Worldwide, rose breeders from William Radler in the U.S. Pam Smith of the National EarthKind Trial & Display to Wilhelm Kordes in Germany have been hybridizing and Rose Garden in Farmer’s Branch, Texas tends an selecting for more naturally disease resistant varieties. organic sustainable garden that is predominantly roses. Sustainability After many generations, these varieties have achieved a Pam reports: good level of resistance to the very prevalent ‘black spot,’ a fungal disease that can strip a rose plant of its foliage. Yet “Visitors are amazed to see big full bushes of the ultimate goal remains -- to create less water-hungry varieties that demonstrate resistance to a broad spectrum roses with foliage all the way to the ground in Winds Its Way Into of natural diseases. That would be a truly sustainable rose. the midst of Texas humidity.”
Her rose regime, as stipulated by the EarthKind Trial program, begins with a selection of cultivars known for the Rose Garden their hardiness. The trial protocol restricts the use of supplemental irrigation, any spraying, or fertilizing. This regime could be possible in some parts of the country. But absolutely no extra irrigation would be tough in some climates like the Pacific Southwest where over half the year is without any natural rainfall.
By Tom Carruth American Rose Society New York District Director and rose (botanical curator and award-winning rose hybridizer) enthusiast, Pat Shanley, co-authored “The Sustainable Rose Garden: A Reader in Rose Culture” with Peter Kukielski of the New York Botanical Garden and Gene Waering of the Manhattan Rose Society. After the tragic loss of a beloved What Is a Sustainable Rose? family pet that was likely due to the spray she applied to her The sustainability bandwagon has parked For starters, a sustainable rose is grown without chemical rose garden, Pat launched into her first sustainable organic rose garden by going ‘cold turkey.’ She completely stopped squarely in a garden you might not expect... intervention and in the most earth-friendly way to preserve our planet for future generations. Sustainable gardening spraying a garden that was totally chemically dependent. the rose garden. Ornamentals may be the last also works in harmony with nature to not deplete resources It took about three seasons for the balance to return to (water, soil, humus, etc.) faster than they can be replaced, the garden with the arrival of beneficial insects, birds and plant frontier when it comes to sustainability. minimizing any negative impact on the environment and earthworms. But the wait was worth it. Even though roses are tough plants, over the emphasizing the health of a garden in a more holistic sense. It doesn’t necessarily have to be organic (free from any The Inception of Sustainable Roses years they’ve garnered a reputation as fussy chemical usage). Yet, in emphasizing the holistic health of and demanding queens of the garden. the garden, organic methods have to come into play. As is the case with many gardening trends in the U.S., they come to us from across the pond. In the 1980’s, the You can apply this general definition to a number of demand for organics and sustainability began to culminate For many gardeners, the task of keeping roses healthy and environments when it comes to rose gardening. Corey in Europe where concern for the long-term environment totally free of disease has been overwhelming. It required Welles, the Plant Healthcare Coordinator of the Ganna struck a strong chord with the public. Germany was one of the use of harsh chemicals and a considerable investment Walska Lotusland garden in Montecito, California, has the first countries to take the public demand seriously and of time to maintain. held the entire garden to a strictly organic regime for over begin the process to legislate sustainability. Now a whole fifteen years. He believes in building the biodiversity of group of laws are on the books in Switzerland, Canada, So you might not think the rose could translate to the the garden from the ground up, relying on a strict regime the United Kingdom and other countries restricting more environmentally conscience methodology. But that includes regular mulching, laying down a soup of the use of agricultural chemicals across the board, both think again. Within the past decade, the sustainable rose organic fertilizers and regular spraying with foliar foods professionally and privately. garden movement has led the way in demonstrating that and aerated compost tea. Corey boasts, “By focusing on growing beautiful roses - without the use of spray or growing biodiversity from the soil up we avoid many of the As early as 1990, the two major German rose breeding chemicals – is within reach of the average gardener. And pitfalls of high demand plants like roses.” Although the firms of Kordes and Tantau had to do a sudden shift in without all the hard work that was once associated with results are spectacular on a very broad spectrum of plants, direction to survive the demands of the new laws. The creating a spectacular rose garden. goal of better disease resistance was already a target for Tom Carruth with award-winning ‘Julia Child’ rose. this regime may be a little daunting for Jill & Joe Gardener.
