I'm not a Rosarian. I've never even wanted to grow a single Rose. It's not that I don't like them. On the contrary, I find them beautiful, and I love their intoxicating perfume. But growing up, I watched my mother struggle to grow Hybrid Tea Roses in too much shade. Then, when I was a teenager, we moved to a lot in full sun, where I watched her battle blackspot, mildew and the dreaded Japanese Beetles, then cut back and mound soil over the Roses and crown each with those nasty plastic cones. I got turned off.I was fortunate in that none of my houses had a Rose on the property. I never had to deal with all that hassle, not to mention the vicious thorns. I don't like spiny, painful plants. And besides, if I ever wanted to indulge in the Rose experience, I could always visit the ones at my mom's house. Currently, she has the David Austin Rose 'Sharifa Asma,' a tall red-orange one, and two climbers, 'William Baffin' and 'Zepherine Drouhin.' Plenty to get a Rose fix.
And then, early in the summer, it happened. My sweet little 8-year-old daughter came up to me and said, "Mom, I want one of those flowers like grandma has." She wanted a Rose. How could I stunt her burgeoning horticultural ambitions by denying her the plant she wanted? Not only would that be heartless, but I'd be a bad mother and a bad gardener. In the face of those big sad eyes and that pathetic, pleading look, all my resistance crumbled. I had to plant a Rose.
When it came time to decide on a Rose, I had already been inspired by two wonderful garden bloggers I met at Spring Fling in Austin, Dee of Red Dirt Ramblings, and Pam of Digging. Dee is a Rose person, and she did a series of posts on Roses, advocating the planting of tough, disease resistant shrub Roses, including a glowing recommendation for 'Carefree Beauty Rose.' In Pam's old garden, which I was privileged to visit, she had a 'Carefree Beauty' Rose. The decision was a no-brainer. I am now the proud owner of a very small, fragrant, disease resistant 'Carefree Beauty.' It is hardy to Zone 4, so I'm not going to give it any protection this winter in my Zone 5 garden. No cutting back. No mounding of dirt. And best of all, no stupid Rose cones.
This post has a triple inspiration: the Rose is the plant of the month at Gardening Gone Wild; Shady Gardener's suggestion of posting about garden bloggers who have been a source of inspiration this spring or summer (sorry it's a little late); and Katarina of Roses & Stuff has started a new Blooming Friday flower meme. This post manages to hit all three!
26 comments:
Now that is a purposeful blog post! This is a cutie pie rose...nice color, easy care and you say it has fragrance! That makes it even more attractive! Is your daughter still enamored with her rose? EWill there be more plantings in the future?
Gail
You are on the ball girl. A good post for multiple reasons.
Great choice MMD, Carefree Beauty is a keeper! I'm not crazy about hybrids either, the ones I have were given to me or inherited from the previous owners. But there are some wonderful selections on the market now. Great post today.
That's a good post, MMD, when you can cover three memes in one! I love roses, too, but I know I'm not patient enough to care for tea roses. All I have are two Knockout Roses, which were gifts, and are very easy to care for. The "Carefree Beauty" rose sounds like a winner; I hope you'll show it next spring.
I know how you feel. I wasn't going to plant a pumpkin in my garden again this year, but how can you say no to your daughter?
I feel exactly the same way about roses! Unfortunately, our yard came with half a dozen roses--no idea what they are and they are not doing too well due to complete neglect. Sigh.
--Curmudgeon
Yes, a very good reason to plant a rose. And it sounds like you picked a very good one!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
There isn't anything thing that is too much trouble for a daughter. I am sure you and she will both have wonderful memories of the rose and takin care of it together. Your timing with this post was excellent!
Nice multi-tasking, and being such a great mom. I know your daughter will appreciate your kindness and enjoy her gardening. I'm like you - I've had only a few roses over the years, usually a single one at each house, but now I am making some room for a few more and eager to see how it goes. My fingers will be crossed for us both!
Aww! What a sweet mom you are. How could you deny such an impassioned plea for a plant, right? I'm sure your grandchildren will thank you when she passes on what you have taught her to them.
Gail - at this point I'm content with one Rose. Hopefully it will survive the deer attacks.
Thanks, Lisa!
Perennialgardener - I did look at a lot of the new shrub Roses because my mom wanted me to replace some Hybrid Teas that she lost with them. I ended up getting the double red Knockout for her.
Rose - I hope this Rose will be a prominent feature on several Bloom Day posts.
Daphne - we have an obligation to nurture the next generation of gardeners. Besides, kids are so cute in the garden.
Curmudgeon - if I inheirited a yard full of Roses, I'd feel obligated to try to take care of them, even if I felt like yanking them out.
Carol - I like this Rose so far. The flowers were beautiful, and the hips were pretty until they got eaten!
