22,152 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
probably because I am an unloveable misanthrope who vastly prefers plants to people but here are some more reasons:
cheap, even free - gardening is, I believe, the most egalitarian hobby inasmuch as the poorest of us can save a few seeds and plant them in hope altho' yep, you can spend 400 sterling on ONE paeony........
The pleasure of nurture - I surely struggled as a mother, feeling bored and overwhelmed a lot of the time (although 35 years later, a bit more patience and experience has graced my efforts....but growing tiny seeds, pricking them out, potting them on, watching, watering, wondering - a rather lovely pastime.
The pleasure of creating beauty - colour has always stirred me - to the extent that a mere colour chart causes me to practically salivate - gardening is painting the world in drifts and swathes of brilliance.
Curiosity - as an inveterate meddler, I find I can do my frankenstein graftings, crossings, pruning, training, and general fiddling about in relatively guilt-free circumstances in that no plant has ever wailed, moaned, had a tantrum, sulked, stomped off or complained - they either stoically endure, thrive or provide me with compost - nothing ever lost.
I get to make a bit of money - selling, swapping, bartering.
Um, I know these are rather prosaic reasons and I am not immune to the numinous or the transcendant but I truly enjoy keeping my head bent to the soil, enclosed in a little world of my own construction....since the rest of the world often seems hostile, disappointing, politically inept and cruel. A sustained weeding session takes all those fears and anxieties away.
Thanks, Carol!
Jim 1961, "Its the middle of October and your admiring all the blooms and you wake up to this the next day... :-0" Lol, bro, been there. Hope NOT to have that happen this October...but you never know. ;-)
Campanula, "...since the rest of the world often seems hostile, disappointing, politically inept and cruel..." I totally get you on that. I flee any hint of that in a nanosecond. I just flat out refuse to go there! I do love people like Rick Steves who spread the gospel of peace, love, and understanding to EVERYONE wherever they travel. In places like Iran for example. And even here in Spokane, Washington if we are lucky. P.S., I love you, sweetheart, and I've noticed many other people here seem to adore you, too. :-)
"Europe's my beat. For four decades now, it's been my second home." Rick Steves
Johnny Cabot, "The COLORS warm my heart." They deeply warm my heart, too! I LOVE color sooo much. I took a stained glass art class once because I adore stained glass, but I cut myself one time too many so I eventually gave it up.
Mirenda Jean, you are such a soulful lady...your very being is your song. And I suppose that is the same way for the roses, too.
Susan4952, your bouquet is VERY beautiful. Soft and compelling. What are the roses in it, hon?
This post was edited by dove_song on Fri, Oct 4, 13 at 15:00
Probably a climber. I have lots of Fourth of July self seedlings, and they almost always are climbers, just like mom. I haven't registered any of them, though, because I don't think any of them are as good of a rose as Fourth of July. If any of you want to try your hand at germinating rose seeds, Fourth of July is a good one to start with -- easy, peasy to get growing.
Repeating roses prepare for winter (insofar as they do prepare) by increasing the sugar content of stems in response to weeks of cooler weather. Do they do this more efficiently when they are growing or not growing? I guess the best answer is, nobody knows for sure, so do what suits you. It probably doesn't matter that much. However, if my roses had been defoliated by disease in August or September, I would want them growing in October, because they can't make sugar without green leaves. On the other hand, new reddish growth that is frozen represents a waste of plant energy.
One easy way of watering is to put in a drip system. I planted 30 roses and installed a drip system that has worked for over 15 years. Our place has chain length fence all around so I just attached the 1/2 inch plastic water line along the metal pipe that is on top of the fence. Took it up and over any trellis around the yard. On the lowest spots that would allow water to remain in the line I installed a 'T' with a open clamp. All I have to do is go around the yard opening and closing the clamps to drain the system. Instead of attaching the drippers to the main line I installed 1/4 inch lines (about 6 feet long) with the dripper on the end. That allowed me to move the dripper where it would do the most good. Drippers now come with adjustments on them to control the amount. Hook up a timer and forget about it. Most systems can handle up to 300 or more plants off a single water line. To go from the side of the house to the outer fence I just dug a 6 inch deep trench, laid the plastic pipe in it and covered it over. I'm sure it freezes each winter but the plastic must expand to allow for it as I've never had a break. Now and then a 1/4 inch may pop off or leak but a Goof Plug stops that. I just add another hole a couple inches away.
I'll leave the timing and amount you should water to the rest of the folks here as I don't know J about raising roses.
Soooo, I'm to test before applying epsom salts, thanks. I tossed a handful on each plant at the beginning of the season for years. Also added a handful of Once fertilizer. Got tons of flowers for years but as I said the canes have gradually stopped producing. Come this Spring I'll cut off one of the old canes after the main bloom is finished.
I don't worry too much about the nitty gritty of things, to me, it's grow or go!!
Wirosarian, what is a good fertilizer? "feeding of some high N fertilizer (1-2 TBSP of a lawn fert.)" I can't find the Once on the market anymore.
Cecily, glad you liked the pictures. Our place POPs in the Spring.
Our robot lawn mower keeps the grass in check..... lol
Thanks everyone for the help, as you can tell I don't know much about roses so if you don't see it listed above and you know something that I should know by all means post it for me.
If done correctly, transplanting from a one to a three gallon can shouldn't disturb the roots. If you were keeping them in an UN heated garage, perhaps a three gallon soil ball around the roots might insulate them better against extremes in cold. If you're going to bury the cans in the ground, it would definitely be easier to dig gallon holes than three gallon holes. If encased in the ground, I doubt there would be any insulation benefit between a one and three gallon potted soil ball. Kim
Depending on your zone and the roses, I would pot up without disturbing the root ball. You can do the in and out thing til the first real frost . Then I would use the unheated greenhouse until ready for spring...then the in and out thing again. When u pot up do not loosen the soil from the root ball. Like any potted plant, just rough up the outer boundaries slightly before you plop it into the larger pot. I add soil before I take the baby out of the old pot and make a type of soil mold where the new one will go. Settle her in with water and more soil as needed.
I always go out of my way to make sure I specify a delivery date that I want. So far, over the past 10 years, every single one of the orders was delivered within a couple days of the date I specified.
Perhaps you left it up to the online nursery to decide when to send the rose. Some gardeners want their roses to come in the fall. Myself, I'd rather plant in the springtime.
Kate
@ hoov
I forgot to state that I actually tried that before to have them self-pollinate and I still get the same results: Dried up anthers with not a speck pollen on the stigmas. I even waited around for hips until the flower dried into a brown wand on the stem.
@Kim
Thank you for that useful information! I'll try that when the next blooms appear. (Hopefully my Center Gold blooms around the same time. I've read that it makes a good seed parent.) And yes, it has been more humid here than normal since it's the wet season right now.The humidity here was probably what kept my roses from releasing their pollen all year.
I'm sorry for all those who love roses and lose them to this nasty disease. I admire your perseverance in the face of this adversity. I don't know if i could do it. I hope this scourge stays away from your roses in the future. Diane
Hmmm, let's see now. In the evenings I love to mess around with my siamese and two tuxedo kitties. And I also love spending time with my two poodles. (little rascals all of them, hehe) Spending time on dog and cat forums, as well. In addition, I very much enjoy a glass of white wine or two--wish I had some now but unfortunately I don't. :p Reading. Spending time on various artistic sites and blogs on the web also gives me much pleasure. Of course there are many, many other things I delight in doing, but I probably shouldn't write a book about them on your thread, lol. This is a fun topic, Rene!! :-) It's a pity that the "Conversations" part of the "Roses Forum" has mostly gone the way of the dinosaurs. People seem to prefer spending time on facebook, or other places on the web in lieu of that. At one time it was a "hot" place to visit. Have a super evening, Rene, and all!!
Thanks Kim. While my plant is young the blooms are close to two inches. The color definitely makes up for bloom size. Keep us updated Susan. Mine is going dormant for the year so I will have to live vicariously through you.
I've never noticed much difference between bloom size on young plants versus older plants, nor on budded versus own root, which is what made me nervous about Marina. There have been the occasional outliers, so hopefully Marina is one of them!