Since Roses are so popular on Valentine's day I thought this lovely one given to me by Mary Lee, Silverflutter, at one of the swaps would be very appropriate.
Cecil Brunner Rose, isin't she beautiful? Show us your beautiful roses please!!!
Josephine.
Hi Josephine. Awsome picture. Wish mine were blooming now. They are covered with leaf buds atleast. Did that rose turn out to be a climber or shrub?
I think it is a shrub, it is still in a pot and not very large, but it has bloomed beautifully.
The picture is from last year, things are not that far here yet.
Have a great day, and Thank you.
Josephine.
Thanks, Josephine. I love roses (white rose is my very favorite flower) but don't grow any myself. I will be content with admiring the photo you shared with us.
Carla
Well, I really am not a rose person myself, but she gave me this one and I have kept it potted, and it has been a real joy, so maybe even us non rose people can enjoy a potted plant or two, it has been very easy and rewarding.
Come on rose people, show us your stuff.
Josephine.
Happy Valentine's Day! That's a beautiful rose! In my area, roses are difficult to keep healthy w/o lots of chemicals for fungus and black spot, but I always love to look at them! Knockout roses are very hardy here - but not like the ones my mom grew in Oklahoma. I can smell them now.
That one does real well here too Josephine--the antique roses do best in the heat and humidity without chemicals (I will get off my organic soapbox now). A good source for roses for Houston is the Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham.
I think my favorite has always been 'Buff Beauty'--its very easy to root, does not have disease problems, and is a pretty orderly climber (for a rose anyway--I know that's subjective).
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/46973/
Happy Valentine's day to you too (I think I have 33 minutes left to get that in)!!!!
Debbie
=)
I don't grow roses (well, okay, just a few climbers), but I like organic soapboxes!
Happy belated Valentine's Day to all!
Very lovely rose Debbie, they are so pretty, but I guess we can,t grow everything, but I do admire them.
Dmj, I have an organic soapbox too. It's hard to get off of it.:) I picked antique roses because I'd heard they can look great without chemicals and I was determined not to use any. Some of mine came from the ARE in Brenham and some from San Antonio. I have Buff Beauty too and it's one of my favorites for it's scent. They are incredibly resilient plants.
Well, since we are talking organic gardening, I guess I must say I have been practicing it for 39 years, but sometimes i am reluctant to mention it, for fear of sounding like a broken record.
The rose you gave me has been fed nothing but homemade compost, with a rare drink of compost tea, which I know i should make more often but usually put off doing.
Josephine.
Silver and Josephine--we know who we are here on the forum, we can just keep our comments to our threads. I felt safe to put that in here. ;)
Another three roses (besides Cecil and Buff Beauty) that I like a lot are:
1. 'Banshee'--although many would not agree with me here.
A banshee is like a Scottish ghost but a bit more demonic. This one is almost thornless, has excellent disease resistance, and the smell is to die for.
http://www.rdrop.com/~paul/main_dec.html
2. 'Sombreuil'--smells divine, good disease resistance, but was anything but an orderly climber for me (I have the scars on my arms to prove it--lol). I love it--but I would not own it again--I admit defeat.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/112/
3. And the ever popular 'Souvenir de la Malmaison':
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51816/
I had all 3 of these (plus others) at my old rent house--they did not get moved to where I live now--which I've been at for 18 years. I think with the impending back fence construction/destruction I will again add Souvenir and Banshee. I need some "bones" for that back fence and think I will add a couple of roses to the mix. So easy to care for down here. I will just avoid the climbers unless I have personally seen that it's orderly--lol--I'm too old to lose another rose battle.
That's my take on roses in Texas.
Debbie
=)
Those are really beautiful Debbie, thank you for showing us.
Josephine.
I have read that the current standard of rose care--even for non-organic gardeners--includes alfalfa. Have you guys tried that?
not here--are you talking pellets or mulch?
If its a mulch, I'd be afraid of weeds like hay--I have enough weeds. ;)
If its pellets I'd be leery of a gmo product--that so called corn gluton organic stuff actually comes from gmo corn--which is enough to scare me off it.
speaking of scary stuff--this is off topic (but loosely fits into organic)--I have a great pic I can post of anemone blooms cut from around Chernobyl showing the mutations of the blooms after this period of time. Its from a Latvian bulb grower whose book I reviewed for a bulb publication. The picture was not in the book but that's how I came across it.
Debbie, I have used it both ways. The pellets are very soft and are mostly powder when I get it. Those that aren't, usually dissolve or crush very easily.
Since I put it on everything, I usually mix it up and make alfalfa/compost tea. But it really smells awful--did I say AWFUL? So if you're just doing a few things, it's easier to spread it dry and water it in. That way there's not much odor.
I have been tempted many times to make alfalfa tea, but just haven't yet. Some people make it with out a pump and some with a pump. According to what I've read, there are advantages of both, but if you make it with an air pump the aerobic bacteria start to die if you turn the pump off. I have considered making this in an old aquarium that I have in the gh.
Where do you buy your pellets Pbtx, and do you use anything else?
