I am covered with scratches; mean, nasty scratches. But the roses are looking just lovely and that is all that matters in the big picture.
The roses that I am referring to are rosa spinosissima, r. pimpinellifolia (Burnet or Scotch briar) and they are so very thorny. This particular one is named "Haidee."
The effect that I was after has been achieved with these roses. They greet us at the entry of the house, a solid mass of delicate pale pink cluster roses. Really just gorgeous when in bloom. The leaf is small, delicate and very interesting, so when they are not in bloom they are still a lovely plant. In the fall they turn a deep reddish yellow, putting on quite a show. And they are almost carefree. It is the "almost" that gets interesting.
Once they are established they don't get watered. Unless the aphids decide to attack them like they did last year. Then they get blasted with the hose. That isn't really watering, that's killing aphids.
Once a year, in the spring, I venture into their midst and cut out anything that looks dead or weak. That's where the combat gear would come in handy. At first look you wouldn't think that there is anything that needs to be removed, but once I get going on them I end up with a sizable pile of debris and the rose patch looks much the better for it. Although I certainly do not. Now is also a good time to remove any cow parsnip, dandelions or patches of grass. As the season progresses and the roses mature, they will overshadow any unwanted plants that may be lurking in their midst.
Roses are a touchy subject. Now that our weather is changing, gardeners will be tempted to experiment with different kinds of roses. Go for it and be sure to let me know how you do. But if you're just starting out with roses and are looking for something that is ever so hardy, you really and truly cannot go wrong with rosa rugosa. There are so many in this family but the hardiest of them all is the Hansa. These are the roses that grace the front of the museum and the hospital. They have deep magenta, double blooms with an intense spicy fragrance that just cannot be beat. These are tall shrubs so allow enough room for them to reach their potential. I was once given a bouquet that combined deep purple lilacs with these roses, unforgettable.
There are also three Therese Bugnets that are surrounding a common lilac at the western corner of the house. Once that lilac matures that is going to be a stunning corner. These roses are also large, achieving seven feet in height and width. The double light pink blooms have a divine scent, as any self-respecting rose should. Not only are these excellent in bloom, which lasts all summer, but they have stunning red canes that are gorgeous all winter. And to make them even more worthy, their fall foliage is purple. You really can't beat that. This corner of the lawn gets the afternoon/evening sun so I like to nestle a chair or two among these roses and savor the day.
Rosa glauca (r. rubrifolia) is yet another stunning speciman that you really should have. These plants have rather simple, unobtrusive blooms. The whole point of these roses is the dramatic coloration of the canes and foliage. The canes are navy blue, at least that's what I see, and the foliage is purple/red/blue. I am not exaggerating, these are stunning. And they get really huge so bear that in mind when you choose a site. Be sure to place it where you can look at it every single minute of your life. The mistake I made was to place it where it couldn't be seen. Yes, we pass by it if we enter the garden from the west gate, but otherwise it is out of the line of vision. The neighbors get to enjoy it, so I guess all is not lost.
The north side of the house, which is really the back, faces the street. This is where the Haidee rose patch is. But there are also two William Baffins, one at each corner of the house, flanking a hedge of bleeding hearts. This rose is classified as a climber but do not let that fool you. No rose is really a climber, they do not have tendrils or any twining habits. What they do have are long, lanky canes that you can tie to a trellis. There will be a few canes that do not have the lankiness to them, they will be shrubby like a regular rose. It's a good idea to just cut them out. Leave the lanky canes so you do some training with them.
William Baffin is graced with a clear bright pink semi-double bloom that is so classic that it is just breathtaking. Unfortunately for mine they are outside the moose fence, thus they get pruned more than I would care to have happen.
My next step is to plant clematis among the roses. I don't want c. tangutica the yellow one that thrives here but becomes a huge monster. The fear is that it will overwhelm the rose. I am having excellent luck with c. viticella Virgin's Bower. This is a lovely number that dies to the ground each year and then puts on about 12 feet and produces lovely little purple blooms. But they are difficult to find.
These are just four roses out of scads. They are also very hardy and I am out of room to try any others. Don't let another gardening season pass you by without planting at least one of these lovelies.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick has been gardening with gusto in Homer for 26 years.
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