Recently, I hired a garden consultant to look after our property. I know it may sound hoity-toity, but it was really needed. Only part of my yard is designated to edibles, the rest is manicured and needs some TLC far exceeding my available time. My rose garden, in particular was begging for some extra love. Enter, Pat Omweg, my new garden guru and rose specialist. With 35 years experience and amazing talent, I am literally giddy with all the knowledge he possesses and what that means for my garden. I thought it would be fun to disclose his secrets to my readers. Are you on board? Or did I lose you at hoity-toity?
Okay, let’s talk roses:
First, we walked thru the rose garden and marked the bushes that were not doing so hot, with a plan to replace them. I had always thought that old rose bushes were special, but Pat’s simple answer of, “Not if they are ugly,” quickly changed my sentimental mindset. Next, we discussed what color and style roses I liked best. There are so many to choose from but quickly we realized we were on the same page; large cabbage like buds that have one bud per stem or stalk.
In choosing what to add, we considered the garden layout. My rose garden is oddly shaped. If it were a rectangular or square shaped area I would plant rows of the same variety and color, but in this case mixing the colors will be the best plan for giving it a lush and lively feeling.
Then Pat and I discussed which colors, scent and style I desired. Scent is an important topic for me; I use roses often for my table arrangements at dinner parties. I try to avoid heavily fragrant flowers on the table because it interferes with the taste of the food and wine.
Based on our discussion, Pat suggested adding a combination of David Austin English Tea and Hybrid Tea. We added many Temora and Valencia — both soft peach and filled in with French Lace — white, Estelle — dark blush and Dark Lady — a deep rich dark violet color.
These varietals open up in these incredibly huge forms with star shaped centers and have one bud per cane unlike the popular Florabunda variety, which have multiple buds per cane. It is important to know what type of rose bush you have so that you know to disbud it or not. To know more about rose varietals and colors check out this web site I discovered: http://www.everyrose.com.
Disbudding tea roses creates a strong cane resulting in beautiful bouquets and healthy rose bushes. Simply take off the buds on the stalk that grow below the top bud.
When it was time to add the new 10 lb. gallon rose bushes we dug about 20 gallons worth of soil out of the spot for each new rose, and then “we” got to work.
A quick confession, normally I am “hands on” in the garden with my gloves, hat and my yoga pants. Yoga pants are the quintessential Montecito Mommy uniform. For the rose garden project, I let my crew of gardeners do the work. On this particular occasion picture me with Louboutins and rolled up jeans, scarf in hair, passing out lemonade to my crew. (Ha, now I am entertaining myself!)
My crew of gardeners dug these huge holes and filled them with a mixture of peat moss, chicken manure and sand. (This is top-secret stuff; I hope you are taking notes). Then the roses were planted in this mixture. This method made for tremendous success, the kind of success that means Pat truly is a garden guru, and I may just put those yoga pants on and go out and meditate on my kick ass rose garden.
We did this same treatment with my climbing roses in another area of the yard and the roses literally exploded with buds and healthy foliage. So listen close, you don’t have to spend a fortune buying roses, with a little (chicken) shit, a little moss and a little sand; you can be your very own garden goddess.
Pat’s tips for roses:
1. Roses like a sandy soil, so use a mix of equal parts peat moss, sand and chicken manure to have wonderfully happy and healthy roses.
2. Create a strong cane for your roses by disbudding the smaller buds on each single stem. Simply pull off the buds that are just beneath the top bud. (It seems so counterintuitive, you know?)
3. A rose is ready to be cut when its sepals are down – these are the little leaves attached to the bottom of each bud.
4. Simply cut above a five-stem leaf formation. I always wonder if I am cutting in the right spot, Pat reassured me I was doing fine.
5. Cut the canes at the same height throughout the plant so the new buds grow uniformly on the same level.
Val’s clipping tips for successful long lasting rose bouquets:
1. Cut the roses in the morning.
2. Use sharp sheers or knife.
3. After cutting the roses, put them directly in water. Use your outdoor water if you have reverse osmosis filter for inside your home.
4. Store in a cool dark place until ready to arrange. Much to his chagrin, mine go directly into my husband’s wine cellar, sorry honey!
5. Add a packet of your favorite flower food to each pint of water you use.
