Easy Care Roses

Roses, the national flower--lovely to look at and sometimes a pain to maintain. But thanks to modern science, researchers have developed easy-care roses that turn minimal work into maximum rewards.

Some of the easiest to grow include shrub, carefree and climbing roses:

Hardy shrub roses -
Beginning rose growers may want to start with shrub roses rather than hybrid teas. Hybrid teas are gorgeous on their long stems with their large flowers - but they can be very finicky. To keep them disease and pest free you are looking at a lot of spraying, fertilizing, and all around "babying" to keep them in tip top shape.

Also, select roses that you can be certain are hardy in your area. As the name implies, a hardy shrub rose is one that survives winter without any special care and without sacrificing quality blooms and overall appearance. All have bushy, shrub-like forms and are typically resistant to insects and diseases.

One of my favorites is 'Hope For Humanity', which was developed in Canada to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian Red Cross. It's a shrub rose that produces clusters of five to twelve blooms on a stem, so one stem is a bouquet. Typically, it's the first one to bloom and the last one to quit, stretching straight through from Spring to Fall.

Carefree varieties -
Another easy-care rose with a bushy growth habit is the carefree variety. The carefree rose mixes well with other shrubs and most have long blooming periods.

'Carefree Delight', developed by Dr. Griffith Buck in Britain, has five petals and a beautiful yellow stamen and a white eye. It's considered a landscape rose, so you can grow it in a container or you can grow it as a landscape plant that will sprawl and has a mounding habit.

For gardeners who want a profusion of blooms, check out 'Carefree Beauty', which flowers from May to October or 'Carefree Wonder'.

Climbing roses -
A must in any rose garden is the climber. These roses grow longer stems that sprawl or can be tied to a vertical structure to create a wall of living blooms.

One beauty in particular is 'John Davis', a Canadian explorer rose that can actually have about 1,000 blooms at one time. This rose blooms in June and then has a six-week hiatus and starts all over again.

Another climber that will add new heights to your garden is 'William Baffin'. It's very hardy and blooms all summer long. In my garden, I have Willima Baffin growing up a trellis with a purple clematis at the base. A stunning combo!

These blooms of shiny fire-engine red are about 2 1/2 inches wide and utterly unstoppable from early summer till frost. Most are fully double, some semi-double, with an average petal count of 18 to 25. These blooms are all high-centered in the classic Rose form. No need to deadhead this lively shrub -- the flowers just keep coming no matter what!

A bit tighter, more dense and compact than its famous sister, Double Knock Out® makes a fine low hedge in any sunny to partly shaded garden. It also works well when planted as a long ribbon of color through a border.

A great deal of Double Knock Out's value as a landscape Rose comes from its four-season appeal and its resistance to blackspot, that scourge of other Roses. Not only is the bloom season exceptionally long, but the foliage takes on rich burgundy hues when it emerges in spring, adding another season of color to this shrub's merits!

More Info on Rose Double Knockout Here

Japanese beetle busters -

Like slugs and snails, Japanese beetles have plagued gardeners for years. One way to stop them in their tracks is to suck them up with a small, handheld vacuum. Another way is to throw a handful of larkspur or delphinium leaves into a blender, add the blend to 1 gallon of water, and spray the mixture onto plants being attacked by Japanese beetles. The deadly alkaloids (deliosine and delsoline) in the leaves will zap the beetles.

Some gardeners have had success deterring Japanese beetles by planting a ring of garlic and chives around the affected plants, while others bounce those bugs into a bucket of warm, soapy water with a long-handled spatula or spoon. It is a natural defense for a bug to drop to the ground, so the Japanese beetles will fall straight into their sudsy demise. Try to catch them in the early morning when they're still a little sluggish. (This is the method I use - works great. Wear rubber gloves if you're squeamish of bugs)

One way to extend the enjoyment that fresh cut roses bring is to use the rose petals to create a batch of fragrant potpourri.

First collect petals from the rose as the flower reaches fully open maturity, but before it turns brown. Dry them until crisp on a screen, cookie sheet or any flat surface. Red roses, when dried, turn a rich burgundy color and look lovely in a ginger jar, candy dish or antique canister.

