We are at the cusp of rose bloom. Tiny buds reach for the sunlight, but not many petals have unfurled during this chilly spring. Yesterday, a few blooms braved our roller coaster temperatures, starting to open. I still need to put alfalfa pellets around the bushes to give them a boost, but these blossoms won’t wait.
‘Archduke Charles’ in the photos (left and below) is a China rose. Chinas are credited with giving modern roses remontant (repeat) flowering. Before the Chinas became part of rose parentage and history, roses only bloomed once a season. I have several of these one-time Grand Dames, but they are still in bud and will be until May. The Chinas in my gardens begin blooming first, and usually close out the last of summer. The bottom photo isn’t a very good one because it shows both mottling on the open flower from cooler temps and diseased leaves. Once ‘Archduke Charles’ settles in, its lower petals will be dark and the center ones a light pink.
See the black spots on the leaves on the right? If you are new to rose growing and don’t know what blackspot looks like, now you do. Because of its location, this rose never loses its foliage in winter, thus encouraging early spring blackspot on its old leaves. I posted the photo because I wanted you to know that my garden is real. I’ll pull those diseased leaves off the plant when I get a chance. I’ll also fertilize as I go around the garden doing other chores. I don’t have a full time garden staff, and I figure you don’t either. So, sometimes, I’ll show you both the beauty and the reality of my garden. It’s only fair.
Before you run out to the local store and ask for China roses, know two things: first, you won’t find them there, and they need some protection. Some are hardy to USDA Zone 6, but others are only to Zone 7. Being located in USDA Zone 7a, I grow most of my Chinas near the house. ‘Archduke Charles’ is on the west side so he can soak up the early spring sunshine. He lives next door to ‘Cecile Bruner,’ a Polyantha. The lovely ‘Cecile’ is waiting for a warmer day.
Without fail, the first rose to bloom each spring is ‘Old Blush,’ also known as ‘Common Monthly,’ ‘Parsons Pink,’ Common Blush China and Old Pink Daily. ‘Old Blush’ has enough aliases that you would think it’s a member of the Italian mob. As some of the names suggest, it is another China.
There is nothing to growing ‘Old Blush.’ A five year old could do it. Once established, it needs very little water or food and is content to bloom like this with little of either. In spite of its ease, ‘Old Blush’ is famous and garners over half a page of information in my American Rose Society Encyclopedia of Roses.
“No rose has been so important in the development of our modern roses as ‘Old Blush.’ It is an old China rose which has been grown in China, and possibly Japan, for at least 1,000 years.”
This is the rose which was crossed with European ones to create the repeat flowering roses we know today. I also have the climbing form, a small section of which is shown at left. It grows on a trellis in my back garden where it commands our focus, especially in spring when it is covered in blooms. Again, the climbing form is extremely easy to grow. However, bloom form, once open, resembles a wadded up tissue.
Our last beauty of the day is a Polyantha, ‘Marie Pavie.’ Polyanthas are a separate class from the Chinas, and you see the difference in ‘Marie Pavie’s’ foliage, which is a little more leathery than the Chinas, and her bloom color, which is white. Few China roses are white. ‘Ducher’ is an exception.
Polyanthas were actually produced by a cross between two classes of climbing roses: the Mutiflora ramblers and the Wichurana ramblers. Surprisingly, some of their seedlings turned out to be small-statured shrubs, the Polyanthas.
This bush is eight years old and is at its mature height of two and a half feet. I remember, because it was given to the Diva in remembrance of her First Communion. Each of my children were given their own rose to celebrate this special occasion.
‘Marie Pavie’ needs little special care. Although she is sometimes bothered by blackspot, it doesn’t stop her from blooming, and I just remove the damaged leaves. ‘Old Blush’ has this same characteristic.
If you are interested in any of the older roses, I would suggest you request catalogs from both Chamblee’s Rose Nursery in Tyler, Texas and Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham and San Antonio, Texas. Mark Chamblee and his staff are very helpful. Over the years, I’ve bought a lot of roses from them. Michael Shoup, owner of Antique Rose Emporium, also wrote a book a few years ago, profiling older roses, Roses in the Southern Garden. I found it very readable and informative. As this one is out of print and only available from collectors, you might also look at Antique Roses for the South, by William C. Welch.
Thank you for sharing so generously of your knowledge. Your article gives me enthusiasm for gardening– darn, because I can hardly wait to get started in Alabama! This year in OK my roses are the best they have been in several years, has to be the season we’ve had. And you remind me of the name of the climbing rose on the east side that Jim had to severely cut after a storm last summer– climbing Cecile Brunner! Well, I think. I am in awe of how you remember all the roses!
Hugs,
CurtissAnn
You’ll be in AL soon with your grandbabies, and you can teach them about gardening.~~Dee
My roses have just started opening up, too. And also the blackspot has appeared already. Argh!
Oh yeah, it’s a constant fight. I have thrip damage too, and I hate to spray poison, so I just won’t. Thanks for coming by and commenting.~~Dee
I’ve never had luck with roses either. I do have several of the miniature roses and they do great. I’ve been thinking of trying again, but I’m not one for spraying or pampering plants.
Robin, if you do, pick the most disease resistant plants. I’m going to do a post on disease resistant roses soon.~~Dee
[ Deb, sorry I didn’t get to meet you at the conference. I was there as well. ]
Those first blooms are so precious and take their sweet time opening, waiting for spring to catch up.
I’m told ( but haven’t yet tried ) that 1 part milk/9 parts water sprayed on the leaves takes care of black spot.
Linda, I wonder how we didn’t cross paths. I’m sure we saw each other, but it was really busy. I didn’t have much luck with the milk recipe. There’s also a baking soda recipe that I hear works.~~Dee
It’s so hard for me to grasp the fact that there are roses out there blooming already. Mine are just starting to put out a small amout of new growth in the leaves! I feel like I don’t know anything about roses compared to you. Those pansies in the background of the blackspot are adorable too.
Cinj, I thought it was funny how one of the black spots echoed the shape of the pansy’s face.~~Dee
Hi Dee, I just got back from the TMGA Conference and was lucky enough to hear Dr. Welch speak again. His book is great for anyone interested in Antique roses. He has also published several other books about southern landscaping.
Deb, I’m jealous. I would love to hear him speak. His books are really good.~~Dee
I love roses but don’t have much luck with them. I do have a couple of carpet roses that are alive and well. One climber that refuses to climb it merely rambles but I like it. I really like seeing your roses.
My rose posts are about the most popular with the non-commenting public too. Lisa, I would try some of the Knockout series roses or the Carefree group. Carefree Wonder, which is a Dr. Griffith Buck rose, only needs water. It’s also known as Katy Road Pink.~~Dee
Great information, Dee. I’m glad your roses are about to give you a big show. I also grow roses that can shrug off a little black spot, and I never do anything about it when they get it, or when they ball, or …. you see what I mean. They must get along with me most of the time to make me love them.
Me too, Pam. I’m too busy to worry about them too much.~~Dee
Oh, Dee, you are so knowledgeable about roses! I don’t imagine I will ever know a fraction of what you know. So impressive. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I did, however, take the time to fertilize my roses during the first hint of spring and WOW! is that paying off! I cannot believe how tall and full my roses are this spring! I even found a very old fragrant one back by the shed that someone had once told me to “tear out” as I would never get anything decent from it. Good thing I didn’t listen! I just found four gorgeous fat red roses with bluish tint with big yellow centers that are incredibly fragrant. These canes never produced a thing in the past three years, so it was quite a lovely surprise. Roses are the BEST.
Kathryn, I am in mid-spring. I don’t fertilize until I’m pretty sure the new growth won’t freeze. This spring has been very chilly, so I’ve been cautious. I’m glad your old garden rose (“OGR” in the trade) is putting on a show for you. I’ve grown roses since I was 20 (in my first house.) Lots of trial and error and reading. That’s all.~~Dee
I love the information and detail in this post…you know your stuff both from research and experience.
I also have roses that don’t lose their leaves in the winter because it’s so warm down here in Austin. I find that some of these roses benefit from stripping the old black-spotted leaves off. Not only does it help cut back on the black spot, stripping the leaves stimulates the bud eyes. I don’t do it on every rose but I find this particularly effective on the Bourbon rose, ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’.
MSS, I’ve done the stripping thing too. I have one rose: ‘Reine des Violettes’ who is lovely, smells divine, but is a martyr for blackspot. I strip her nearly every year. My cl. ‘Souvenir’ is the worst rose I still have. I hear the bush is better, and yours was just beautiful when we visited.~~Dee