Pegging 'Adam'

An added benefit from some recent remodeling has been expanded garden beds! Of course, larger planting areas give us the work of amending the soil and the pressure of "designing" the plantings. Yesterday, as I was doing a bit of gardening housekeeping, I saw new options for the 'Adam' rose (pictured in the back, left of the photo below). Its new canes have stretched out across the newly enlarged bed. New growth at the leaf axils just seemed to say, "peg me". Pegging is a nearly forgotten method of training roses. I doubt I would have thought of it last year - but was lucky enough to hear Jennifer Wilson of Lucy's Garden speak about old garden roses. She grows and sells antique roses in the Rio Grande Valley AND has a pegged rose in her garden. If you have the opportunity to hear her speak, don't pass it up! Her knowledge and enthusiasm are a wonderful combination.

Small climbing roses are suitable for pegging - you need one with canes that grow between 5 and 7 feet. To peg a rose, fasten the canes to the ground by pinning them with a stake or "peg". According the The Guide to Old Roses by The Antique Rose Emporium, we should let our canes harden properly before they are bent down and pegged. My 'Adam' has canes that are growing fairly perpendicular to the ground so I think I may get to bypass this step. The Antique rose Emporium peg their roses twice a year, before the onset of new growth (late January and late August). The canes are usually arranged in a perfect wheel around the center of the plant. Since my rose is planted against the garage wall, I will have a semi-circle.



Adam has double blooms that are salmon and cream colored.

Check Out This Gruss an Aachen!

This Gruss an Aachen floribunda rose has responded wonderfully to its February pruning and fertilizer. Planted at the end of 2003, it has been given very little care. Outside of a weekly watering and yearly (or sometimes twice a year) application of a time released fertilzer, this rose is on its own! The only disease treatment consists of me plucking off the effected leaves.

I sure wish this picture captured the bloom colors better. Gruss an Aachen has more coral than came through in the photos. There is just a huge range of colors in the buds and blooms. As the buds open, they fade to a pink so pale it's almost white.

This three to four foot shrub works well either in containers or as part of a perenial bed. The 3" double blooms have a sweet honey smell. When I bring myself to cut some for an vase, I make sure they are placed where I can catch the wonderful aroma.

Gruss an Aachen is believed to be the rose that began the Floribunda class. Floribundas were developed by crossing the large flowers of Hybrid Teas with the carefree Polyanthas.

For some great ideas on incorporating Antique Roses into your landscape, check out Mike Shoup's Antique Rose Emporium. They have display gardens at both their locations. The original location in Independence, Texas has more of an Early Texas/Cottage Garden look while the San Antonio location takes you to a Spanish Hacienda. If you can't get there in person, you can always take a cyberspace tour!

Time to Prune Roses

As I was listening to Neil Sperry's radio show this morning, he reminded me that it's time to prune roses in the Rio Grande Valley. He says that roses are best pruned before they put out their first spring flush. When I checked today, over half of my roses had swollen buds.

I only grow a few roses and they are all antiques. On the patio are pots of 'Margaret Merril' (above) and 'Gruss an Aachen'. They receive a half-day of sun (along with a full day of our strong Valley winds), yet they bloom for months. Pictured at left, 'Adam', is a short climber with double salmon-pink blooms. Believed to be the first of the Tea roses, it dates back to 1838. My 'Adam' had a number of blooms today before I took the pruners to it.

Before you begin pruning, make sure your trimmers are nice and sharp. Remove the dead and diseased canes first. Now, you will want to remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the remaining growth. Choose a bud that points to the outside of the rose bush and make an angled cut slightly above it. When you prune, more time should been spent deciding where to prune than actually pruning. Take your time and you will end up with a nicely shaped rose.

All of my roses are continual bloomers. If you have a rose that blooms once a year, you will want to wait until after it blooms before you prune. According to the Antique Rose Emporium, "roses that bloom but once annually are best pruned after they have bloomed. Their flowers come from wood that has been hardened over a winter".

Rose trimmings are the only plant materials that never go into the compost pile. I either place mine in the garbage or burn them in the chiminea.

If you want to read more about pruning and the care of roses, the Peninsular Rose Club has detailed instructions on their website.