ROSES -- QUEEN OF THE FLORA

Roses are undoubtedly the most difficult plants to grow and maintain, but their beauty is well worth the effort. This article refers to conditions in the coastal areas of New South Wales, as that is the only area in which I have personal experience. However I will mention as I go how different climates may require differing care.

Whilst established roses will remain alive during many years of total neglect, to get the results you want requires almost constant attention. Because of the high humidity in the warmer months, most types of roses are affected by fungal diseases – primarily black spot which is easily identified by black spots on the leaves of varying size, with fuzzy edges, which cause the leaves to yellow and fall off. In fact if left untreated, this disease will almost completely defoliate individual bushes, thus retarding their growth. As plants develop a resistance to fungicides over a period of time, it is best to alternate sprays. Currently I recommend Triforine and Mancozeb, sprayed alternately. The only other fungus worth mentioning is powdery mildew which responds to the same fungicides but rarely does any real damage.

If plants are positioned where they receive full sun all day throughout the year, they may be relatively immune from fungal diseases. However the blooms may burn in the heat. In this situation it is best to pick them as soon as they open and put them in vases indoors. OLD ENGLISH ROSES, whilst not widely available, are not susceptible to the normal fungal diseases. However these varieties often grow quite tall, and usually do not bloom continuously throughout the warmer months as in the case of the hybrid teas and others including floribundas and miniatures.

The most commonly grown roses are of the hybrid tea type, which have been developed over many years. [With one exception, all those illustrated on this page are hybrid tea roses]. There is a widely held myth that modern hybrids don’t have the appealing aroma of older roses but this is totally untrue. So many new hybrids are developed that it is virtually impossible to keep up with them and so whilst I can recommend some tried and proven varieties, there will always be new ones worth trying, and which may give outstanding performance. On the subject of performance there are four aspects that should be taken into consideration: (1) colour and formation of the flowers: (2) fragrance: (3) resistance to fungal diseases: (4) how long the blooms last, whether cut and brought indoors or left on the bush. I regard this last as possibly the most important characteristic of all.

Roses are the only plants that I know of which are described as “gross feeders.” Without any fertiliser they will hang in there are produce some blooms, but for more satisfactory results they should be fed twice a year – normally in August and February as these months precede the two main flowering periods. Manure is fine, but needs to be applied liberally. Plain old chemical “Rose Food” will give them a good boost, but it is also recommended that manure be used from time to time to keep the soil in good condition.

PESTS:
If you are lucky, and grow your roses in a very open space, you will only have to deal with aphids which can be readily controlled by using a general purpose insecticide like Confidor or Folimat. Soapy water is an effective alternative if you don’t like using sprays. If you grow your roses in a semi sheltered position near trees, there is a high risk of severe damage by possums (normally bushy-tailed but also ring-tail). As they are a protected species it is illegal to shoot them, although the desire to do this will most likely be the first reaction when you walk out in the morning and find all those strong, new shoots that were on your roses yesterday, chewed off or broken. You can, however hire a trap and release them at a distance from your home, but others will most likely take their place if there are large trees close by. At two different properties in Sydney I have successfully established a truce with the possums by feeding them nightly with banana and fruit bread. I have been told that they especially like strawberry jam on their bread. They should be fed shortly after sundown.

Another pest which, fortunately, is not a constant visitor is the grasshopper. These creatures eat into the side of new shoots, causing them to collapse but not fall right toff. One decent sized grasshopper can do enormous damage in a single night. The only way I know of to combat this pest is to inspect all your rose bushes about two hours after sundown, knock the blighters off and decimate them.

PREPARATION and PLANTING:
It is best to prepare the soil where the new roses are to be planted by digging in manure (cow, horse, or chicken -- AKA Dynamic Lifter) two months before planting. Lucerne or sugar cane mulch can be added after planting to suppress weed growth and to retain moisture. This will also improve the texture of the soil as it breaks down. If you buy the rose already potted up, you should try to plant it without disturbing the root mass. If it is bagged, dig a hole to the required depth and make a small mound in the centre at the bottom of the hole. Spread the roots as widely and evenly as possible around this mound. Position the plant so that the graft will be 25 – 50 mm above the soil after the hole is filled in. If too much of the root stock is above the ground, the plant will be unstable and quite likely fall over after heavy rain and wind.

PRUNING:
There is a great mystique surrounding the art of pruning roses, but the procedure is in fact very simple. Once you have tried it for a couple of seasons, you will be able to do it without thinking. So here are the guidelines: (1) cut out any dead wood or stems that are not thick enough to bear blooms. (2) Cut back strong stems by one half to two thirds, at an outward-pointing shoot. And there it is. Simple, eh? Discretion needs to be taken according to the size and vigour of the plant. For a strong growing plant, cut out any stems that are less than the thickness of a pencil. For weaker plants, narrower stems may have to be retained. Major new shoots will appear from the bottom of the plant, just above the point where it has been grafted onto root stock.