I've done it both ways, with and without a pump. Frankly, for me, it's just easier to stir it several times a day, than it is to worry about the pump getting wet. Probably I should get one of those little immersible ones for a water feature, but haven't done it yet.
Yes, I use lots of other things. Saves having to do it more than once, LOL! I throw in whatever I have on hand. Compost and alfalfa, and maybe cottonseed meal, are the main ingredients. Other things I might add are Texas greensand (for iron), liquid seaweed, epsom salts (once a year), baking soda, milk, molasses, corn meal, corn gluten meal, beer or yeast, coffee, and apple cider vinegar. Some people also add ammonia.
I only get this done once a month or so. My beds get some of the Texas Tee fertilizer we talked about before. I will add dry alfalfa now & then to the things that really love it (roses and hostas). And I top-dress with compost frequently.
The best place to get alfalfa is a feed & seed store, where it's cheapest and you can buy by the pound. You also can get it in smaller quantities at most organic garden centers. But it's more expensive that way.
I have Banshee and mine is far from being thornless! I am an organic gardener too.
This message was edited Feb 15, 2008 8:36 PM
Beautiful rose Melva!!!
Thanks, and it has a wonderful scent!
Very pretty Melva. =)
Missed the Day, hope you all had a special one. Thanks Josephine.
I am not much on roses, but the DH got me this little mini rose a few years ago and it is still alive! This pic is from last June.
That is adorable Sheila, and such a bright and beautiful color.
Josephine.
What is the purpose of adding ammonia or apple cider vinegar? And if you use alfalfa that is not organic, what effect does that have on your plants?
Mary Lee, are you asking if the alfalfa plant that the pellets were made from is not grown organically, would it have a bad effect on your plants?
Yes, that's what I mean. Sorry if I was confusing.
Sheila that's a cutie! Do you have that in a pot or in the ground?
Guys I just use an organic foliar feed on everything because I primarily use it on my bulbs. I feel they perform best if given something weak (6-11-5) every week. I just hate to mix stuff up all the time and this I only have to mix water (I use a battery-powered one gallon sprayer with a shoulder strap), 1 talblespoon feed, 2 tablespoons micro-nutrients, and 1/4 tsp surfactant. But I'm gearing towards bulbs and just use it on everything:
http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BPF&top=3
I'm big on micro-nutrients soil additives and compost and mulch.
One thing many organic people are not aware of is a lot of organic products such as cottonseed meal, soybean meal, and corn gluton meal are made from gmo (genetically modified organisms). Now that's up to the individual about how you feel about that topic.
Here is a kind of good guide on some organic fertilizers as to pro's and con's.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/files/gardennotes/234-OrganicFert.html
I'm still looking for a good guide for some of the micro-nutrient products such as green sand and lava sand where they are all in one place like this guide.
Debbie
=)
Ammonia is a quick (synthetic) source of nitrogen. Some people also think it's good to fight slugs. I don't use it myself so I can't say.
Apple cider vinegar is a fungicide that helps control diseases. Since it's an acid, it also helps neutralize our heavy clay soil. I'll admit, I don't have much experience using this product. I've added it a couple of times, but don't know if it helped or not. My most common use for vinegar is horticultural vinegar as a Round-up substitute.
Organic alfalfa vs non-organic. I haven't really thought about that one. Probably (guessing) the alfalfa sold as an organic product would be organically grown, but I don't know for sure. The alfalfa sold at feed stores is a food crop for livestock, so I wouldn't think that it has many chemicals. But again, I'm guessing.
If it's a concern, you could compost it first. (I often add alfalfa to my compost pile as a "green.") The two main benefits of alfalfa are its nitrogen-fixing ability (it's a legume), and a natural growth-stimulating hormone it contains. I don't know if those would be lost in the composting process or not. Here's Howard Garrett's link, but he doesn't say anything about it in the compost pile. http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=197
Debbie, thanks for that GMO info. It's getting pretty hard to avoid those things, isn't it? I have read that corn is so cross-pollinated that there's no corn left on the market that can be guaranteed to be GMO-free. :(
Didn't know about the animal food crops, though. Thanks for the warning.
Dmj thanks a lot for that link to Colo State website. That was very helpful I think. According to that site the bonemeal I've adding for my narcissus probably hasn't done any good. Maybe that's why they don't multiply? What do I use instead? I've been wanting to send a soil sample off for analysis, but I want to send it to a lab that will give me an organic answer. I know there is one somewhere, just can't remember where.
That Coco Wet stuff, is that like using dish soap, only better? How often do you spray?
pbtx--Yes, the gmo problem is pitiful. I would like to avoid products with it so as not to encourage the growers but some things can't be avoided. I just like to let organic growers know that it is in a lot of organic products--just food for thought and/or action according to your own beliefs.
