"The harbinger of spring is the arrival of bareroot roses."
–Stephen Scanniello
"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."
–Erica Jong
Spring is at least two months and several storms away. But the annual rite of selecting bareroot roses signals the start of the planting season in Laguna. January and February are the best months to plant roses. Your favorite nursery features roses selected for their combination of beauty, fragrance, and hardiness. Purchase and plant now. You will save money and the roses will be easy to plant.
There are shrub roses that stand upright, groundcover roses which crawl along the surface, climbing roses that can cover entire walls, and miniature roses that never grow more than a few inches high. Floribunda roses produce clusters of small flowers and hybrid perpetuals boast flowers as large as a man's face.
Rose colors span the visual spectrum...from white to shades of pink, yellow, orange, red, maroon, and multiple colors within one flower. Many roses have delightful fragrances that remind one of sweet perfume, fruit or spices. Above all, roses have a distinctive beauty and longevity, which has earned them a place in every garden.
Given the opportunity to select a list of personal favorites, I am hard pressed; there are so many wonderful roses to choose from. However, possessing both the space and more than a mild interest, I present the Plant Man's ten favorites for 2001...
Much like Samantha, the hybrid tea, Bewitched is both beguiling and beautiful. Unlike many modern roses, it's pure pink flowers are fragrant. A very vigorous bush, Bewitched is a fabulous bloomer, and as Han, of Cherry Blossoms Florist, tells me, "it has an extended vase life."
Cecile Brunner is a climbing polyantha with small, but perfect and fragrant pink flowers. This climber can reach twenty feet in height and cannot be matched for its profusion of bloom during early summer.
Even though it has been the most popular rose of the past twenty years, Double Delight still catches my eye. Its colors of red and white appear randomly on blooms; no two are ever alike. It's unique color, high production of flowers, and spicy fragrance make it a favorite of rose lovers.
David Austin's most popular rose, Graham Thomas, is named after the legendary English rosarian. Its flowers are a rich yellow and perfectly formed, with shell-like perfection. A consistent bloomer, it possesses old rose-like fragrance on a vigorous bush.
The non-stop bloomer, Iceberg, is a floribunda that is almost pure white. Very fragrant and nearly disease resistant, if you only had space for one rose, this is the one you should select. Hurry, this rose is the first to sellout every season.
If red is your color, the hybrid tea, Olympiad, displays lovely buds and large blooms that are very fragrant. A faithful bloomer, the bush is erect with wonderful green foliage.
Withparents named Honor and Pristine, it is little wonder that Grand Finale is a former Rose of the Year. This hybrid tea lives up to its famous lineage. Elegant buds mature into an outstanding finish. And of course, it possesses a wonderful fragrance.
Arguably the most famous rose in the world, Peace is a hybrid tea, with golden yellow flowers etched with pink. Blooms change colors depending on the season. Look for fragrance, but only when it's more than half open or as a cut flower.
I recall when my Father first planted Queen Elizabeth in our family garden. That was almost forty-five years ago, and the first of the grandifloras is still the best. Large pink blooms and fragrant, this rose is certainly royalty.
Creamy apricot hues and a soft fruity fragrance earned Sunset Celebration international acclaim in its first few years! This hybrid tea was named for Sunset Magazine’s 100th anniversary. It surely will bring the beauty of a sunset into your garden.
Catharine and I desire more roses, but are rapidly running out of space. I asked my sweet wife, what is the answer? She was silent momentarily, then replied…"Let’s remodel the house and enlarge the garden." Oh. See you next time.
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