A ‘Rosarian’ is a term used to describe people who share a passion for roses and are dedicated to promoting cultivation, appreciation and preservation of the genus… and members at last night’s meeting were certainly treated to an amazingly thorough and interesting talk from rosarians, Dianne and Roland.
We learned about the history, evolution of the different rose varietals, botany, care, problems and fixes, resources available, and some favourite rose suggestions to plant in your gardens that are available locally. They are: Rosa ‘Eden’, Rosa ‘KORbin’, Rosa ‘Just Joey’, Rosa Papa Meilland, Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ (Lady Banks Rose).
A good online information resource is the Portland Rose Society: Learn About Roses — Portland Rose Society.
Here are a few care suggestions:
• Prune to three strong, non-crossing canes in Spring when the Forsythia blooms
• Dianne and Roland apply 2-year old cow manure and spread alfalfa pellets each year on their beds. They feed with a granular fertilizer of 6-12-16.
• Water 1” once per week, generally
• If blackspot is present, applying a mixture of 1 gallon water, 1 tablespoon baking soda, a couple drops of dish soap, and 1 tablespoon cooking oil should help (first remove all infected leaves – do not compost them). Neem oil (available at Edible Island) can help with pests.
• For the best scented rose, try Rosa Hansa
Thank you so much to Dianne and Roland for this wonderful talk—CVHS is so fortunate to have you both as members!
The photo below is the Eden rose and was taken during a Virtual Open Garden Tour at Silverlea (Dianne and Roland’s Fanny Bay garden) a few years ago. To view the 14 minute video, click here:
