The Rose

Far Beneath the Bitter Snow

Story by Lynn Caddy
Photography by Jacqueline Roggenbrodt-Malonson

Roses, the most loved flowers in America are called the queen of flowers.

There are many folks who grow roses in the Southern Maryland region.  Many people have only a bush or two in their yard while others grow several roses in order to enjoy their vibrant colors, beauty and scent.  There are some people who have hundreds of exhibition class roses, which they enter in competitions at local county fairs, and regional and national shows sponsored by the American Rose Society (ARS).

The first step to growing a beautiful rose garden is to find a sunny spot in your yard.  Roses love sun.  To be healthy and bloom profusely, they need at least six to eight hours of sunlight per day.  Roses do their best in very fertile soil and are considered to be heavy feeders.  The Southern Maryland climate, though suitable for most roses, harbors many bugs and fungus (because of our summer humidity), which feed on and attack roses.

After finding a sunny spot, clay soils such as are found in this area need to be tilled and amended with peat moss, green sand, manure, and garden soil with vermiculite as well as a time-release fertilizer.  When planting several roses at once, a tiller would help to make the job easier.  For a single bush at a time, only digging a large deep hole is necessary.  Fall is a good time to dig holes and add amendments in preparation for spring planting, but this can also be done in the spring at the time of planting.

Roses can be purchased blooming in pots at the local nursery or bare rooted (hibernating) direct from growers through the mail.  Generally, you want to ask for number one grade roses.  These are the best (healthiest and strongest) rose bushes.  Roses less than number one grade are not worth the time and effort it takes to grow them successfully.  Here in the tough Southern Maryland climate, they will never do well no matter how much you pamper them.  If you’re going to put a lot of time money and effort into a rose garden, you want the roses to grow and thrive.  On the high end of the scale, exhibition grade roses should be obtained directly from expert growers.

As soon as the soil is workable in the spring, it is time to plant rose bushes.  Bare rooted plants should be ordered in the fall or winter to arrive in late March.  When the plants arrive, soak them in a bucket of water with root growth stimulator for several hours up to a few days.  Trim away the tips of the roots eliminating dead ends.  Approximately three feet apart, carefully prepare each hole, making a mound in the bottom and spread out the roots on it.  Fill the hole carefully and gently pack the soil around the roots up to the bud union, leaving no air pockets around the roots.  Water with a root stimulator works well on new roses and transplants.  Alaskan fish emulsion in water is also excellent to give new rose bushes a good start.  Keep the rose well watered and fertilized, especially during the first year.  If it doesn’t rain at least an inch a week during the season, you will need to supplement the water.  Drip hoses spread around the base of the plants and set on timers helps make this task easier.  Mulch around the base of the plant helps conserve water, keep weeds down, and control soil temperature summer and winter.  As it deteriorates, it will also help build up good soil.  Mushroom mulch is particularly good for this purpose.

Roses can start blooming in May.  By June the Japanese beetles begin to appear.  Their unwelcome visit lasts for approximately six weeks. Left unchecked, they can quickly strip all the flowers from each bush if left to chew.  The best way to get rid of them is to take a bucket of soapy water around to each plant and flick the bugs off the flowers into the bucket, drowning them.  This will need to be done every day while the beetles are here.  During this period it helps to cut flowers as soon as they start to bloom, because it is color that attracts the beetles.  Take the cut flowers inside put them in water and they will finish blooming.  Be sure to check for any hidden beetles before bringing them inside.

As the humidity builds, black spot fungus may begin to appear on the leaves and you will need to spray a fungicide on the plants.  Fungus, left unchecked will cause all of the leaves to fall off and it’s possible the plant will die.  This is why you need to start with strong healthy plants and feed them well.  Some of the newer systemic fertilizers really help strengthen rose plants and fight off the black spot.  Any fungus infected leaves falling to the ground should be immediately picked up and disposed of in plastic bags, not on the compost pile, to keep down the spread of the disease.

Deadhead flowers as they die and prune as needed to get rid of dead, crossing, or thin branches.  This can be done at the same time as you are cutting flowers for display and enjoyment in your house.  The more you cut the flowers, the more the plant will produce.  This is what makes all the work worthwhile.