Roses at Willowdale Farm

I started growing roses in Maryland where I removed old knock-outs and replaced them with David Austin’s Generous Gardener. They did so well, I planted a replacement here to climb the arbor in the courtyard paired with the Pilgrim, also from David Austin. I thought the pale pink and pale yellow would be pretty together, and they are.  Since then, my David Austin collection has grown to include Jude the Obscure, Don Juan, The Fairy, and Sophy’s Rose.

My other roses are the Erzinger Rose from Jeanne, two bargains from Aldi (deep pink and deep peach), Lavender Simplicity, and a Rugosa from Aunt Marge’s farm.  There is also another Don Juan from Jackson & Perkins that grows up the wall behind the amorphophallus konjac plants.

Most of them were placed in an area near the wildflower meadow, but the soil was not good, it was terribly dry, and they were not flourishing. So this past fall, we dug them all up and moved them to a new spot on the border of the courtyard. I hope they will be much happier in their new home.

One rose was here when we moved in, what I believe is a Peace rose. It is planted by the shed near the apiary. It is generally covered in black spot and often loses all its leaves, but it consistently produces the most beautiful blooms. I’ve considered moving it to the rose garden, but I’m afraid to disturb it.

Roses are surprisingly easy to care for. If you plant them in the right place, most of the battle is won. Almost all varieties need at least 6 hours of sun per day. Even though mine can “tolerate some shade,” I have no doubt they would be much more vigorous if I had a better location for them.  

Many suffer from black spot, but adequate sunlight and water applied to the roots only, not the foliage, will help decrease the spread and incidence of fungal diseases. I also deal with sawfly larvae that I remove by hand.  But I’ve noticed more predatory insects in the garden, so I hope they’ll help out with pest control. Pruning is straightforward and can be done in late fall or early spring.  I do both. 

When they are healthy and happy, roses offer a long lasting, high impact feature to the garden. I wouldn’t be without them!