Roses
I have a love/hate relationship with roses. The first few ones I grew in California did poorly and were not worth the effort. When I was planting the garden for the next house in California I swore I would never grow another rose. Then in a moment of weakness I bought a couple of bushes just to see if maybe I could be successful. A year later I had thirty roses growing on every part of the property, from a formal rose garden to a sprawling Cecile Brunner that climbed over the archway to the front door.
When we moved to Florida I found myself regressing - roses were just not worth the effort. There was no area on the property that received enough sunlight and roses in Florida require a significant amount of time and effort (something I had little of with my new job).
With our second house in Florida, I have solved both those problems (no trees and I'm retired). So I intend to try again.
Update June 2008 - I started the rose collection modestly. First with two fool proof Knockout Roses and then a Belinda's Dream, Peace (see below) and Veteran's Pride.
Resources:
- American Rose Society
- Article by John Starnes - Excellent article on growing roses in Central Florida, especially "own root" versus grafted roses
- Central Florida Rose Society
- coolroses.com
- Dr. Bob
- FAQ
- Floridagardener.com
- Help Me Find Roses
- Plum Cottage Gardens - A beautiful cottage garden in South Florida with an extensive selection of roses and other plants
- Rogers Roses
- University of Florida
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Knockout Rose |
Peace |
Belinda's Dream |