The garden and life lessons that our roses teach us

“Plants want to grow; they are on your side … as long as you are reasonably sensible.”

— Anne Wareham

I have learned so much from my rose garden through the years. I have learned about roses, the insects in my garden and the value of companion planting. Interestingly, rose gardens and life teach us many similar, valuable lessons.Here are a few. Perhaps you can relate.

Off with its head

One summer day about 30 years ago, I decided to prune the three tree roses that were growing in the garden of our new home. I knew nothing about roses, but I had heard they should be pruned. Roses are very hardy, and it is almost impossible to murder a rose during the pruning process, but alas, that is precisely what I accomplished. I just couldn’t seem to get the canes “tidy” enough.

I eventually had the idea to let the rose start from scratch and tidy itself up. I made my final cut at the top of the stem of the tree rose and under the bud union. Looking at the headless tree rose, I had the sinking feeling that that last cut was one cut too many. I was correct: The rose was a goner. Thankfully, I knew that I should not prune the two remaining roses!

A few years later, I attended a pruning workshop and learned that a tree rose consists of three separate plants that are grafted together. The stem is grafted to the rootstock, and then the “head,” the upper part of the desired flowering variety, is grafted to the stem. The grafted portion is called the bud union, and the most important principle of pruning is that a grafted rose must NEVER be pruned under the bud union. I joined the San Diego Rose Society and the American Rose Society, because the more I learned about roses, the more I wanted to know. I have taught pruning workshops for over 20 years, and I always remember that first rose.

In life and in the garden: Knowledge is power, and we should make amends to atone for wrongdoings.

The importance of staking

Tree roses must be staked to keep them sturdy and upright. It is best to position a rebar or strong stake a foot into the ground in the planting hole with the rose. The stake should extend at least a few inches above the graft union and should be tied to the stem using a flexible material like plastic tape. I planted a ‘Julia Child’ tree rose in an upright position, but I neglected to stake it. The rose tilted farther and farther each year and kept tilting until it was growing at an awkward 45-degree angle right into the walkway. I could not straighten it and, sadly, had to remove the rose.

Heavy clustered shrub roses should also be staked. ‘Flower Girl’ is a rose that blooms in huge, heavy clusters. When it rains, these clusters get very heavy and can drag the rose down. I found my ‘Flower Girl’ sprawled on the pavement after a rain. Miraculously, her canes were not broken, and I was able to right her up and support her with stakes.

There are many roses that bloom in heavy clusters and should be staked. We should also stake tall roses. Roses on fortuniana rootstock must be staked, as they generally grow taller and have shallow-growing roots.

In life and in the garden: We need to support our friends. Our roses are our friends. They support us when we are feeling down, and we need to support them.

Staking gone wrong

‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’ is a David Austin rose that has huge, beautiful and fragrant pink blooms. This rose also has a habit of sprawling and spreading outward horizontally. While I was trying to stake one of the vigorous new stems into an upright position, I accidentally broke the stem off the bush. This was a sad occurrence, but I took the broken stem, and I pushed it into the soil in an upright position. Miraculously, a few weeks later I noticed the stem was still green, the leaves were perky, and there were buds developing on the top of the stem. It had rooted!

In life and in the garden: Nothing ventured nothing gained, and miracles do happen!

Our treasured blooms

To prompt a repeat cycle and keep the garden looking its best, we need to deadhead our blooms. Too often, however, I have deadheaded not just the bloom but also a sidebud growing beside it. What would have been a beautiful rose is wasted and is off to the landfill. And way too often on roses that bloom in clusters — such as ‘Sally Holmes,’ ‘Mermaid,’ ‘Imogen,’ ‘The Charlatan,’ ‘Flower Girl,’ ‘Fourth of July,’ ‘The Fairy’ or ‘Lyda Rose’ — I have accidently cut out incipient buds and perfect blooms while attempting to make the cluster look fresher by deadheading the spent blooms.

In life and in the garden: Be more mindful, slow down and be in the moment. Our roses are worth it, and we are too.

The importance of a bucket

When I spot a leaf folded over, rolled or two leaves “silked” together, I am always hopeful that I will still find the caterpillar inside. I have learned the hard way that caterpillars are fast, super wriggly and nimble and can slip away easily. So my first step is to always cut the folded, rolled or silked leaf off the plant.

The second step is to open the leaf over a bucket. If the caterpillar is still in the leaf, it will satisfyingly free-fall right into the bucket. There is now one less caterpillar in the garden! But be aware that spiders also use leaves as a hideout in the same manner — and spiders are beneficials in the garden. Fortunately, the bucket does not harm them, and they are smart enough to clamber out.

In life and in the garden: Be observant, use your wits and be street/garden savvy; also, know your enemies and your friends.

The benefits of diverse companions

I don’t grow my roses in the traditional rose garden manner of “the best companion for a rose is another rose.” My roses share their space in the garden with other plants. So, interspersed among my roses are foxgloves, delphiniums, daisies, little chrysanthemums, sweet alyssum, nemesia, penstemon, scabiosa, cosmos and nepeta. I believe the best companion for a rose is a lot of other plants. The companion plants entice pollinators and other beneficial insects into my garden. The “bad bugs” that eat roses have a wider choice of “eats.” Observation and knowledge teach me to distinguish my friends and their larvae from my foes.

In life and in the garden: Diverse companions make life and our gardens more interesting, and we find out that we can all get along.

Give them time to shine

I planted ‘Arborose Florentina,’ a Kordes climber, and watched it grow beautiful canes and shiny green leaves. There was one big problem. We grow roses for their blooms, and this rose gave me no blooms for an entire year. I considered digging or “shovel pruning” the rose, but it was very healthy, so I decided to give it another year. I am so glad I did! This year, ‘Florentina’ has rewarded me with extremely pretty, long-lasting clusters of red full-petaled blooms.

In life and in the garden: Patience is a virtue and can pay dividends.

Vigilance

Keeping a watchful eye on our rose garden helps us catch pest and disease problems early and saves our roses from pest infestations and plant stress.

In life and in the garden: Every good relationship takes time, watchfulness, love, patience and work.

When things aren’t quite right

Sometimes weather conditions cause botrytis, powdery mildew, rust or blackspot on susceptible roses. We can manage these diseases by cutting out diseased leaves and blooms and increasing air circulation in and around our roses. We can check our irrigation and adjust the times we water to minimize humidity in the garden.

In life and the garden: Try to be tolerant, don’t demand perfection and figure out how to improve challenging, tough situations.

Grow only the number of roses you can care for

Roses are not hard to grow, but they are not “easy-care” plants. Growing beautiful, healthy roses takes time and knowledge, but the rewards are great. If you are going to grow them, why wouldn’t you grow them right? Why not grow just 10 roses really well, instead of 50 or 100 roses poorly?

In life and in the garden: Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. It’s better to be realistic and figure out what we can manage to do well with the time we have at hand.

Stop and smell the roses, count our blessings and practice gratitude. This is so easy to do in a rose garden. It is also a wonderful life practice.

Perwich is a member of the San Diego Rose Society, a Consulting Rosarian and a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension. For more information, visit rose-harmony.com.