Panhandle Plantings
"Antique" roses are gardeners’ collectibles
by Val Ford, Holmes County Master Gardener
My brother-in-law from Sweden was visiting several years ago. One evening, he began ruing the fate of “real” roses – those other than the hybridized varieties with the temperaments of princesses of the royal blood. Don’t ask me where any of this came from – it simply flew across the supper table as a random thought and became a heated discussion on the decline of society (there were way too many Ph.D.s at that table that evening). Needless to say, he had no idea that he was walking right into one of my favorite soapbox topics.
When most of us think of roses, we think of the hybrid teas – modern roses bred for their color and long bud form. I must admit to having a favorite, Angel Face, but being a first-class lazy gardener, I’m not willing to fight the battles necessary for it to exist, much less thrive, in this climate. Flowers (and gardens) are to be enjoyed, not chores requiring every waking hour to maintain. Thus, my desire for roses spun me in the direction of what is generically known of as “antique” or “old” roses.”
The Guide to Old Roses says it best: what we call the “antique” rose retains “the resilience and fortitude programmed by nature.” For the Northwest Florida gardener, this translates into “it grows here with the most minimal effort on the part of the gardener.” Another benefit is that, because the heritage of many of these roses hearkens back to the ever-blooming roses first discovered in China, they exhibit some degree of bloom year-round. We can thank this same heritage for the “true rose” fragrance these roses preserve.
There are two, what may be considered major, disadvantages of the “antique” rose. The first is that it’s not a cutting flower. These bushes are to be enjoyed in the garden, on the bush. The second is its flower shape. For those who love and admire only the bud-to-full bloom flower, many of the “antique” roses are going to be a disappointment. They’re predominately a “flat” blossom – any number of petals that open wide to expose a center. Others, with more of a camellia- or peony-like blossom, are loose with drooping heads. On the positive side, the flat, open shape is quite hospitable to wandering butterflies and the “out-of-control” growth habit is perfect for the proverbial “cottage garden”
With all that said and done, I recommend “antique” roses to anyone and everyone wanting roses, wanting virtually year-round bloom, wanting little if any maintenance requirements (other than rich organic soil when transplanted and an occasional deep watering during the driest periods of the summer) or disease problems and looking for something the deer won’t devour. You can choose from a practically endless variety of bush sizes and shapes, colors, scents, and flower form. They can be used as accent plants or hedges, in dry areas or swampy ground, as ground covers or climbers.
Now that I’ve whetted your appetite, may I suggest that you contact The Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham, Texas, for a catalog at 1-800-441-0002 or visit their website at www.weAREroses.com . To get you started, I’d also like to recommend the following varieties that, in my experience, have proven to be foolproof:
Swamp Rose (R. palustris scandens) – pink, a native to the swampy, poorly drained areas of the South and East
Cherokee Rose (R. laevigata) – white, climbing, tends toward being invasive
Seven Sisters – shades of pink ranging from dark to pale, a true rambler
Old Blush - pink, available as a bush or a climber
Cramoisi Supérieur – magnificent deep red
Maggie – carmine red that deepens to crimson with age
Sombreuil – white
Sir Thomas Lipton – white with deep, forest-green foliage
Martha Gonzales – 2-3 foot, rangy bush with deep crimson flowers; bright yellow center
Caldwell Pink – a “found” rose; small, pom-pom-like flowers
Now that the brother-in-law is secure in the knowledge that society is safe from the autocratic ascendance of hybrid roses, we can move on to other topics of global importance – whatever they may turn out to be!
If you have a gardening question or problem, contact your local University of Florida County Extension Office or e-mail Val at FLSnowflake7592@aol.com
Val Ford is a Holmes County Master Gardener. If you have a gardening question or problem, contact your local Extension Office or e-mail Val at FLSnowflake7592@aol.com
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