For each quart of petals you collect, add 1 tablespoon "fixative". Dry lavender, oak moss, sandalwood or orrisroot are good choices and are available in chopped form at many herb and spice shops or drug stores.

Next, add your favorite complementary spice. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, dried citrus peel and vanilla beans all make excellent choices.
Last, add a few drops of essential oil (an aroma additive) or, if you like, your favorite perfume.
Seal your potpourri mixture in a jar, allowing it to mellow for approximately 10 days. To properly blend the ingredients, shake the jar lightly every couple of days.

There are myriad uses for this delightful potpourri. Add it to the stuffing of pillows or hang it in pomanders in your closet. Small sachets can be used in any drawer or as thoughtful little gifts for friends and loved ones. An easy way to make a rose potpourri sachet is to place a small handful of the fragrant mixture in a lace or linen handkerchief or other delicate fabric and tie the four corners with a satin bow or ribbon.

Red Roses
Red roses convey a simple message: "I love you". This makes them the ultimate symbol of romantic love and the most popular choice on Valentine's Day. Other meanings for red roses include desire, passion, courage, respect, beauty and sincerity. A red rosebud symbolizes purity and loveliness.

Coral Roses
Coral roses speak of desire and passion.

Lilac or Lavender Roses
Lilac roses reveal love at first sight or enchantment.

Orange Roses
Orange roses communicate desire, enthusiasm and fascination. They make an excellent choice for a new relationship that you wish to pursue further.

Peach Roses
Peach roses express gratitude, appreciation, admiration or sympathy. They can also convey sociability and friendship and send the message "Let's get together". A pale peach rose symbolizes modesty.

Pink Roses
In general, pink roses symbolize grace, gentility and happiness and express appreciation and gratitude.

Pale Pink Roses
Pale pink roses connote grace, joy, gentility and gratitude.

Light Pink Roses
Light pink roses suggest happiness and fun. Like all pink roses, they also convey admiration and appreciation.

Deep Pink Roses
Deep pink roses say "Thank you". They also express appreciation, admiration, sincerity and sympathy.

White Roses
Second only to red roses in popularity, white roses symbolize truth and innocence. They also represent silence, secrecy, reverence, humility, youthfulness and charm. You can use them to say, "You're heavenly", "I miss you" and "I'm worthy of you". A white rosebud symbolizes girlhood.

Yellow Roses
Yellow roses symbolize friendship and freedom, so are not specifically romantic roses. They convey congratulations, joy, gladness and delight. But they also promise a new beginning, say "Welcome back" and "Remember me", and can convey jealousy and caring. Yellow roses with red tips convey friendship and falling in love.

Dead Roses
Dead roses in any color convey "It's over!"

Liquid Fence: Use this product to repel deer and rabbits from landscaping, garden areas, flowers, shrubs, plants, trees and vines. This easy to use product is environmentally sage and completely biodegradable. Safe for both pets and people, it won't harm the animals you're trying to keep away or the plants that you are trying to protect. (Note: I use this on my roses, veggie plants and annuals)

There are also some home brew repellents that might work for you.

Pepper Repellent:

One gallon of water

2-4 tablespoons of finely ground Cayenne or Habanero peppers

2-4 tablespoons of Tabasco sauce

2-4 tablespoons of Elmer's Glue

Blend together and spray or sprinkle on the foliage and/or stems of vulnerable plants

Homemade Deer Repellent with Eggs:

In a blender, mix two eggs to one cup of water. Blend well then add one cup of skim milk and any type of sticker such as soap. Put this mixture into a sprayer and spray a light mist over the plant. There will be very little odor but deer will not find it appetizing. This recipe is over one hundred years old and is suppose to be very effective. Re-apply after heavy rains.

Other repellents and Deterrents:

Talc

Bars of Irish Spring soap tied to the branches is suppose to deter deer

Electric fence

Sprinkle cayenne peppers in the garden to deter cats and dogs.

Wrapping the plants or trees with either a chicken wire fence, burlap or aluminum foil.

A good rabbit repellent is a mixture of 85% raw linseed oil, 5% household detergent and 10% water. This can be applied with either a paintbrush or small sprayer.