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Bountiful Garden
Valentine's Day is for roses By Judy Barrett Everyone knows that long-stem red roses make great Valentine gifts, but Valentine's Day and roses have other connections as well. The middle of February is the perfect time in Central Texas to plant roses and to prune the roses you already have growing in your yard. Generally, about six weeks after you prune a rose it will start blooming. And generally, late March is a good time for things to bloom here. The risk of frost is past and we are all ready for lovely flowers in the garden. So if you don't have roses in your garden, this is the perfect time to plant some. I still prefer old-fashioned or antique roses for our soil and climate. They are tough enough to withstand all that Texas weather can throw at them. These old roses have been around long enough to prove themselves, and they are super easy to maintain. All you have to do is find a healthy plant growing on its own roots and dig a generous hole for it. Don't buy those hybrid plants with the knot near the ground. Even if it is an old variety, the foreign root will weaken the plant and you won't get the benefits you're looking for in antique roses. Fill your hole with the soil that came out of the ground mixed with a little compost, mineral powder or other organic amendment that will improve the soil a little. Then water well. Be sure to keep watering if it doesn't rain. It takes a while for roots to establish themselves enough to go searching for water in the soil. I like to spray my roses with a mixture of seaweed, fish emulsion and molasses. You can buy bottles of stuff that contain those ingredients or you can mix them up yourself. They give your plants trace minerals and gentle fertilization that keeps them healthy and growing steadily. (I spray everything in the garden with that mix - vegetables, fruits, roses, flowers, whatever.) Spray them once a month or so, and you'll be amazed at how quickly they grow. Remember, just because a rose is old doesn't mean it will do well here. If you read about an antique rose in one of those magazines published in New York, they are probably talking about a rose that does well in New York. There are lots of roses that have been growing in Texas for generations. Seek those out and plant them. You won't be disappointed. Some of my favorite old roses for this area are: Mutabilis - this is also called the “butterfly rose” because its single-petaled flowers bloom in yellow, orange, red and pink all at the same time and look like bright butterflies have landed on the bush; Mrs. Dudley Cross - this rose has big yellow flowers with splotches of pink here and there on a bush that is virtually thornless; Louis Phillipe - this rose was brought to Texas by Francisco de Zavala when he was ambassador to France from the Republic of Texas and its bright red flowers still bloom beautifully and reliably; Maggie - this was found growing in Louisiana and is a wonderful rose that smells good, blooms often and is really tough. That tough part is important to me. The Maggie in my yard was mowed down at least three times before I managed to protect it from enthusiastic grass-cutters. And it came back every time! Now it is a sturdy and happy bush. That's what I like about old roses. If you already have roses in your yard, get out your pruning sheers and inspect your bushes. Old roses don't need severe pruning. Just cut away any broken, weak or sickly looking canes and remove one cane if two are rubbing against one another. If your plant is getting taller than you want it to be, cut it back to just below the desired height. Liz Druit, in her book The Organic Rose Garden, says that pruning roses is a lot like giving a home haircut to an unruly kid - you do the best you can and hope for the best. That's because these roses will grow to suit themselves and all you can do is try to help them out and keep them in control. If your rose blooms only in the spring, don't prune it until after it has bloomed. Other roses should be pruned now. Feed them all with an organic rose food or the liquid mix I described above. Water well and wait a few weeks for the pay off of your good work.
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