Beckie - I hope to have this Rose for a long time so the girl & I can build lots of memories.
Diana - I know Roses are a slippery slope. As with Clematises, it seems it's easy to become a collector. Good luck!
Cinj - grandchildren? I'm definitely not thinking that far ahead. ;-)
Hi MMD, so glad you were not a bad mother! The Carefree Beauty at Pam's was a big advertisement for them wan't it? Hope it continues to please you and your daughter. Good deal for the knock outs for your mom too, they really are as good as all the hype. I searched high and low for the yellow Carefree Sunshine this year and finally found one, it was done well too.
Frances
I've not hilled up around my roses yet, and now they're buried under five inches of snow. I've always done that in the past before the first snows. I have had trouble in the past with heaving here in my zone 5 garden. That's why I recommend mounding to my readers (I write a weekly gardening column).
You couldn't have better rose mentors than Pam and Dee!
The mini-roses were all the rage when my daughter was young - inexpensive and so little they could tuck into a border anywhere. She thought they were okay but always liked the spring bulbs, lilacs and irises best anyway!
Hope Carefree Beauty does well under your tough love program, MMD!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
May your Beauty indeed be Carefree (and deer free)! Nice job on the trifecta :-)
Gee whiz, MMD, how did I miss this post? It was so fun meeting you and riding in the car together @ Spring Fling, and to think I inispired YOU? You of the wonderful shade garden I'd pant to have? Thanks.
I believe you will love 'Carefree Beauty.' She is a stalwart companion in my garden, and asks for so very little. You've inspired me to write a post about Dr. Buck again. I don't have it up yet, but I will soon.~~Dee
Frances - I haven't seen 'Carefree Sunshine' around here yet. That would make a great substitute for us Northerners who long for that Yellow Rose of Texas.
TC - snow is a really good insulator, but I'm sure you'd prefer the insurance of mounded soil. My mom hasn't done her mounding yet on her Austin Rose because it's still blooming, believe it or not.
Annie - I've never really like the mini-Roses other than as pot plants. Tough love is the best kind. I wish I could direct it at my Mophead Hydrangeas.
Cindy - thanks for the good wishes. The Rose has now been coated in Plantskydd & encircled in chickenwire. That's the most I can do to protect it, as tall fences aren't allowed in front yards around here.
Dee - I had a great time meeting you & riding around together too! I may know a lot about shade, but my experience with Roses was pretty much limited to Hybrid Teas. (I know how to cut the blooms and mound the soil.) I can't want to read more about Dr. Buck & his terrific Roses.
I love that your daughter is taking an interest! We shall see just how Carefree this rose is shan't we?
Hi, MMD! What a great gardener friend you are! Not only did you pick a beautiful rose for your daughter (who loves her Grandmother) but you remembered my Summer Inspiration theme. Well, you get the prize! And I have to admit that I got a little discouraged thinking that no one was interested... or perhaps they'd just missed it, so I banished it from my blog. (Sorry). But, you really do get a prize for being the one and only Real participant! :-) If you e-mail me, I'll send you a little something. kteachem-at-yahoo-dot-com (id yourself somehow).
Good luck with your new floral friend! I'm pretty hit-or-miss with roses myself, and mostly stick to super-hardy rugosas. They sure have come a long way in recent years with "super-powered" cultivars though, so I'm sure if your daughter wants to see a bloom, she'll get one! Aren't garden bloggers just the best resources? I rarely buy a garden book anymore!
Layanee - I have to curb my enthusiasm & try to accept the kid's amount of interest in gardens & plants. It's encouraging.
Shady - revive that meme in the middle of winter when we have nothing going on in the garden.
Lisa - reading blogs is hazardous to the wallet!
Oh, how fun to think my 'Carefree Beauty' inspired you to plant one. I hope you and your daughter will have as much enjoyment from this rose as I did. I can't wait to come to Chicago next Spring Fling to find inspiration in your woodland garden for my new, shady spaces.
Pam - thanks! Seeing a plant, up close & personal in a garden, is so much better than looking at photos of it. I'm looking for to your visit too.
I have both Carefree Beauty and Carefree Delight. I love easy roses. All mine are and they more than repay. I got Carefree Beauty after seeing many of them blooming beautifully in the gorgeous Conservatory Gardens in New York City. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. It has done remarkably well in far-from-ideal conditions. A relation -- Carefree Delight -- is one of my most favorite roses. But in Chicagoland, I'd mound a bit of leaves and mulch around the crown before winter really sets in. Good Choice!
MMD, Meme is revived (albeit a little more simply) and I'm linking this post to it! ;-) Thanks!! SG
I visited you awhile ago..lovely blog.
Roses will be new for me come next summer...hope I can keep them alive !
Oh, just realized this post is sort of your way of joining Shady's and Katarina's meme..right?
Nice to hear from you..have a great evening !!
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