 |
TORONTO -- Lovers gather them up by the dozen. Poets write sonnets praising their beauty, while gardeners coddle them.
And it's astonishing to think roses, having graced the landscape of royalty and the common gardener alike, have been around for more than 35 million years.
When babying hybrids and floribundas through another cold snap becomes too much, gardeners are wise to look at a series of hale and hearty roses developed specifically for our wild and woolly climate.
According to The Beaver magazine, Explorer roses are winter-hardy and will survive temperatures as low as -35C. The roses were cultivated at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa by Agriculture Canada and were named in honour of our Canadian explorers.
Author Jennifer Nault says the roses are "as tough and versatile as their namesakes," requiring little maintenance and are disease resistant.
Nault explores these vigorous shrubs and climbers in the May issue of the magazine, which is Canada's second-oldest national publication, focusing on our nation's past.
"Our readers have a real passion for gardening and it's a nice way at looking at our history," says publisher Deborah Morrison.
"The rose story spun from an idea on Marquis wheat -- a special grain developed in Canada to survive our winters -- and we found a much prettier story to tell."
The Henry Hudson rose, for instance, is a dense, low-growing hybrid with good foliage.
Hudson was looking for a polar route to Asia, but discovered the Hudson River and James Bay instead. After a particularly hard winter, his crew mutinied, and Hudson and his son were set adrift to fend for themselves.
The naming of this rose is particularly apt: The bud of the Hudson rose is pink then fades to a semi-double, white flower. It's very hardy -- and unlike Hudson and his son who didn't fare so well -- this rose will be a long-lasting performer in any garden.
The Samuel de Champlain rose, on the other hand, is a gorgeous red bloomer with masses of flowers. It blooms throughout the summer and is one of the most popular roses of the series, in spite of being susceptible to die-back during severe winters.
|
According to the Canadian Rose Society's website, the Parkland rose series is even hardier than the Explorers.
Some rosy suggestions
Explorer roses were developed in Ottawa to withstand our cold climate and are relatively maintenance free. Amin Datoo, store manager of Sheridan Nurseries in Toronto, has these tips for taking care of roses:
- Explorer roses require a minimum of five hours of sun a day.
- Good drainage is a must -- roses don't like wet feet.
- Apply fertilizer four times a year:
- In the spring when the plant starts to bud, using a mixture of bone and blood meal, or rose food with a 6-12-6 formula.
- When the plant is ready to flower.
- Once the flowers fade.
- Late August, since many cultivars will provide another blush of flowers in cooler weather.
- Prune roses in the spring -- late March or early April -- before buds set. Prune for shape and fullness. Remove dead wood and leave three to five canes. Bring younger plants (two or three years old) down to 12-in., while mature plants can be scaled back to 24-in.
- Spray canes in early spring with lime sulphur, also known as a dormant spray. Apply after pruning, but before the buds open, to kill overwintering insects and fungus.
- Never water at night, especially with a sprinkler. Hand watering is best and will help to prevent blackspot and mildew. Soak roses twice a week during heat waves.
- Water deeply in October before the heavy freeze. The roots will get a drink as the ice melts during winter's freeze/thaw cycles. Shovel snow around the base of the plant to provide insulation.