How Roses Were Propagated In The Past
KEITH SHOWS US HOW ROSES IN THE PAST WERE TYPICALLY PROPAGATED. One
would take the leaves off the stem and expose the eyes, the meristems
that are used in the budding process. He takes a knife cuts the eye
out, then using a piece of understock makes what's called a t-bud which
is a t-cut in the green bark. He opens it up, takes the eye from the
other variety, inserts it, then using budding tape, seals it so that
it's airtight. This means that now on the understock we have a new
variety that we're interested in growing. The understock typically used
is called Dr. Huey and it is very aggressive and fast growing. In
breeding roses years ago roses were selected for their flowers, not
necessarily their vigor. They required the vigor of the Dr. Huey
understock to support a really fast growing shrub.
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A Look At Almost Every Class Of Rose
THE GUYS NEXT LOOK AT A WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF ROSES, there is almost
every major class of rose here. How does one tell them apart? Many have
certain similarities, some look quite different. With some, one can
tell the difference by the bloom. For example, Floribunda roses are
usually about 3 inches apart, they open fully, although often high
centered and they always have a fairly informal look when fully opened.
They have nice compact flowers in clusters and are great in a perennial
border. By contrast the Grandiflora has a much bigger flower, a bit
more formal in the way it looks, it flowers in clusters, in fact the
clusters are so big that one can often cut individual stems within the
cluster and use those in a vase.
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Roses Used In The Garden
ERIC AND KEITH NEXT WALK THROUGH THE GARDEN TO SEE HOW ROSES ARE USED
and the varying applications for the different classes. They start with
2 tree roses. They are examples of little compact, mounding shrub
roses. Rosa 'Yellow Ribbons' has been budded onto a 24 inch Dr. Huey
understock. It would look great in a container. It has a great height
in the garden, great vigor, great disease resistance, totally carefree,
totally self-cleaning and has a great presence.
Click here for more info
Cause Roses
ONE OF THE EMERGING TRENDS IN ROSE BREEDING, ONE THAT HAS GAINED A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF POPULARITY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS ARE ROSES FOR A
"CAUSE." Not only are they great roses but a portion of the proceeds
goes to a designated charity. Rosa 'Diana Princess of Wales' is a great
example. It is an elegant Hybrid Tea, very fitting for remembering this
elegant lady. 10 percent of the proceeds go to the Diana Foundation
which removes hundreds of thousands of landmines around the world.
Another Cause rose is Rosa 'Veterans Honor' which is a beautiful red. A
portion of the proceeds go to veterans aid. Rosa 'Ladybird Johnson' is
a magnificent rose and its proceeds go towards wildflower foundations
that preserve wildflowers throughout the U.S. Arguably one of the very
best Hybrid Tea roses ever bred is the Rosa 'Pope John.' It is a
magnificent rose and has a heavenly fragrance.
Click here for more info
Fragrance In Roses
FRAGRANCE IS IMPORTANT but several years ago many roses were released
that didn't have that quintessential rose fragrance. But it is a huge
way that we experience a rose and fragrance is again becoming an
important factor when introducing a new rose. Think about it, the first
thing most do is put their nose in a rose, therefore it's important for
it to have a nice sweet smell.
Click here for more info
LINKS:
Show #29/7303. Identifying Fantastic Roses
Complete transcript of the show.
In this episode Garden Smart travels to southern Oregon to visit with a
rose breeder. Roses have become a hot item for the garden. New
introductions and new innovations in the industry have led to a myriad
of new possibilities for roses in the garden.
Do you ever feel like you're having trouble keeping up? Well, there is
a reason for that. Today we're bombarded with a lot of information and
it is coming at us at what seems like a million miles an hour. It is
reported that within the pages of New York Times in 1 week there is
more information than the total amount of all available information in
the 18th century.
Brad Fay is the Programming Director of Southern Oregon Public
Television. Brad says he often doesn't have enough time to even read
his emails, much less all the articles and other stuff that comes in.