VARIETIES

Here is a very short list of some of my favourite varieties. However some may be hard to come by as so many new varieties are being introduced each to replace the tried and proven.

RED

MR LINCOLN: A strong growing dark red rose with a strong fragrance – possibly the most reliable of all the dark red, perfumed roses.
PAPA MEILLAND: Not a strong grower like Mr Lincoln, but with the heaviest fragrance of any rose I have encountered. Excellent shaped blooms.
FRAGRANT CLOUD: A very fragrant rose of a light brick-red colour which holds its shape well.
QUEEN ELIZABETH RED (or SCARLET): Unquestionably the most vigorous and tall growing hybrid tea rose. The flowers are a clear, striking red but like its cousin Queen Elizabeth, the flowers have negligible fragrance.

PINK

QUEEN ELIZABETH: This is probably the best known and most widely grown rose. It is hardy and vigorous and worth having in your collection even though the blooms are not very interesting and it has no fragrance.
FRIENDSHIP: A nicely shaped, good performing mid pink rose.
CHRISTIAN DIOR: Large, full blooms, velvety scarlet on the inside of the petals and dull scarlet on the reverse side. Slightly fragrant. Vigorous growth
GRACE DE MONACO: Very large globular flowers of a light pink shade. Very fragrant. Leathery foliage, strong and upright growth.
MISS ALL AMERICAN BEAUTY: Clean, crisp pink. Long tapering buds open to large blooms with 50 – 60 petals. Fragrant, blooms profusely, very vigorous. Synonymous with:
MARIA CALLAS: A deep pink rose, named after the famous opera singer.

YELLOW and ORANGE

FRESIA: A clear yellow rose that flowers well, but like most yellow roses individual flowers only last a couple of days.
LIMELIGHT: If you can get hold of one, it is the only yellow rose I know of which has blooms that hold their shape for many days. The flowers are many-petalled hybrid tea formation.
APRICOT NECTAR: A floribunda rose with hybrid tea shaped blooms. Not spectacular in any way, but an excellent and reliable performer.
KING’S RANSOM: Full, shapely medium sized blooms. Clear golden yellow, slightly fragrant. Vigorous grower.
SPEK’S YELLOW: Small to medium-sized, full shapely blooms of 35 petals. Deep yellow in colour, fragrant, glossy, leathery foliage. Keeps its shape well.
SUTTER’S GOLD: Orange/red bud developing to golden yellow flower. Shapely, full, large and long. Very fragrant with leathery, dark green foliage.
JUST JOEY: Coppery orange blooms, veined and red and paling towards the edge of the petals. 32 petal blooms, born singly or several together on strong stems. Vigorous, tall upright growth.

WHITE

ICEBERG: This is a pure white floribunda. The flowers are not full-petalled but it more than makes up for this by being a very hardy and reliable performer.
VIRGO: Shapely, long blooms of 30 petals, produced on long stems excellent for cutting. Slightly fragrant. Dark leathery foliage.
PASCALI: Medium sized double flowers of 23 petals. Creamy white in colour. Dark, glossy foliage with upright growth. Similar to Virgo but like many white roses the petals are easily damaged by rain.
MESSAGE: Long, double 28 to 35 petals and high-centred. White, faintly shaded cream and slightly fragrant.
MARGARET MERRIL: An outstanding performer for a white rose. Classic shaped bud and blooms, pure white, and not readily damaged by weather.

BICOLOUR and MULTICOLOUR

CHERRY VANILLA: Very hard to come by but a strong growing rose that bears blooms of varying shape which are white/cream with a pink edge.
PEACE: Very large double blooms, high-centred, cupped in shape when open. Golden yellow with rose-pink edges. Slightly fragrant.
CHICAGO PEACE: A cousin of the better known Peace rose, but with much richer grades of colour.
DOUBLE DELIGHT: Many-petalled rose with white centre and dark red edge. Highly fragrant.
FOLKLORE: This is a well formed rose which holds its shape well. The petals are a mid to strong pink on the top surface, and a pastel shade underneath. An upright, vigorous grower.

MAUVE and “BLUE”

BLUE MOON: Long pointed bud produced on a good stem. Lilac in colour, 25 petals, fragrant. Free-blooming with vigorous upright growth.
VOL DE NUIT: [Night Flight] A pleasant mauve colour and probably a cleaner colour than the slightly bluish Blue Moon. Medium sized flowers and a good all round performer.
ANGEL FACE: Pointed buds opening to double flowers with ruffled petals of deep mauve-lavender. Very fragrant. Dark, shiny foliage and vigorous growth.
STERLING SILVER: Shapely, lilac-coloured blooms, medioum sized and full. Very fragrant.