.

It is important to spray for fungus diseases at least once, preferably twice, during the months of January and February.   During this period, you should spray with lime/sulphur in order to kill any disease spores or insects that have managed to survive the freezing temperatures.  Be sure to spray the tops and undersides of the foliage and spray the ground.

Although, we generally do not have to protect the roses for freezes here in the Lowcountry, any new bushes planted in the fall might need some protection.

After a couple of hard freezes, any tall stems that could twist and break in the winter winds should be topped taking off about a third of the bushes’ height.

 
“SHOVEL PRUNING”

January is a time to take a very critical look at your plants.  It may be time to remove some weak plants that have not performed well over the past year or two.  It is probably time to stop wasting time, energy and money on them.  Order a new replacement for that hole
 

SOIL and SOIL AMENDMENTS

We like to take soil samples during this time of year when the garden activities are lighter than usual.  It also allows time to make any necessary adjustments recommended by the soil test before the spring growing season begins.  A sandwich bag half full is the amount needed for the test.  When you take the sample, be sure to get samples from several different locations in the bed.

We take some samples to the Clemson Extension Office for testing.  Be sure to designate that the samples are for roses.

During January, you can spread your organic mix and scratch it in lightly.  It will not cause the plant to start growing until the soil warms up in the spring.  We like to use 3 cups of Purely Organic per hybrid tea, floribunda and other large roses such as shrubs and polyanthas.  We use 1 cup per bush for the minis and minifloras.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Spring Bulbs in the Rose Garden



Planting spring bulbs in the rose garden? Certainly. Other plants? Why not? If you have not done it, you should at least try. I love all kinds of plants and I want to have them all. Some of them I use as a compliment to my roses when I do arrangements.
 
My garden started its blooming cycle in early spring when spring bulbs herald the arrival of spring. Daffodils and tulips of all kinds fight for attention. There are spaces between your roses that can accommodate these spring beauties without competing with your roses. By the time the roses come into bloom the spring flowers will be gone.
 
As you can see from the picture above which was my garden in New York, the center beds are formal parterres with only roses with tulips in between in early spring. The side beds are informal English gardens planted with roses, perennials, shrubs and more spring bulbs. In early spring, the gardens were ablaze with spring flowers. They cannot hurt your rose garden.  It will only enhance its beauty. Spring bulbs make your rose garden come alive even before the roses start leafing out. 
 

To make a colorful display in spring, you have to plant in the fall.  Catalogs are the best sources because they offer more selections than local nurseries.  When you browse through the garden catalogs, look for fabulous colors of spring bulbs to add to your rose garden. To orchestrate the spring bulbs to bloom continuously before the roses take over, stagger the planting of the bulbs. 
 
In NY, I must have thousands of spring bulbs planted over the years. Here in Charleston where I live in a townhouse, I started adding tulips a couple of years ago. This fall, I planted just over a hundred bulbs in front and in the backyard. Since last winter was very cold, more tulips came up in spring. Pictured below is my front yard.
 

Perennial tulips like Red Parade, Apeldoorn Elite and Pink Impression will come back year after year and a great investment. They have huge flowers, good for garden display and for cuttings.
 
Squirrels love tulips but not daffodils and stash them away in the fall.  To prevent squirrels from digging up your tulips, spread cayenne pepper over the tulip bulbs before you cover them with soil. Squirrels hate cayenne pepper and run for their lives when they smell it.
 
Tulip leaves wither faster than daffodils. The leaves start to turn yellow as the roses are leafing out so then I cut them all off. The daffodils stay in the perennial border where I have some shrub roses, Old Garden Roses and perennials and that way, they don’t look so bedraggled while they are drying out.
 
Take a lot of pictures in spring so come fall, you know exactly where to plant for next year’s display.
 
So be bold and experiment.  Plant spring bulbs around your roses and you’ll extend your gardening pleasure. Your rose garden will look magnificent even before the roses reign supreme.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society September 2014 Meeting

The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society will hold their next meeting on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 3:00 PM at Berkeley Electric Cooperative Office, 3351 Maybank Highway, Johns Island, SC 29455.

On Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, Bob Lundberg will be our tour guide for a Virtual Garden Tour of CLRS members' garden. This is the long awaited Virtual Garden Tour that so many of our members have contributed to. We will be viewing photos of 13 gardens. Old garden roses and modern roses will be featured in both formal and very informal garden settings.

Bob Lundberg is a Master Rosarian and Accredited Judge of the American Rose Society. He and his wife, Sandy, maintain a rose garden of about 400 roses in Blufton, SC. They are one of the top rose exhibitors in the country, having won so many awards at the local rose shows, the district level and the national rose shows. Just this summer, they won the Top Gun Award and Best Miniflora at the Mini/Miniflora Rose Show at the ARS National Mini Convention in New Jersey. Their garden will be one of the gardens at the Virtual Garden Tour.
 
Membership in the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society is open to anyone with interest in roses. Dues are $15 for single membership and $20 for family membership annually, January - December and includes information-packed newsletter, The Charleston Rose and participation in all society activities.
 
For more info, email Rosalinda Morgan at RosalindaRM@comcast.net. To join, send dues to Matthew Morgan, Membership Chair, 3056 Sugarberry Ln., Johns Island, SC 29455.

 Visit our website – www.charlestonrose.com.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

POPULARITY OF MINIFLORA



This article by Sandy Lundberg, a Past President of the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society won an Award of Merit from the American Rose Society in the 2013 ARS Newsletter/Bulletin competition, announced in the American Rose Magazine, May/June 2014 issue. It was originally published in The Charleston Rose, Sept. 2013 issue

 
Ten years ago, I decided that I wanted to enter the then brand new J. Benjamin Williams Miniflora National Challenge Class at the ARS National Show that was to be held in Atlanta.  The challenge called for 10 miniflora roses, either 10 separate varieties or 2 each of 5 varieties.  One major problem …I didn’t have 5 varieties of minifloras in my garden.  I was growing Tiffany Lynn, Violet Mist, Autumn Splendor, and Bella Via.  One variety short of the requirement, I had one option open to me.  I was growing an unregistered test rose for Michael Williams.  He agreed to come up with a name and register it for me.  A couple of days before the show, the American Rose magazine listed new registrations including Patriot’s Dream.  Now I had my 5 and a challenge as to how to stage such diverse colors without color clashes.  By putting Autumn Splendor on one end and the red/white Patriot’s Dream on the other end, I was able to blend the colors in a pleasing manner.  We won the class and have won an additional three times in New Orleans, Tulsa and most recently in Shreveport.  

 
The point of the story is that in the intervening years, minifloras have become so popular that I have had a wide selection of choices for any district or national challenge class I might want to enter.  As rosarians have learned of the versatility of minifloras, they frequently chose minifloras.  Our garden inventory shows that, for the first time this year, we have more miniflora varieties than minis with 55 miniflora varieties compared to 49 mini varieties.  

 
We note that each year as the hybridizers introduce their new varieties, there are many more minifloras being introduced than minis.  Why are so many more available now than in the past?  Once the American Rose Society accepted the new class designation, miniflora, hybridizers no longer had to discard the blooms that were too large for the designation of mini.  Why the popularity?  The minifloras can be used in gardens and in pots on patios, around pools and anywhere you might want to put them often producing a larger bush with larger blooms.  They make great cut flowers also.  Florists in foreign markets frequently use minifloras for bridal bouquets and other arrangements.  

 
But in order to have minis or minifloras, they must be ordered from mail order nurseries.  The unfortunate fact is that there is no one advertizing the virtues of these roses to garden centers nationally.  If I wanted to buy a miniflora from a local nursery anywhere in this state, I would be greeted with a blank stare and offered a Knockout bush.  The big box stores do not carry minis or minifloras other than the occasional nameless mini which is designated by color.  The buying public is mostly unaware of minifloras as an option.