Silver--What most people don't realize that bulb growers have known for years is that bulbs need nitrogen too. As close to even or 10-10-5 (or this ratio) as you can get makes the BEST bulb fertilizer. Esp. if you want them to reproduce for you, as well as bloom. This is EXTREMELY necessary if you live in an area where it rains a lot--like me. Narcissus also do not like to be buried more than 2-3 inches--keep this in mind if you mulch. They are not tulips that like it 5-6 inches deep. If you have a lot of bone meal you need to use up, buy some soil sulfur to mix with it. It's organic and cheap. When you use all that up, try this:
http://www.espoma.com/content.aspx?type=p&id=28&intCategoryID=4
I actually make a "cocktail" and mix several of their products--depending on the bulb--but I mostly go by intuition and feel. I use a lot of these and bat guano, lava sand, minerals-plus, etc. as I make seed starting mixes and I "scratch" it in the ground for bulbs in the ground. Notice all the micro-nutrients you are getting along with the bone meal in epsoma products--they are important, in my opinion. I'm big on mulch too (after all, it turns into compost).
I usually mix the above with:
http://www.espoma.com/content.aspx?type=p&id=24&intCategoryID=4
Often this:
http://www.espoma.com/content.aspx?type=p&id=22&intCategoryID=4
(not real heavy on that)
Occasionally:
http://www.espoma.com/content.aspx?type=p&id=21&intCategoryID=4
They have a rose product too, but I can't say I've ever used it:
http://www.espoma.com/content.aspx?type=p&id=26&intCategoryID=4
Look at all the other things that some folks buy individually that are included there in the micro-nutrients area for roses. I think I'll pick some up!
Sorry Josephine to get off topic from roses, but at least its an ORGANIC discussion. ;)
Here's a Narcissus for you, 'Erlicheer' a division 4 double. I know 2 of the growers for Old House Gardens in Texas (and they supply others too) one within 75 miles of Austin and one within 25 miles of me. Narcissus (and a lot of other bulbs) are very "do-able" in Texas. ;)
Hey, I've ordered a couple of times from Old House. I always think it's ironic that I'm paying them to ship me bulbs that were grown in Texas!
Thanks Dmj. Josephine sorry we hijacked your thread. We strayed pretty quickly from Valentines Day. But this is really interesting info. BTW I have Erlicheer in several places. It's very reliable, but again it hasn't multiplied. So I guess I should start using some of this stuff. I tried the brug recipe because it was so cheap to make. But how much do you pay for the Espoma stuff you buy? And if you use the Sprayngrow, you still need the Espoma also?
BTW I think I have buds all of a sudden on my Brug! They are very tiny so I'm not sure.
Hey Girls, no problem here, I love organics, you can talk about it to your hearts content, anytime the subject comes up it is always a good thing.
Josephine.
Thanks Josephine! =)
Silver, I usually buy all I need for a year at one time. I have "an arrangement" with one local family-owned garden center to order me what I need (they carry the stuff too--but usually only have a good variety in the spring), they cut a buck or two off each bag I guess. You have to remember I use much more of this stuff than the average home gardener does--I literally start hundreds of species of bulb seeds each winter. I just bought 30 bags of different things and picked up 3-4 of those buckets of bat guano and a small bag of pebbles to put on top of an Easter cactus in the house for $130. I have a tax ID# so don't pay that. Spray-n-grow I haven't done yet; but will soon . I will order one of the medium kit:
http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PERFECTKIT20&top=3
plus one of these because you use twice as much of it as the fertilizer:
http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SNG20&top=3
and I always get 2 of these because I love this stuff:
http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MINERALS&top=10
That will last me a year on all of that stuff. That always puts me at the free-shipping level; I don't get any special deal from them--but I don't buy enough to warrant it, in my opinion. And my money, in both cases, supports family-owned Texas businesses.
Thanks Josephine.
Deb...I have the mini rose in the ground. I have killed my share of roses but for some reason this one likes it here. It is where it is shade/part sun in the summer, and mulched in the winter.
Do you like that battery powered sprayers? I haven't tried them. I've been using one I buy at Ace. I think it's called a pump sprayer. You pump it to build up pressure and then spray. It's very easy, but I don't like the nozzle.
Sheila, is that yellow rose an David Austin Rose? There's one just like that called Rise N' Shine. I tried it, but it didn't like my yard.:(
Haven't a clue, the DH got it for me a few years back from a grocery I think. Like I said I don't do roses and am surprised it lives outside up here.
Sheila I've killed an embarrassingly large number of plants myself. What is the total size on that yellow beauty? I've heard that those miniatures actually can often surprisingly do well in the garden. I can remember 10-15 years ago that they used to be quite inexpensive. Now, along with everything else, they are not! I actually looked at some at the garden center the other day--I think they were maybe overpriced because of Valentine's day. I was thinking of hitting Lowe's or Home Depot Monday and see if they had any left after Valentine's. I would really like a few roses that stay really small--like 2.5' high by 2.5' wide. I don't even care what color they are. Red, white, pink, yellow, orange..they are all pretty.
Silver yes, that green sprayer is what I use--I have 2, one is only for that vinegar to kill nutgrass and bermuda grass in the cracks of a very long brick path I have. You do have to replace the batteries about twice a year, maybe 3 times a year on the fertilizer one.
