Friday's Roses

Thank you for indulging me in my love of roses this week! A garden not only provides food for our bellies, it provides a refuge for our spirits. As I work and rest in my garden, the roses provide an amazing splash of color and texture, so too, do the tomatoes, eggplant and okra that grow in the other corners of the garden. Your garden can truly gift you with a feast for your eyes! One of the most important suggestions I can make to a new gardener, "make sure you design your garden with a nice spot to sit and watch it grow!" Roses easily add warmth and wonder to that place.

My Friday roses are from my visit to Anne Jensen's rose garden, Tre Soli.  Anne, grows, nurtures and sells her magnificent organic roses at the Scottsdale Old Town Farmers market on Saturday mornings. I thought we could end the week with a sample of roses from her garden. Have a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!    

Spring Collection

The Spring garden is overflowing with April roses! I thought I could do a rose-a-day this week so you could enjoy the absolute beauty and charm that this plant brings to a garden. The rose hips and pedals of roses have been used as medicine and food since ancient times. Of course, the rose is the ultimate symbol of love and beauty worldwide.

My climbing Don Juan is the first rose to boom in the spring, and will continue to bloom all summer long. It tumbles over my garden fence at the entrance to the orchard, giving off a strong, citrusy, old rose fragrance. The five inch flowers are a deep crimson red just like the velvety red of a Spanish matador's cape.  The Don Juan rose is perfect for an arbor or trellis, it's long canes can be trained and arched to give a stunning effect in the garden. It's a vigorous grower, hardy, and does well in the Arizona heat! Make sure you water roses at least ten inches deep throughout the summer and dead head the rose blooms as they die back.

Summer Roses

Evelyn, my beautiful David Austin English rose loves her place in my garden. I thought she deserved the spotlight for her magnificent blooming performance. This climbing rose is the most fragrant rose in my garden, emitting a strong, fruity scent reminiscent of fresh peaches and apricots. The shallow, saucer shaped blooms form layer after layer of petals and are similar in style to an old rose. Her canes meander charmingly through my split-rail fencing intermingling with my delphiniums in the spring and my zinnias in the summer.

For such a delicate looking rose she doesn't flinch from the heat and continues to bloom throughout the summer. I love the soft apricot and pink blend in her petals. I just can't pass her by without stopping to admire the beauty and delicious fragrance of this rose. She reminds me to stop for just a moment and take a rest from my fall planting.

According to the David Austin Handbook of Roses, he advises giving summer roses deep waterings, generous mulching, and regular slow release feedings.

In October, prune back about 1/3 of the rose bush. This encourages new growth and repeat flowering. Prune all weak and spindly growth. Deadhead as the season cools and new blooms appear.

If you'd like some great hands on experience with roses, join a local rose society.

Here's more information on growing roses in the low desert. Roses do take a little time and effort but, they provide so much pleasure!