And the information coming in relates not only to his area of
expertise, television, but hobbies as well as to many other topics of
interest. One of the things that Public Television has traditionally
done and is doing even more today is taking the responsibility of
distilling the information down to something that's useable, very
accessible and very accurate. That's important because people have a
lot of sources for their information now, whether it's the 500 channel
television universe or all the information that comes down the
internet. Public television prides itself in being the place where
people can go and get information right the first time. Garden Smart is
a perfect example of one of the great gardening shows on Public
Television that provide good, accurate information. His wife, as an
example, is a Rosarian. She collects roses and is always looking for
Public television shows to provide information that can make it fast,
easy and accessible to expand her knowledge base regarding roses.
Garden Smart is one of the few places where one can find garden
specific information - fast, accurate and up to date. That is called
cutting through the clutter and getting the content. Public television
and Garden Smart are great resources. And when it comes to roses Keith
Zary is uniquely situated to provide rose information.
Many view the horticulture industry as an old industry, one that's slow
to change. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the
world of roses is a great example of a cutting edge industry. There are
new innovations and new introductions every year. And Keith Zary is a
leader in those innovations. He's been involved in horticulture for
more than 30 years and for the last 22 has been a rose breeder. His
parents were both avid horticulturists and Keith has always had a
strong interest in horticulture. He went to Texas A & M where he earned
degrees in horticulture and genetics. Specifically, he has always been
interested in breeding. After college he went to the seed industry for
a few years but while there looked into other job opportunities, found
one at his present company, was fortunate and got the job and is still
there today. When he came into the industry, it was all budding, Hybrid
T's, Grandifloras and Floribundas. We've now seen a real revolution.
Today we're deeply involved in on-root roses and the shrub rose has
taken over the market.
KEITH SHOWS US HOW ROSES IN THE PAST WERE TYPICALLY PROPAGATED. One
would take the leaves off the stem and expose the eyes, the meristems
that are used in the budding process. He takes a knife cuts the eye
out, then using a piece of understock makes what's called a t-bud which
is a t-cut in the green bark. He opens it up, takes the eye from the
other variety, inserts it, then using budding tape, seals it so that
it's airtight. This means that now on the understock we have a new
variety that we're interested in growing. The understock typically used
is called Dr. Huey and it is very aggressive and fast growing. In
breeding roses years ago roses were selected for their flowers, not
necessarily their vigor. They required the vigor of the Dr. Huey
understock to support a really fast growing shrub. At that point they
weren't interested in on-root vigor, only interested in selecting
flowers that looked beautiful. So, what has changed in the breeding
program that went from on-root roses to roses that are essentially just
a cutting that's stuck in the ground of the greenhouse? In the 70's,
80's and 90's they began to experiment and discovered that they could
root most any rose. Some did well on their own roots, some didn't. In
2000 they made the decision that within Keith's breeding program they
would no longer bud anything coming out of research. Everything would
be on its own roots, thus they were then selecting for on-root vigor
and that has revolutionized how roses are produced. This innovation has
allowed the time required to develop new roses and the process to be
sped up dramatically. They can now produce roses faster and it has
opened up a number of opportunities from the standpoint of how roses
are used and how they are produced.
There are many different types of roses and the classic rose, the one
traditionally produced using the old grafting and budding method is the
Hybrid Tea Rose. What makes the Hybrid Tea Rose a Hybrid Tea rose?
They discuss several classics: Rosa Hybrid Tea 'Nancy Reagan' and
'Beloved' are great garden roses. They have tall, high-centered buds,
long stems, lots of petals, they unfurl slowly and they make a great
flower in a vase. But they're quite awkward looking as a garden plant.
But they do make ideal cut roses. If buying roses for Valentine's Day
one would typically buy the classic Hybrid Tea Rose.
Top
THE GUYS NEXT LOOK AT A WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF ROSES, there is almost
every major class of rose here. How does one tell them apart? Many have
certain similarities, some look quite different. With some, one can
tell the difference by the bloom. For example, Floribunda roses are
usually about 3 inches apart, they open fully, although often high
centered and they always have a fairly informal look when fully opened.