1 2 years now. The Kordes genetics (among others) that have Thanks to Certified Roses, many of the great Kordes roses been introduced to the garden over this time period have will now be more easily available in fine nurseries and allowed for an 87% reduction of fungicide sprays in the garden centers across the United States. They’ve gathered rose garden over the past three years. The entire garden the cream of the Kordes crop to create the ‘Simply Brilliant’ – all 680+ varieties and over 4,200 roses, is evaluated on collection. Available in the spring of 2013, these well- a monthly basis based on disease resistance and other tested winners include climbers, floribundas and even the criteria. Keep in mind though, these are roses successful beloved hybrid tea. in his region and may not perform as well in other regional climates of the U.S.
The Kordes Fairytale™ series is a particular success in the Northeast; Brothers Grimm, Cinderella & Kosmos Fairytale being amongst the best. These are all full-petaled large blooms that look like a real rose...not a shrub with a boring pink blossoms that happens to be a rose. The variable bushy growth habit and lush complimentary foliage lend a broad number of usages for the landscape.
Peter reports some good success with climbers of German bloodlines. That’s a tough bill to fill in the Northeast climate where climbers often succumb to the cold. “The Kordes
Cl. Kordes Golden Gate climbing roses combine the cold hardiness required in Germany with their great lineage of disease resistance.” Kordes’ Golden Gate is a large flowered yellow that can be fanned out to spread 10 to 12 feet. Imagine a lovely wall of Rose Gardening Planning Tips the new hybrids. But its level of importance was suddenly yellow roses that don’t require spraying. Trials show that elevated. And I do mean suddenly. You can imagine what Golden Gate also performs well in the South. the once-pampered trial grounds looked like after the first year of absolutely no sprays. Now how do you go about finding information on varieties 1. Source out the most disease resistant varieties specific to that take to sustainable gardening specifically for your your region. Yet, after a good 10 years effort, Kordes persisted past that climate? Your local public rose garden and favorite early disappointment and now produces some very clean independent nursery professional can provide performance 2. Select a planting area that’s free of tree roots, with good hybrids that go well beyond the shrub rose class. This move recommendations that are specific to your microclimate. drainage and full sun exposure. In hot desert climates, light puts the Kordes bloodlines ahead of the pack when it comes afternoon shade is helpful to the plants. to classic looking roses with great black spot resistance. Questions you can ask these experts include: 3. Work a good amount of organic matter into the soil before planting. Bringing Sustainability to Your Home Garden • What roses do you recommend for a sustainable garden? Pat Shanley’s approach -- to forego rose varieties that are 4. Space the plants so air can move freely around them to too susceptible to be attractive in a no-spray garden - is • Is there a local public or private rose garden with an discourage fungal diseases. reasonable for the many climates of the U.S. It’s plain and organic direction? simple: seek out the varieties that will thrive...even though 5. Once planting is completed, mulch well with organic it means losing some long time favorites. Now you might • Do you know of a local rose enthusiast who grows without products. think that means she has a garden full of the Knock Out® chemicals? family of roses. That’s not the case at all. There are many 6. Water deeply with each irrigation - in areas with less black choices available that aren’t as well known...and, as you • Can you recommend a website with good information on spot (mostly West coast), it helps to wash the foliage but only might suspect, they come from the Kordes family. growing organically...especially roses? early in the morning.
Peter Kukielski has had a mission of increased disease Poseidon 7. Keep the garden free of old rose leaf debris. resistance for the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden for four
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