Minifloras make great landscaping choices.  Whirlaway, one of the most outstanding minifloras, will make just as huge plant on its own roots as it does on fortuniana and will be extremely productive.  The same attributes are true in the beautiful miniflora, Show Stopper.  These bushes become quite huge.  With 3 bushes, we were able to take more than 39 perfect blooms to the national show in Shreveport on May 1st,  2010 for the basket class. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Bob put the basket together Friday night with 39 Show Stoppers and it won Best Basket Class.  Imagine a whole bed planted with Show Stoppers!   For the exhibitor, minifloras are a great choice as most shows now offer a Miniflora Queen and her Court.    Minifloras come in a wide range of colors.  For my garden and exhibition choices some of the following new roses are already considered bankers by us.
 
 

Abby’s Angel –Long straight stems carry an eye catching bloom of bright yellow with bright red edges.  The form is almost always high centered exhibition.

 

 

All American Girl – The light pink blooms have perfect exhibition form with a needlepoint center.  Stems are long but not always straight.  An added bonus for those who like fragrant roses, is the sweet scent of this rose. 

 

Power Point – The non-fading red comes on a stem that is filled with prickles but that is the only downside to this rose.  The form is high centered exhibition.
 
 
Shameless -- This is an exhibitor’s dream with the creamy white blooms that have red on the outer petals that sometimes have a thin black edge much like the hybrid tea, Dublin.  The stems are long and straight and the petals have so much starch that they can be maneuvered into place.
 
Robin Alonso – This sport of the mini, Caliente, is a very dark velvety red with good exhibition form and produced on long straight stems. There are some great new minifloras just beginning to become available on the market. 
 
 
 
Crystal Palace – Beautiful high centered blooms of white with a touch of light pink in the centers.
 
 
 
Gift of Love – Medium yellow blooms with good form on a new plant that is growing well.
 
Glowing Sunset – Eye-catching new miniflora has bright yellow petals with red tips on the quilled petals.
 
 
Wright Touch - Peaches are my favorite fruit and so I love the peach and yellow coloration on this slightly larger bloom.  The form of the bloom is exceptional!
 
Of course, there are some of my older minifloras that have been time tested and will remain on my banker list.
They include Foolish Pleasure, Charismatic, Dr John Dickman, Butter Cream, Louisville Lady, Show Stopper,  Unbridled and Whirlaway.
 
 
 
 

 

 

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society 2014 Rose Show Awards


2014 CLRS ANNUAL ROSE SHOW HORTICULTURE AWARDS

 

CLASS                       TITLE                         VARIETY(S)                    PRESENTER(S)

                                                              

LARGE CHALLENGE CLASSSES

 

1.         Sea Island Challenge                         No Entry

            HT/Gr 5 Different –

            Separate Containers

2.         Coastal Carolina Challenge               No Entry

MF 7 Different –

            Separate Containers

3.         Lowcountry Challenge                       No Entry

            Mini 7 Different –

            Separate Containers  

4.         Fragrant Roses                                Fire Fighter                    Rosemary O’Connor

 

                                                              LARGE COLLECTION CLASSES

 

5.         Collection 3 HT/Gr                             Marlon’s Day                          Mike Denson

            Same or Different

6.         Collection 5 HT/Gr                             No Entry

            Same Variety

7.         Cycle of Bloom HT/Gr                       No Entry

            Same Variety

8.         English Box Exhibition                       Not Awarded

            Same or Different

9.         Rose Bowl Exhibition                         Fame!                                      Pat Hibbard

10.       Artist’s Palette                                     No Entry

            5 F Different

11.       Picture Frame HT                                Marlon’s Day                          Mike Denson

12.       Rose Bouquet                                     Not Awarded

            At least 3 Different    

 

                                                            HYBRID TEAS AND GRANDIFLORAS

 

13.       Queen Hybrid Tea/Gr                         Marlon’s Day                          Mike Denson

            King Hybrid Tea/Gr                            Marilyn Wellan                       Mike Denson