They have nice compact flowers in clusters and are great in a perennial
border. By contrast the Grandiflora has a much bigger flower, a bit
more formal in the way it looks, it flowers in clusters, in fact the
clusters are so big that one can often cut individual stems within the
cluster and use those in a vase.
The Shrub rose looks a lot like the classic old style English Rose. It
is called a shrub because it has an informal shape, it's big, in this
case an arching plant, great in the perennial border, usually they're
grouped in 3's or 5's to form the backbone of the border. It's great
because it's always in flower, it gives an informal look and it's also
very nice as a cut rose.
Landscape roses have received a lot of attention lately. Good and
Plenty is a great example. It is a compact rose, grows about 2 feet
tall, 2 feet wide, it has great foliage, very resistant to black spot
and it has a very informal look. It provides a leathery feel to the
perennial border. It can be used anywhere in the landscape where one
wants consistent color throughout the growing season.
Rosa 'Electric Blanket rose' is a blanket rose. It grows about twice as
wide as tall. In this case it's a very small rose. It grows about 1
foot high and 2 feet wide. It's great anywhere one wants it, but is
particularly attractive on a slope or in a small container where it
looks great arching over the edges. It's a magnificent rose.
The miniature rose is a classic. Rosa 'Winsome' is one and has a
tremendous number of garden applications. Rosa 'Hot Tamale' is another
and it forms beautiful, little buds that open up into a lovely little
flower. It looks like a miniature Hybrid Tea. Even the foliage is
miniature. The plant is only about 2 feet tall. It's a great rose for a
small border but even better in containers. It looks fantastic on a
porch or balcony and has never ending color throughout the growing
season.
Climbers are a classic rose and a mainstay on arbors in a lot of old
gardens. Rosa climber 'Blaze of Glory' is sort of a Floribunda style
flower but it grows on long, arching canes that can be trained along a
split rail fence, off a trellis or up against a wall. It gives great
height to the garden and provides color in areas where most gardeners
never think of having color.
Top
It's been great to see the different classes. ERIC AND KEITH NEXT WALK
THROUGH THE GARDEN TO SEE HOW ROSES ARE USED and the varying
applications for the different classes. They start with 2 tree roses.
They are examples of little compact, mounding shrub roses. Rosa 'Yellow
Ribbons' has been budded onto a 24 inch Dr. Huey understock. It would
look great in a container. It has a great height in the garden, great
vigor, great disease resistance, totally carefree, totally
self-cleaning and has a great presence. In this case they have
under-planted Rosa 'Happy Chappy' with a groundcover rose meaning the
whole area underneath is covered. These were planted in the spring and
today almost touch, by the end of next season they will completely
touch. It is a totally carefree rose and very, very low maintenance.
But what is unusual is that these are apricot, which in groundcover
roses is unique. It does fade to pink and will fill the entire area.
They provide a great deal of color even late in the growing season.
They next look at miniature roses. The first has great, unique color
contrast and the form is outstanding. It is a compact plant, has great
miniature flowers, tremendous foliage and a unique color. It will be a
wonderful introduction in several years. And they have many different
applications in the garden, for example up towards the front of a
perennial border or in containers. If these were grafted onto an
understock to make a tree rose they would be absolutely fabulous.
Rosa climber 'Dorothy Perkins' was the first rose introduced by Keith's
company in 1902. Here they have it trained along a little picket fence.
It's not in flower now because it only blooms in the spring. But there
are a lot of modern climbers that bloom all season long.
Another rose is in the corner of the garden and is hiding a wall to
break up the monotony of the wall and to add a much needed splash of
color. It's a nice addition. The modern Rosa climber 'Joseph Coat' like
its namesake from the Bible is a rose of many colors-yellows, oranges,
even finishing a red before the petals actually shutter. It does finish
off this corner, hides the ugliness and provides great vertical height.
It's an aggressive grower, this one has quite a bit of height. When
looking at using climbing roses in the garden remember that a climbing
rose can be maintained at any height you like. They don't have tendrils
like a Clematis or some of the other vines. One probably needs a
trellis or some other way to simply attach the climbing rose to the
wall. But it is hard to beat.
