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Here in southern New England, we’re experiencing another heat wave. Temperatures are in the 90’s and humidity contributes to higher “feel-like” temperatures. Luckily, we can avoid the heat by staying indoors with air conditioning. Our roses aren’t so lucky.
What should you do to help your roses through a heat wave and avoid heat stress? As it happened, a few weeks ago I was invited to contribute information for an upcoming article in “The Spruce,” on-line magazine. The topic is “What to Do When Your Roses Wilt in the Heat Despite Watering?” It was published just a few days ago.
Here is the link to the article: https://www.thespruce.com/roses-wilting-11776394 if you are looking for some timely advice.
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Each spring, we anticipate the first rose blooms in our southern New England rose garden. Sometimes it’s hard to wait as we notice the buds and wonder if they’ll ever bloom. But every season, on Mother Nature’s own time table, we’re rewarded with a garden full of roses and know the June Bloom has arrived and our garden is at its peak.
Here are just a few of the roses in our garden that contributed to our June Bloom.
Clair Matin: Clair is a beautiful climbing rose that’s been in our garden for over 26 years. Introduced in 1960 by Meilland Roses, Mike received it as a small cutting. He nursed it over several years in a container. Now it’s a cornerstone of our garden and grows 10 feet by 10 feet. It’s the first rose to bloom and produces lovely light pink roses with beautiful yellow stamens.
American Beauty: We bought our American Beauty (aka ‘Mme Ferdinand Jamain’) introduced in 1875 (not to be confused with Climbing American Beauty) back in 2012. A few years ago, Mike bud grafted several American Beauty roses from the original which we replaced this year.
It grows well in our garden, repeats later in the season and I love its dark pink, very fragrant bloom blooms (not red as it is portrayed in the movie American Beauty).
High Wire Flyer and Sitting Pretty: These roses have been in our garden for only a few years but this year have settled in and became prolific bloomers. Both were introduced by Will Radler (hybridizer of the Knock Out roses) and both exhibit black spot resistance. We grow High Wire Flyer as a climber which gets no taller than 6’ or so. It has deep pink blooms with golden stamens and very clean and disease-free foliage. In the photo above, you can see Sitting Pretty, a shrub rose, growing in front of Highwire Flyer. Its delicate pink, huge blooms that are 4-5 inches across and have wonderful fragrance make it a welcome addition to our garden.
Passionate Kisses: Every year, I wait for this floribunda to bloom so we can enjoy the amazing sprays it produces. It blooms a bit later than some of our other roses, but the display is worth the wait. The pink flowers are almost iridescent and the dark green foliage provides a perfect background.
Yellow Submarine: Part of the Easy Elegance series introduced by Ping Lim, this rose is amazing. What could be more beautiful than its ruffled yellow blooms set against immaculate, dark green, shiny foliage? This year it was extremely floriferous and offers bloom after bloom that I cut and display in a vase.
Dame Judi Dench: The June Bloom wouldn’t be complete without this David Austin rose which we grow in a container. For some reason, it seems to like the confines of the pot, or maybe the liquid fertilizer Mike feeds it as opposed to the granular that it used to get in the garden. The apricot flowers are spectacular.
It’s now time to deadhead all the spent blooms and give the roses their second feeding. This will prepare them for the August bloom. While not as floriferous as the first bloom cycle, we look forward to the mid-summer rose garden.
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Many of us have been waiting for the forsythia to bloom so we can start pruning our roses. As you can see from the photo above, our forsythia was in full bloom a few weeks ago so Mike was in full pruning mode.
Here are a few tips to help you prune your roses:
First prune out dead rose canes. These are canes that are either brown or black. Don’t be afraid to prune out that dead cane even if it means going all the way down to the crown or bud union of the plant. If it’s an old, thick cane, you may need to use loppers. Next prune the diseased canes. These are canes that have dark lesions caused by diseases such as canker. Easy to identify are the damaged or broken canes or stems. Often these are broken by snow load (that didn’t happen this year) or birds flying through the rose garden. Look into the center of the rose bush and prune out any thin, twiggy growth.
The most asked question about pruning is where to prune. Above is a photo that shows where the cut should be: about ¼” above an outside facing bud eye. A bud eye is the node where leaves join the stem. This is where new stems will grow. Look at the cross-section of the stem. The color should be a creamy white, like that of a freshly cut apple. (See photo below.) If there is any brown staining, remove more of the cane. Sometimes, if a cane is old, you will have to remove the entire cane by going down to the crown of the rose. This will encourage new canes to grow.
Finally, finish pruning each bush by shaping the rose in a way that pleases you.
When pruning climbing roses, this is a good time to reposition the canes and tie them off along a trellis or structure. Now is the time when the new growth is supple.
Pruning acts as a stimulus and encourages roses to grow new canes. If you’re a bit apprehensive about pruning roses, start by making your pruning cuts higher on the bush. In a few weeks, you can revisit the bush and make adjustments.
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Angelina and I love to travel and over time have developed a series of travel rules that we usually follow. Because there are so many great places to visit, one rule is not to go to the same place twice. Besides, it’s never as good the second time around.
There is, however, one exception. France.
Our first trip was in 2012 when we spent a week in Paris and loved it. We returned in 2016 and stayed for 12 days, only venturing out of the city for a few day trips and loved it even more. Last year we returned to France for three weeks because we wanted to see more of the country. We rented a car and roamed along the Normandy coast especially the D-Day beach area for several days plus a drive to Mont Saint Michel. We thought we could climb all the way to the top but quit about half way up.
Then came a high-speed train ride to Lyon, staying for a few days followed by a week in Paris where we returned to our favorite haunts. We dined in small bistros on side streets, took long walks along the Seine and browsed at the bouquinistes. It all felt comfortable.
When we were considering where in the world to go in 2025, the conversation always returned to someplace in France, the Loire Valley for instance, and always included fond reminisces of Paris. The French Connection was luring us back!
We finally surrendered and selected France again for 2025.
Since we plan our own trips, we have blocked out a few weeks in the fall and are now working on the itinerary – maybe the Loire Valley or maybe another high-speed train ride to somewhere. Maybe both. Right now, we’re in the “anywhere is possible” stage.
One place for sure will be the newly reopened Notre Dame Cathedral. When we walked around the building site last year we saw open construction details like the massive new wooden beams supporting the new roof. Prior to the fire the interior was quite dark with the big Rose Window adding much of the daylight. Now we are looking forward to walking through the newly cleaned and much brighter interior.
Planning trips ourselves gets us where we really want to go enhancing our expectations and that’s half the fun. The other half is all the serendipitous occurrences and people we encounter along the way adding flavor to every trip.
We received the David Austin 2025 Handbook of Roses in the mail last month and it was like getting an early Christmas present. Unlike other catalogues, David Austin’s Handbook is just that – an informative 90-page book that could be described as a “how-to” primer on growing Austin Roses.
The handbook is divided into chapters, starting with how a young Mr. Austin’s love of plants emerged into the development of David Austin Roses as we know it today. In this Handbook, you will read about the rose breeding process, gather ideas for combining roses with companion plants as well as suggestions for varieties that are ideal for planting in containers and those to use to create hedges. There’s also a section that discusses the five fragrances – myrrh, old rose, tea, fruity and musk – with examples of roses given.
Rather than listing the rose varieties alphabetically, the Handbook lists them by color – pink, apricot, yellow, white – accompanied by beautiful photographs. Be aware that not all of the David Austin roses are listed in the 2025 Handbook but those not included can be found on their website. Also featured is the new introduction for 2025 – Dannahue
, a beautiful apricot shrub with a fruity fragrance.
In addition, there is a large section on Rose Care from planting and watering to spraying, feeding, mulching and deadheading. There is also information about diseases and winter protection. Most helpful for those of us in the US is their Rose Care Calendar. The US is divided into 6 geographical areas – the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, Midwest & Plains, Southeast, Southwest & S. California and South Central & Lower Midwest. The calendar for each of these areas includes when to prune and when to feed.
Anyone can order this Handbook for free by going to davidaustinroses.com. It’s also available to view on-line or you can download it to your computer. I have a collection of past editions of the David Austin Handbook of Roses. I will definitely be adding this latest edition to my rose library as well.
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In less than a month, the American Rose Society will hold its national convention here in Rhode Island at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Warwick. This is the first, and in all likelihood, the only time, an ARS Convention will be held in Rhode Island and Mike and I are looking forward to having this event in our own “backyard.” There’s still time to register if you want to attend. (Go to www.seaofroses.org for information on how to register.)
Rose lovers and experts from the United States as well as other countries will be arriving on Monday, September 9 to join local rose gardeners and take part in the many presentations and activities. These include a National Rose Show on Tuesday, September 10 which will be open to the public, free of charge, between 12 noon and 3 pm.
There will be 6 featured speakers, plus a special Hybridizers Panel at the convention. On Tuesday, September 10, Mike and I will present our unique program “The Brownells: American Rose Pioneers.” In this program we will show how Josephine and Walter Brownell became trail blazers in the development of winter hardy and disease resistant roses and were later joined by their sons in this family business. Best known for their Sub-Zero© roses that were sold throughout the United States from the 1930’s through the 1960’s, they have introduced close to 100 rose varieties, all bred here in Rhode Island. If all goes well, with some help from Mother Nature, we will have Brownell rose varieties in bloom and on display during our lecture that Mike bud-grafted two years ago. These include Rhode Island Red, White Cap, Golden Arctic, and Scarlett Sensation – all climbing roses – as well as Lafter, a Brownell floribunda (See photo above).
The key note speaker on Tuesday afternoon is Matthias Meilland, from the House of Meilland in France which dates back to the 1800’s. Meilland Roses is known for the famous Peace Rose as well as hundreds of other varieties including Bonica, Clair Matin and the Drift Roses. Other programs include a “Backyard Hybridizers Panel,” moderated by Jim Sproul on Wednesday morning, which will discuss the fascinating art of breeding roses. On Wednesday afternoon, Christian Bedard from Weeks Roses and a hybridizer of many disease-resistant roses such as Cape Diamond, will talk about “The Making of a Rose.” A complete list of speakers and the Convention Schedule can be found at seaofroses.org
In addition to the speakers, during the convention there will be vendors, a raffle, and a silent auction. The registration includes lunch and dinner and at Tuesday’s dinner, Mike will wear his auctioneer hat to auction off a lovely, reversible, hand-sewn quilt donated by Kathy Wyckoff, well-known for her quilting expertise. Also included in the auction is the naming rights to a gorgeous, brand new miniflora donated by Jim Sproul.
This event is a once in a lifetime opportunity for rose lovers from New England to attend an American Rose Society National Convention within driving distance from home. You can register for 1 day (Tuesday) or for 2 days.
When Angelina and I were developing our Brownell lecture for the American Rose Society’s annual convention, we wanted to include live Brownell roses as part of the program. We had enough time – 2 years – to propagate varieties from our collection to use as plant props. Brownell propagated roses by bud grafting and so do we. We began grafting in July of 2022 when the rootstock shanks were thick enough to support a graft and continued throughout the summer until we were done in late August. Total: 49 with 31 Brownell roses and 18 vintage roses including Earth Song (Buck, 1975), one of our favorites.
We grew the newly budded roses throughout the following summer of 2023 and winterized them with Angelina’s novel idea of using a “Bagster” to hold 50 pots. You may remember our blog The Bagster (see below).
Here’s an update on how our Convention Roses survived their second winter in 2023-2024.
We uncovered them in March and, much to our delight, all survived winter’s wrath and even the canary in the mine, the one I left out in the open, survived.
In May, we added fresh soil and fed them then spread them out on benches. May is the growth month and grow they did, increasing dramatically in size. So much so that we needed more bench space. (Placing them on benches was necessary to prevent rabbits from nibbling on the fresh stems.) We placed 12 of them on our picnic table and benches and that helped a little. The first to bloom was Scarlet Sensation and the last was Rhode Island Red.
It’s the beginning of July now and we culled out 4 small plants leaving 27 Brownell roses growing and all are doing well, including the vintage roses.
The first bloom cycle has gone by and now it is time to plan the tricky fall bloom cycle to occur in early September instead of mid August just in time for the convention.
Last summer we experimented with timing the fall bloom to coincide with the early September convention dates, pruning a few of each variety a few days apart. The results were uneven with hot mid summer weather playing the wildcard accelerating growth. Each variety repeated on its own genetic timetable in mid to late August, way too soon for the convention.
We will start cutting back later in July this year and hope to avoid any extended July/August heat waves that will skew our plans.
Will Mother nature cooperate?
Our program, “The Brownells: American Rose Pioneers” will be presented at the American Rose Society’s National Convention in Warwick, RI on September 10, 2024. For more information, visit www.seaofroses.org.
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It’s January.
The holiday frenzy is over and the long winter gloom is drifting in.
Everyone is hunkered down for a few months except gardeners. Paper and online rose catalogs are arriving daily as rosarians get ready for the 2024 season. Gardening mojo is rising and this will hold them until the forsythia blooms. There is no one more optimistic than a gardener in January.
Meanwhile, we posted our 2024 Lecture Series this week.
Our bookings are back to pre-pandemic levels with mostly in-person events with a few Zoom presentations scheduled for winter dates and a few distant locals.
We are excited to announce two new programs this season and have already booked both for later in the year.
The first program, titled” French Gardens & More” is based on our three-week trip to France last May when we traveled throughout Normandy, down to Lyon and spent more than a week in Paris. We visited rose gardens, museums, Gothic cathedrals, Normandy sites and lots of cafes and restaurants.
The other program, one that has been marinating on our back burner for quite some time, is titled “The Brownells – American Rose Pioneers.” The Brownells – Walter Brownell and his wife Josephine and later their sons – hybridized and sold winter hardy and disease resistant roses throughout the United States from the small seaside town of Little Compton, RI. from the 1930’s through the 1960s. A very interesting story.
Programs that are open to the public include:
The Southeastern Connecticut Home and Garden Show at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville CT: “Selecting Sustainable Roses” on February 17, at 1 PM.
The Rhode Island Rose Society on Saturday, March 9, at 10 AM at the Riverside Library, 475 Bulocks Point Ave, Riverside, RI: “French Gardens & More.”
The Little Compton Historical Society on Tuesday March 19 at 7 PM at the United Congregational Church, 1 Commons St., Little Compton:” The Brownells – American Rose Pioneers.”
The Connecticut Horticultural Society on Thursday, May16 at 7 PM at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford, CT: “Roses for New England.”
The American Rose Society National Convention at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI on September 10 at 10 AM: “The Brownells – American Rose Pioneers.”
Add to these public events are dozens of garden club and other horticultural organizations bookings. Its going to be a busy season. And as always, if your organization needs a program at the last minute, contact Mike at RoseSolutions. Maybe we can help. For descriptions of our programs visit our website’s Program Page.
See our complete 2024 Lecture Series by clicking the 2024 Lecture Series tab above.
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