            Princess Hybrid Tea/Gr                     Keepsake                     Sandy & Bob Lundberg

            Court 1 Hybrid Tea/Gr                       Randy Scott                Sandy & Bob Lundberg

            Court 2 Hybrid Tea/Gr                       Moonstone                              Mike Denson

            Court 3 Hybrid Tea/Gr                       Let Freedom Ring       Sandy & Bob Lundberg

14.       Hybrid Tea or Gr Spray                      Black Baccara                         Bill Prioleau   

15.       Fully Open Hybrid Tea/Gr                  Pacific Celebration                  Mike Denson

                                   

 

                                                                        FLORIBUNDAS

 

16.       Floribunda One Bloom                       Harold’s Pride             Sandy & Bob Lundberg

17.       Floribunda Informal Bloom                No entry

18.       Prince Floribunda Spray                 Sexy Rexy                   Sandy and Bob Lundberg

 

                                                                        POLYANTHAS

19.       Polyantha Spray                            Sneprincesse                Sandy and Bob Lundberg

 

                                                            LARGE FLOWERED CLIMBERS

 

20.       True Climber                                       Candy Land                            Pat Hibbard

 

                                                                        SHRUBS

 

21.       Classic Shrub                                  Buff Beauty                            Matt Potter

22.       A. Modern Shrub                           Scarlet Meidiland                    Pat Hibbard

            B. Knock Out Roses                       Knock Out                              Jane Hamrick

 

                                                                        OLD GARDEN ROSES

 

23.       Dowager Queen                                  Mme. Plantier                          Matt Potter

            OGR Prior to 1867

24.       Victorian Rose                                The Fairy                                 Rosemary O’Connor

            OGR In or After 1867

 

                                    MINIATURE/MINIFLORA COLLECTION CLASSES

 

25.       Mini/MF Cycle of Bloom                   Dr. John Dickman       Sandy and Bob Lundberg

26.       Mini/MF Collection                            Daddy Frank               Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            3 Same or Different

27.       Mini/MF English Box                         Shirley Raye                Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Same or Different

28.       Mini/MF Artist’s Palette         Daddy Frank, Chelsea Belle,  Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            5 Different                              Renegade, Joy, Ty

29.       Mini/MF Rose Bowl                           Nancy Jean                  Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Exhibition

30.       Mini/MF Rose Bouquet                      Various                        Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            At least 3 Different Varieties

31.       Mini/MF Picture Frame                       Shirley Raye                Sandy and Bob Lundberg

 

                                                                        MINIATURES

 

32.       Mini Queen                                 Daddy Frank               Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Mini King                                    Fairhope                      Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Mini Princess                               Renegade                    Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Mini Court 1                                Marie Jeanette             Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Mini Court 2                               Intimidator                  Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            Mini Court 3                              Not Awarded

33.       Mini Spray                                  Chelsea Belle              Sandy and Bob Lundberg

34.       Mini/MF Fully Open                   Lo and Behold            Mike Denson

 

                                                                        MINIFLORAS

 

35.       MiniFlora Queen                                 Abby’s Angel              Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            MiniFlora King                                   Butter Cream              Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            MiniFlora Princess                              Contrary Mary            Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            MiniFlora Court 1                               Whirlaway                   Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            MiniFlora Court 2                               Wright Touch              Sandy and Bob Lundberg

            MiniFlora Court 3                               Shameless                    Sandy and Bob Lundberg

36.       MiniFlora Sprays                                 Not Awarded

 

                                                                        NOVICE

 

37.       Novice Queen                                     No entry

            HT/Gr/F

38.       Novice King                                        No entry

            Mini/MiniF

 

                                                            JUDGES’ CLASSES

 

39.       Judges 3 HT/Gr                                   No entry

            Same or Different – Separate Vases

            Judges 3 Mini/MiniF                    Nancy Jean                  Richard and Linda Wickett

            Same or Different – Separate Vases

 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

FRAGRANCE IN ROSES


Note: This article by Rosalinda Morgan won an Award of Merit at the 2013 American Rose Society Newsletter/Bulletin Competition. Originally published in The Charleston Rose, Dec. 2013 issue.




