# A New Appreciation for Roses



## smhbbag (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks to the great kindness of some old friends and fellow church members, I've been working full-time at Witherspoon Rose Culture (Witherspoon Rose Culture | Durham, NC and Charlotte, NC | Home Page)

The blooms are finally out, and they simply take my breath away! And not just because of the pollen.

I've never been interested in the particulars of gardening. But, it turns out that I'm actually fascinated with it when I'm working with such great people. Even though I liked it, I wasn't sure what all our hard work was for. A rose is just a rose....right?

Now I know.

















The pic is a little blurry.











And a picture of just part of the grounds:


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## jwright82 (Apr 22, 2010)

Beautiful roses Jeremy, nice job! I would like to start a garden with my daughter, do you have any general tips for growing roses? I live in northeast florida, if that makes a difference.


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## smhbbag (Apr 22, 2010)

I've picked up most of my very limited knowledge from casual conversations with my co-workers, so I only have a few tips, and won't pretend to be an expert. I'm not even an educated amateur, yet 

There are hundreds of varieties of roses. The best thing you can do is think about your garden and what role the roses will play - do you want low, leafy ground-cover or shrubs to fill in an area? Or do you want a bush that will be a bit taller, thinner, and have fewer (but larger and more impressive) blooms? There are also tree roses, which I've found fascinating - they have a single stalk coming 3-4 feet out of the ground, and dozens of blooms in a nice tight bunch?

Some roses have better blooms in a mild climate, while others thrive when they go months at 90+ temperatures. For first-timers, I think it would be wise to get a variety that is known to be very hardy and disease-resistant. Rose-growing is relatively simple, but it also takes a lot of attention and monitoring. Some varieties will make your job easier.

For picking your particular roses, I will say this: DON'T rely on online or magazine pictures of the blooms. Things just plain look different in person. So, make an afternoon out of visiting a large rose garden that is in bloom (now is a perfect time), and wander around. When I look up my favorite blooms online, I think they're not very impressive. And the ones that I adore online turn out to be boring duds in real life.

So: 

1) Figure out what you want/need (groundcover, shrubs, trees, etc.)

2) Go to a large rose garden to see things in person, and get all your info about growing methods, and a variety's hardiness from the staff there. Don't rule out any colors until you see them - something you don't expect to like (say, orange or apricot or multi-colors) may blow you away.

3) Buy your rose bushes from the nose-in-the-air elitists (they really are better), and then buy all your supplies (fertilizer, spray, cow manure) at the Home Depot or Lowe's down the road.


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## jwright82 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. I think my daughter, who is 7, will love growing roses. She loves picking flowers so I figured this was the next best thing.


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## CNJ (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for the tips. My husband put climbing roses on a pagoda over a year ago and they weathered the winter frost and will soon covering the whole pagoda. He also planted a little rose garden in a corner that is also doing well after freezing weather in Central Florida.


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## smhbbag (Apr 22, 2010)

I completely forgot to mention climbers! Sounds great.

I should mention: the reason it is important to visit a local grower is that your regional climate can actually make a great deal of difference in the color, size, and shape of the blooms. 

That is the reason that internet pictures are often so misleading. Different heat and sunlight exposure, and different winter freezing conditions, can make two identical rose bushes look like different varieties. 

I wish y'all the best of luck.


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## lynnie (Apr 22, 2010)

Knock Out roses are the greatest! No black spot, no bugs, drought tolerant, they are just terrific. I had two dozen roses and ripped out half just to put in knockouts.

The Knock Out


Rose Breeder, Bill Radler, has revolutionized the way we think of roses. With the creation of The Knock Out® Rose, many say that he single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century.

The Knock Out® Rose, Radler's first commercial success and a 2000 AARS winner, has broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today The Knock Out® Rose is the most widely sold rose in North America.

The Knock Out® Family of Roses are easy to grow and do not require special care. They are the most disease resistant rose on the market. They have stunning flower power with a generous bloom cycle (about every 5-6 weeks) that will continue until the first hard frost. All of the Knock Out® Roses are self-cleaning so there is no need to deadhead.

The Knock Out® Family of Roses are winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant throughout the entire U.S. They thrive in almost every area of the country. In the coldest regions, they will need winter protection.

If unpruned, The Knock Out® Family of Roses can easily grow to be more than 3-4' wide x 3-4' tall. Periodic trims will keep them maintained at a smaller size. A once a year cut (to about 12-18" above the ground) in early spring (after the last hard frost) is also recommended for maximum performance.


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## py3ak (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for posting those, Jeremy. I hope you'll update with more photos as the year progresses.


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## TexanRose (Apr 23, 2010)

lynnie said:


> Knock Out roses are the greatest! No black spot, no bugs, drought tolerant, they are just terrific. I had two dozen roses and ripped out half just to put in knockouts.


 
I was given one of these and--if you like roses, this may make you cringe--I still haven't gotten around to planting it; it's still in its original little pot. And last year, on occasion, I would forget to water it, and all the leaves would die and fall off. In spite of my neglect, this plant is lush and green and has bloomed almost year-round (except for January). I am very impressed. I used to think of roses as finicky and hard to care for. But now, thanks to my experience with this Knockout rose, and thanks to the pictures above, I am definitely gaining a new appreciation for roses as well.


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