Coming Up Roses By Susan Carmichael

I have researched my ancestors as far back as 1644. They immigrated from Holland and were agriculturists and builders, settling near Albany, NY. My great grandfather Frank III was born in 1875 to William and Hannah Hoteling. He worked with his father-in-la  in the gardening and delivery of roses for the Albany market. In 1886 he re-located to Amsterdam, NY and erected massive greenhouses and conservatories, establishing a complete business for growing plants and flowers. He was a very successful florist whose business was as profitable as his grounds and greenhouses were beautiful. Frank thoroughly delighted in the culture of rare and beautiful flowers.

In 1933 he turned over his business to his sons, devoting himself to the cultivation of many species of plants as an expert horticulturist. His daughter Elizabeth married my Grandfather Frasier, and they had one son Kenneth, who worked at the greenhouses each summer until completing his graduate studies. Each summer Dad and I worked in our backyard planting varieties of plants including roses. I fondly remember playing with my imaginary friends under the Forsythia bush at the top of the rock garden. There was a pool of water that overflowed into the back gardens and kept the flowers blooming from spring through fall.

My love for the beauty of flowers brought me to the Master Gardeners class to carry on the legacy of many generations of horticulturists. I have a great deal to learn, but also a few important tips on growing roses I learned from my father.  • Always buy roses from a reliable grower. Bargain roses may be inexpensive, but “you get what you pay for.”  • Many roses are sold as grafted plants and “own root” roses. Grafted roses usually have a knob or swelling just above the roots. Own-root roses have the top and the roots from the same plant. My Father said to buy own root roses, so if the top of the plant is killed by cold, the roots can send up new growth just like the original.  • A minimum of six hours of direct sunlight per day is essential for the growth of roses.  • Roses prefer moist soil, but not a great deal of water. Make sure you have well drained soil that contains lots of organic matter, such as garden compost, ground bark and composted manure. I always had a problem with the odor! Work your soil deeply and dig out the entire bed at least two feet deep for good root growth.  • Feeding around the base of the plants every six weeks also fends off insects.  • Don’t forget to cut roses back around Valentine’s Day, and you will have flowers all year long in the South.

My yard has 22 miniature pink rose bushes. They are hardy, own root roses that grow 12” to 18” tall with tiny leaves, stems and unscented flowers. This fall I plan to build a trellis by the terrace and plant climbing roses there and along our fence. I’m particularly interested in New Dawn, a large flowered climber blooming from spring through fall. It has abundant pale pink flowers that are fragrant and disease resistant. I like Seven Sisters, because its fragrant flowers change color as they age from mauve to pale pink. Semperflorens, the four seasons rose, is pink, very double and intensely fragrant. It is going to be planted along the right side of my backyard fence. I must study the descriptions of hundreds of roses and complete my Master Gardner class before I make my final decisions. Whichever variety I choose, my yard will be “Coming Up Roses.”

Susan Carmichael, an intern in the 2019 Master Garden Class, lives in Montgomery.  For more information on becoming a master gardener, visit www.capcitymga.org or email capcitymga@gmail.com.