The McCartney Rose has intense fragrance.


Fragrant roses have been a seductive tradition for years.   In the garden, a bed full of fragrant roses is heaven on earth.  Their sweet aroma as you enter the garden gate will be so captivating.  Fragrance is what we expect of the rose, whether consciously or unconsciously.  It is evident when one sees a rose either in the garden, at the florist or at the rose show.  The first thing a person will do is stick one’s nose to inhale the fragrance and commenting on its fragrance or lack of it. 

There are variations of the term fragrance like perfume, scent, incense and redolence.  Fragrance suggests the odors of flowers or other growing things.  Perfume suggests a stronger or heavier odor and applies especially to a prepared or synthetic liquid.  Scent is very close to perfume but of wider application.  Incense applies to smoke from burning spices and gums and suggests an especially pleasing odor.  Redolence implies a mixture of fragrant or pungent odor.  These terms are invariably used in conjunction with roses.

The American Rose Society recognizes the importance of fragrance with the James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Award which is given to outstanding very fragrant roses.  The ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ is the 2013 winner of the James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Award. Other roses that won the Gamble Fragrance Award are Crimson Glory (1961), Tiffany (1962), Chrysler Imperial (1965), Sutter’s Gold (1966), Granada (1968), Fragrant Cloud (1970), Papa Meilland (1974), Sunsprite (1979). Double Delight (1986), Fragrant Hour (1997), Angel Face (2001), Secret (2002), Mister Lincoln (2003), Sheila’s Perfume (2005), Fragrant Plum (2007), Sweet Chariot (2008), Louise Estes (2010), Falling in Love (2012). 

A rose is only half appreciated by the eye and the other half by the nose.  It is the fragrance of the rose that Sappho in 650 B.C. named it the “Queen of the Flowers”.  In England, they value the Old Rose fragrance in their roses that they awarded the Clay Cup for almost hundred years.  Shakespeare loved the Musk Rose, the Damask, the Sweetbrier, or Eglantine, the Cabbage Rose and the Canker Bloom that he referred to them in his writings.  Here in the colonies, the first sweetbriers were believed to come over in the Mayflower or soon after since it was growing in the Pilgrims’ garden before the end of the 17th century. 

Each year, new roses appear in catalogs.  Copywriters do a fantastic job describing the roses and its attributes.  I found the fragrance very subjective and if we want to grow roses for their fragrance, you have to choose your varieties very carefully.  A slight fragrance in the catalog lingo is basically no fragrance at all.  If you want a fragrant garden, look for roses with strong fragrance on the description.  In recent years, there were many scentless roses in the market that you wonder why people are buying them.  Modern hybrid teas are known to have very little fragrance.  Some have none at all.  The hybridizers are doing the public a disservice by hybridizing the rose too much to create a perfect formed rose that they are compromising its fragrance.  Luckily, more gardeners want the fragrance back and so the trend is reversing.  We should encourage the hybridizers to put more fragrance in their new creations. 

The “true old rose scent” is the property of the three classes of roses – Rosa centifolia, the Cabbage Rose; Rosa damascena, the Damask Rose; Rosa gallica, the French Rose.  No rose can surpass Rosa centifolia for fragrance. The Hybrid Perpetual which is a cross between Rosa indica and the old Damask and French Roses produced roses with lovely old rose scent.  Prominent in this group is General Jacqueminot which became the parent of a long line of fragrant roses.  I saw this rose at the Heritage Garden in San Jose, CA and I was enthralled by its fragrance.  The old rose scent is the most refreshing of all the flower scents.  It is not bitter and will remain sweet to the end.  Most of these fragrant roses are red with pink coming next in degree of fragrance.  Yellow for the most part is the least scented.  Single rose tend to have less fragrance than their double counterpart.  Climbers for the most part are slightly fragrant.  The scent of roses is affected by warmth and moisture.  The scent of the roses is more pronounced on warm days than on cool days especially if the weather is dry.  Roses tend to be more fragrant in autumn than in the summer.  The Last Rose of Summer is said to be the sweetest of all.  Roses picked up early in the morning have stronger fragrance than roses gathered later in the day.