Joe and Eric next visit another potentially challenging spot in the
garden. Here there is a lot of road noise. There is a gas station
behind, thus a privacy fence is needed. Oftentimes when thinking of a
privacy hedge evergreens come to mind. But there are many advantages to
using a rose as a privacy screen. This is a prime example. And it is
strikingly beautiful. Rosa 'Fragrant Lavender Simplicity' can be tall,
upright, provides great screening, has great flowers all season long
and has a wonderful fragrance. There are very few woody plants that can
offer all of these great features. Thuja plicata 'Green Giant' will
keep intruders out. It is well armed and as the rose matures it becomes
even stronger, it becomes quite impenetrable. It's a great hedge.
One of the best ways to see the difference between Floribunda and
Grandiflora is to look at them in the garden. The Floribunda has dense
clusters of blooms, is a little more tight and compact. The Grandiflora
is bigger, a taller plant, has individual stems within the clusters
which are longer and great for cutting.
Top
ONE OF THE EMERGING TRENDS IN ROSE BREEDING, ONE THAT HAS GAINED A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF POPULARITY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS ARE ROSES FOR A
"CAUSE." Not only are they great roses but a portion of the proceeds
goes to a designated charity. Rosa 'Diana Princess of Wales' is a great
example. It is an elegant Hybrid Tea, very fitting for remembering this
elegant lady. 10 percent of the proceeds go to the Diana Foundation
which removes hundreds of thousands of landmines around the world.
Another Cause rose is Rosa 'Veterans Honor' which is a beautiful red. A
portion of the proceeds go to veterans aid. Rosa 'Ladybird Johnson' is
a magnificent rose and its proceeds go towards wildflower foundations
that preserve wildflowers throughout the U.S. Arguably one of the very
best Hybrid Tea roses ever bred is the Rosa 'Pope John.' It is a
magnificent rose and has a heavenly fragrance.
Keith and other breeders around the world are working hard every year
to introduce roses with new and different colors, forms and fragrances.
A good example is the All-American Rose Selection winner for 2008 named
Rosa 'Mardi Gras.' It's a yellow, pink and orange plant with a strong
fragrance. It's an attractive plant and would be an exciting addition
to any garden.
Top
FRAGRANCE IS IMPORTANT but several years ago many roses were released
that didn't have that quintessential rose fragrance. But it is a huge
way that we experience a rose and fragrance is again becoming an
important factor when introducing a new rose. Think about it, the first
thing most do is put their nose in a rose, therefore it's important for
it to have a nice sweet smell. Thus breeders around the world are
striving to bring fragrance back.
Rosa 'Laura Bush' has a wonderful scent and it is a brownish, tan type
rose. It is stunning. More than 10 years ago breeders began to combine
yellows and lavenders with the result being some nice tans. They
continued to work and ended up with fairly deep russets. It's been
satisfying to get this great color as well as a very nice fragrance.
Rosa 'April in Paris' is a beautiful Hybrid Tea. It has intense
fragrance, has a creamy pink center with a wonderful pink margin. It
makes a beautiful cut rose. It grows vigorously on its own roots but
the compactness gives it the opportunity to become a great container
rose. Since gardens are getting smaller, it's particularly timely and
it has many applications.
Eric thinks all the roses have been fantastic selections. He can't wait
to see what will be introduced next year. The past 10 years have been
exciting. The way that roses are bred and the way roses are produced
has led to a myriad of new possibilities for roses. It's been a real
revolution. Roses are now available as plugs, as small container
plants, as gallons, they're even available now for planting in the
fall. Of course, fall is the best time to plant roses and now they're
available that way. Roses are adaptable to just about every corner of
the garden, even great in containers, on the porch or patio. Eric can't
think of a single application where roses wouldn't fit in. There are
ground cover roses and vines, they can be used as a hedge and they look
fantastic as hanging baskets. Their use is unlimited.
Eric thanks Keith for our tour. We've learned a lot about roses. The
opportunity to spend the day with someone who's on the cutting edge of
the rose industry is a treat. We've devoted shows to roses in the past,
this has been by far the most informative and comprehensive. Thanks
Keith.
Top
LINKS:
