Blooming Roses at the Farm
I love this time of year when I can tour my Bedford, New York farm and see all the wonderful blooms - everything looks so amazing this season, including my roses.
As many of you know, I adore roses and have grown them for more than 25-years. Many of my rose cultivars were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my home in East Hampton. I also have various David Austin roses and a selection from Northland Rosarium - all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances. Most of the roses are in the flower cutting garden, but I also have a large collection planted near my tennis court along both sides of my lilac allee.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- This collection of rose bushes is planted just past my chicken coops and vegetable garden. During late spring and summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, fragrant rose blooms.
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- A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
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- Roses come in many different colors, such as white, pink, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
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- This rose is ‘Charles de Mills’. It has large, opulent flowers with many closely packed petals giving the impression of very flat, ‘sliced-off’ blooms. They are rich magenta in color and have a medium-strong fragrance.
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- To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH. This rose is ‘Ispahan’, also known as ‘Rose d’Ispahan’ and ‘Pompon des Princes’ – a pink, half-open kind of Damask rose with exquisite large, double blooms and a glorious fragrance.
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- Rose bushes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
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- And be sure to plant them in a location with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
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- Rosa ‘Therese Bugnet’ is a hardy shrub rose with large, double flowers that are very fragrant and bloom from mid-June until frost.
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- Rosa ‘Mme Zoetmans’ is another lovely variety. It has full-petalled, rosette-shaped flowers with a button eye and a strong fragrance.
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- And one of my favorites is the swirled ‘Variegata di Bologna’ with its large, cupped flowers and petals of creamy white cleanly striped with purple crimson. It is one of the most striking of the striped roses providing a fantastic display in any garden.
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- The flowers of most rose species have at least five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink.
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- The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.
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- Single blooms are fully opened and almost flat, consisting of one to seven petals per bloom.
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- Double blooms consist of 16 to 25 overlapping petals in three or more rows.
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- The cupped bloom has outer petals that are a bit longer than the petals toward the center of the bloom, curving slightly inward.
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- Some blooms are very full with many petals in at least three or more rows.
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- And this is a rosette bloom with many slightly overlapping petals of different sizes.
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- Rose leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species, they are about two to five inches long, pinnate, with at least three leaflets and basal stipules. The leaflets also usually have a serrated margin.
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- Rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren’t thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.
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- ‘Constance Spry’ is the original English rose. It has large, glowing pure rose pink, deeply cupped blooms with a strong myrrh fragrance – this one looks perfect.
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- ‘Juno’ has large, very globular full flowers that are blush pink with a small center eye. This variety offers an intense sweet old garden rose fragrance – another beauty in the garden.
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- When watering, give roses the equivalent of one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.
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- Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height. Many of my climbers are planted along the fence in the flower cutting garden. I will show you those gorgeous roses in an upcoming blog.
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- I also have climbing roses growing along the fence of my vegetable garden.
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- If properly cared for, a rose bush should live for about 30-years or more. I am so happy my roses are thriving.
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- Here is an arrangement of ‘Variegata di Bologna’ I made for my kitchen servery. Before placing in the vase, always recut the rose stems to eliminate any air bubbles that will prevent them from taking in water. And cut the stems at a 45-degree angle so they don’t rest flat on the bottom of the vase. What roses are blooming in your garden this season? Share your comments with me below.
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