Fragrance in roses comes on various forms.  One associates rose with the true old rose scent.  Damask is the true rose scent and the Damask rose ‘Kazanlik’ is the most sought after rose in the manufacture of the attar of roses.  Old Garden Roses – the Damasks, Centifolias, Albas, Gallicas, Mosses, Bourbons and some Rugosas have damask scent with a touch of some kinds of fruit aroma.  One of the earliest Damasks is Rosa sancta found in an Egyptian tomb dated c. 170 A.D.  Cleopatra carpeted the floor two feet high with damask roses to seduce Mark Anthony.  Damask scented roses are associated with love and spring as evidenced in the painting La Primavera or Spring by Botticelli where he used Rosa gallica and in the Birth of Venus, he used Maiden Blush

Besides the true old rose scent, there are other types of fragrance in roses: We have the tea scent; the odors of spice – bay, clove, pepper, vanilla.  During the Roman times, bay was used as crowns to protect the emperors from evil spirit and ward off harmful bacteria.  In ancient Greece, the Pythian priestess ate bay before she went in to the sacred shrine at the Oracle of Dephi and started reciting verses. 

We also have musk, myrrh, wine, honey scent.  The Tea or the Musk roses also seem to be scented of muscatel wine.  Felicia, Cornelia and Buff Beauty will scent your garden with its tea and musk fragrance.  Tuscany, a deep purplish red gallica has the scent of wine.  Then we have a whole slew of fruity scents like apple, raspberry, lemon and oranges.  The hybridization of China with Austrian Briars gave rise to roses with fruity fragrance.  Mme Isaac Perriere has a raspberry fragrance.  Zephirine Drouhin and Rosa Eglanteria are good examples of roses with an apple scent.  Apples have been a fruit of favor since the Biblical times when Eve chose to eat it.  In mythology, the golden apple was given by Paris to Aphrodite in a beauty contest which indirectly led to the Trojan War.  We also have balsam, clover, violet, jasmine, and lavender scent.  Most of the Old Garden Roses- Rosa gallica, Rosa damascena, Centifolias, Mosses all have the balsam scent in their leaves.  Balsam was highly praised in the Bible as the Queen of Sheba took The Balm or Balsam of Gilead from Arabia to Judea and presented it to King Solomon.  Many Rugosas and some Hybrid Teas like Crimson Glory and Chrysler Imperial have the scent of cloves.  Some Hybrid Teas also smell of clover.  In the Middle Ages, clover was a symbol of the Holy Trinity because it had three leaflets and a four-leaf clover is a good luck symbol. 

Jardins de Bagatelle and Jude the Obscure have scent of vanilla which I find so intoxicating.  Stanwell Perpetual has the sweet scent of lavender and violet.  Some David Austin’s roses are myrrh scented.  One of them is Ambridge Rose.  In the Bible, myrrh was given to Jesus by the Magi and again while Jesus was dying on the cross.  The Egyptian also used myrrh resin in the mummification processes.  Old Blush, the Green Rose and La Reine des Violettes are all scented of pepper.  Gloire de Dijon and Marechal Niel have the scent of tea.  It seems that there is a correlation between yellow or ivory colored roses and tea scent. 

A form of Rosa indica odorata, the Tea-scented Rose from China smell like fine China Tea as distinguished from Rosa indica, the China Rose which is not always fragrant.  This rose found its way to France and later crossed with the old Musk Rose which gave rise to a new class called Noisettes.  The old Musk Rose scent is not exactly as you would expect a rose to smell.  A fine example of Noisettes is Marechal Niel, a fragrant but tender rose that can only be grown outdoors in mild climates.  Late in the nineteenth century, Hybrid Perpetual was crossed with the Tea-scented rose which resulted in the Hybrid Tea of the modern days.


