GARDEN FANATIC:A summer for roses

To decide... (is) to be in control of your life. “” Abbie M. Dale

‘More’ is as effective a revolutionary slogan as was ever invented... “” Eric Hoffer

One of the great challenges in being a garden columnist is deciding what plants to write about. I often ask Catharine “” who not only possesses exquisite taste, but is attuned to the pulse of gardening “” her opinion. She unequivocally told me this morning, “This is the summer for roses!”

It is simply not true that roses should only be planted during the winter and spring. Roses are at their peak during the summer and fall, and can be selected for their bloom and delightful fragrance (something you can’t do during bare root season).

Your favorite nursery should still have ample variety... David Austin’s English roses, antique roses of yesterday, and today’s disease resistant hybrid tea, floribunda, and shrub roses.

Given the opportunity to share my summer favorites, I am hard-pressed to choose. There are simply so many wonderful roses now blooming. However, I admit that beauty, fragrance, and resistance to disease, brought on by the daily overcast weather, have influenced my latest selections.

One of the most rewarding of the climbers is the single, blood red bloom of Altissimo. Very fragrant and excellent as a cut flower, this rose blooms freely throughout the summer. Its dark green foliage is particularly resistant to disease. This is the strongest growing red climbing rose for Laguna gardens.

David Austin’s English Garden is, of course, an English rose. His hybrids attract great interest in Laguna and beyond. Its flowers are soft apricot with the form and character of an antique rose. Wonderfully fragrant!

The non-stop bloomer, Iceberg, is a floribunda that doesn’t quite reach pure white in our coastal clime. Very fragrant and nearly disease resistant; if you have space for only one rose, this is the one you should select. Look for climbers and tree forms too!

If pink is your color, the Portland rose, Jacques Cartier (JOK-cah-TYAY) displays 3-4 inch puffy blooms that are very fragrant. A great rose for the garden and fabulous in a long-lasting bouquet.

The grandiflora Sonia is pink suffused with coral and salmon. The sweetly scented blooms are complemented by glossy foliage. A vigorous bloomer, the tree forms are particularly striking.

I recall when I first introduced Winifred Coulter into my garden. That was nearly 20 years past and it’s glossy green leaves have yet to be sprayed for either insect or disease! This floribunda’s rose pink blooms seem almost never-ending.

Zepherine Drouhin (zeff-REEN DROO-han) is a climbing bourbon with perfect semidouble deep rose flowers that are fragrant. As a bonus this rose is thornless and can tolerate some shade. Although sometimes difficult to locate, it is worth the search.

One of my great pleasures is sharing my passion for gardening with close friends. Recently, Catharine and I spent nearly an entire evening extolling the virtues of roses with our friend, Charlie. Her enthusiasm for roses is only exceeded by her desire to add more to her considerable collection. She reaffirms my belief that our favorite national pastime is indeed gardening. See you next time.