The perfume of the rose is believed to have curative powers.  In the olden days, roses are used to make all sorts of medicinal potions to cure maladies and drive away bad spirit.  A bouquet of roses uplifts the spirit any day of the year.  Even a single rose in a room will liven it up on dreary days.  We are very lucky to be growing the rose.  Take a break and smell your roses! 

Thursday, May 1, 2014

MAY IS ROSE MONTH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY





Roses, Roses, Roses Everywhere!

Roses are at their peak bloom in May in the Lowcountry and the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society is celebrating May as their Rose Month. In the South and on the West Coast, the Rose reigns supreme in the garden in May, but from Mid-Atlantic regions and all the way up to Maine, it is in June.

The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society will have a display of roses and rose items for the whole month of May at two libraries, one on either side of Charleston across the two rivers, one at Mt. Pleasant Public Library and another one at Johns Island Public Library. We have our monthly meeting on May 4 at Berkeley Electric Coop Office, 3351 Maybank Highway, Johns Island at 3 PM with a program on how to exhibit your roses. Everyone is welcome to attend and the admission is free. Our Annual Rose Show is on May 10 at Citadel Mall and open to the public. Everyone can enter their roses to exhibit and the show is free. We will have an educational table there where American Rose Society Consulting Rosarians will be doing pro bono service answering various questions on rose culture. Consulting Rosarians are nationally accredited rose authorities. They take classes from the American Rose Society sponsored schools and take continuing education every three years to maintain their status. They offer free advice to the public. We will also have a booth at the Charleston Farmer’s Market on May 17 at Marion Square in downtown Charleston manned by members of the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society. We are closing the event with a picnic and an auction on Saturday, June 1 at a waterfront private garden in Mt. Pleasant open only to CLRS members and their friends, a benefit of CLRS membership. For info on how to join CLRS, visit www.charlestonrose.com. Roses will be in abundance in all these places.

The Rose has been around for millions of years and has grown naturally throughout North America. The petals and rose hips are edible and have been used in medicines since ancient times. The rose has been revered for millions of years as a symbol of love and beauty and has been an inspiration to poets and artists. Rose leaf impressions have been discovered in chalk formed in the Miocence age of 70 million years ago. The first rose illustrations were found in the ruins of the 4000-year-old Minoan capital, Knossos, in Crete. Empress Josephine (1763-1814), wife of Napoleon was so enamored by them, she commissioned Pierre Redoute to paint them from her garden at Malmaison in France and immortalized in his book ‘Les Roses’ (1817-1824).

The poetess Sappho at 650 B.C. declared it the Queen of Flowers in her “Ode to the Rose.”

"Would you appoint some other flower to reign

In matchless beauty on the plain,

The Rose (mankind will all agree)

The Rose the Queen of Flowers should be.”

 

Some gardeners have the wrong notion that roses are difficult to grow. It is not so. Yes, you can grow beautiful roses. The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society will teach you how to grow beautiful roses. There are so many roses on the market that growing roses is not that difficult as choosing the varieties to plant. Just like people, roses need the basic things to live: water, food and sunshine. If you supply these basic needs of the rose, you will have no trouble growing them and they will reward you with the most beautiful flower there is. Roses need plenty of sunshine, at least five hours, food and water to live and good drainage. Some roses will grow in dappled shade but roses do not like wet feet. The roots will rot and the rose will eventually die.

The rose was designated the United States National Floral Emblem and several states have it too as their state flower. President Ronald Reagan signed the proclamation declaring The Rose as our National Floral Emblem on November 20, 1986. Charleston is home to the only class of old garden roses, the Noisette Rose, that was bred, evaluated and introduced to the world by the United States.

Let’s celebrate May as the Rose Month in the Lowcountry! We are blessed with this beautiful flower in our midst so let’s all grow roses. The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society and the American Rose Society join together to teach you how to grow beautiful roses, at least One Rose for Every Home!

 

For more info on growing roses, visit the following sites: