Roses for the Hot Summer Texas Sun!!!!

[Dancey]

Help!!!! I am so disgusted with trying to grow roses which is my very favorite flower I'm about ready to give up completely!! I have problems with blackspot, die back, yellow leaves, etc. etc. I've done everything I'm supposed to do. The only roses that grow and really look pretty are the wild roses I've planted and the landscape roses. My Mr. Lincoln and the Mrs. Sam Houston rose look pretty good most of the season. The white iceberg rose is also a disappointment.

Does anybody have suggestions for very hardy roses that can take the heat of our summers. We live north of Huntsville in zone 8b.

I have heard that Texas A&M have put out some roses especially for Texas but I don't know how to find out more about them or where to buy and order them.

Help!!!!![/img][/url]

[Leslie Finical Halleck]

There are a fair number of roses that are suited to our area - you just have to stay away from those Hybrid Teas! Texas A&M did a screening field trial on many different varieties of roses already on the market to determine which ones were the easiest to grow - lowest maintenance - they call them EarthKind Roses (These roses were not bred nor put out by Texas A&M, they simply endorse them.) These varieties are low maintenance, don't require spraying for disease, etc. You still need to provide good drainage, full sun, and decent air circulation. I tested the roses in conjuction with A&M while I was at the Dallas Arboretum. Many of these are old fashioned varieties, so don't expect your classic "cut flower" rose blooms - with the exception of 'Belinda's Dream'. I've written a few articles on them and plan to run one in the August or September issue of the Dirt magazine. I'll give you the list of varieties and star my favorites:

Perle d' Or *
Mutabilis *
Belinda's Dream
Knock Out *
Caldwell Pink
Marie Daly
Katy Road Pink
Seafoam
The Fairy
Else Poulsen
Climbing Pinkie

Early publicity on the EarthKind roses also listed ‘Livin’ Easy’ and ‘Easy Going’, but these two varieties were subsequently removed from the EarthKind list. I still think Livin' Easy is a great variety and would still recommend it. It was always the most attention grabbing variety in my trial garden.
LFH

[Dancey]

Thanks so much Leslie for the good rose advice and the list you gave of the EarthKind roses. I have kept the list for future reference. I also went to the A&M horticulture website and found the Earthkind roses and Texas Super Star plants. The next time I buy I will certainly be a lot more selective and stay clear of the hybrid teas. I've seen pics of Knock Out and I love that rose!!! :D

Thanks again for your help! :wink:


Dancey

[Connie Tassin]

Dancey, Hello. My mother planted a Belinda's Dream rose in South Texas sand. That shrub rose blooms like crazy, and just thrives. Even grasshoppers coming through and eating the leaves off periodically has not managed to kill it. Three years and going strong.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/rosebelinda/rosebelinda.html

[Sleeper]

Have you made the short jaunt over to Brenham? The Antique Rose Emporium should have not only good advice, but the roses as well. We have two of their roses that we bought at Green Mama's here in Fort Worth (new to roses so I don't know the name) and they are doing well. One is a climber and another is a shrub. We also have one of the box store specials that is doing well. We just use cornmeal, the gardenville soil amendment and lots of mulch and they do well in the heat.

[Dancey]

I've seen many pictures of Belinda's Dream rose and I'm thinking of ordering it if I can't find it anywhere here. It is a very beautiful rose and maybe it would do good here in our climate. I love the color!

I have been to the Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham. I'll have to say I was a little disappointed that I didn't get a chance to talk to someone that had lots of experience growing roses in our area. I did buy a few roses from them and the Mrs. Sam Houston is really the only one that is doing well. The white Iceberg rose looks better this spring than last even though it has a little blackspot. I am most disappointed in the Margaret Merrill rose. It hasn't grown much and is just now putting out new shoots. I do plan to go back to the Rose Emporium though and see what else they have and maybe next trip I will have a chance to speak to someone with more rose experience.

Thanks Heather and Sleeper for your suggestions!!! :D

[Sleeper]

Hmmmmm. I bought my roses up here in Fort Worth, but the nursery I bought them from (Green Mama's) has a rose person who asked a bunch of questions and then pointed me to two or three that met my requirements. I have been very impressed so far with the service and quality there. If you are up in Fort Worth and still haven't bought your roses, you may want to stop by there. I have also heard good things about Radenta's (sp?) as well. I have met several who swear by their plants and staff.

[pridgeon]

Definitely go to the Antique Rose Emporium if you can. I never liked roses until I discovered the antique varieties. They grow so easily and in my opinion are so much prettier than the modern teas. I have Perle d'Or, Mrs. Alfred Carriere (climber), Vich-something (also a climber, purple) Fairy, and something else I can't remember the name of right now. They all do really well and I live in east-central texas - about 40 miles north east of College Station. I have sandy soil and very humid conditions but the roses still grow great using only organic methods.

[Connie Tassin]

I found the Earthkind roses at Callaways this spring. I do not know if they still have them. Previously I had looked all over the North and East portion of the DFW Metroplex. Several Mom-and-Pop Garden shops kept promising they would get more in, but I'm impatient!

I will check in at my local and see what they have, and then let you know.

[Dancey]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. :) I am the only caregiver for my senior parents and they are both in very poor health so I'm sort of limited from traveling very far from home. I usually order my roses and I like to receive them in early fall or very early spring. I have not ordered from Callaways but am familiar with their website and the kinds of roses they have. I will probably try and order from them this year.

I live fairly close to Bryan/College Station area too. We shop there sometime and use doctors in Bryan.

Dancey
Zone 8b

[Dancey]

Pridgeon, since you and I live probably pretty close what kinds of organic methods do you use for your roses? I'm trying to learn all I can about organic gardening. We live in the country and the soil is varied depending on the area. We have some hardpack clay(ugh), sand, and then some good humusy soil too. We of course have access to lots of cow manure and hay and I use both in composting and adding to the roses as well as the other flowers.


Dancey
Zone 8b

[Kay Young]

To chime in on what others have already said, I would strongly recommend that you try to go to the Antique Rose Emporium at Brenham if you can. If not, and you are ordering by mail, by all means, order from the Antique Rose Emporuim. They are very helpful, but they have specific times of the year they send out both bare root and potted roses, to ensure the health of the plant.

[Connie Tassin]

Dancey, I've called around, and everyone is out of Belinda's Dream roses for the season. EVERY nursery said to try again in February. They apparently get their roses in at that time. When I do locate any of the Earthkind roses, I'll post it to the forum.

[kathiec]

First, let me second what everyone else has said about Antique Rose Emporium. Although I've never had the pleasure of visiting in person, I've been growing old garden roses for more than 10 years at two houses and have ordered many a rose from them. Before I switched to old roses, I grew hybrid teas for about 5 years and had nothing but problems!The following are the roses that have performed best for me over the years:

Mutabilis (China)-- I've had this at both houses -- at the first house the shrub grew to 7 feet high by 5 feet wide and was constantly in bloom. At my current house it's up to 5x3 after only two years.

Beaute Inconstante (Tea)-- Again, I've had this at both houses and it too is huge and constantly in bloom.

Monsieur Tillier (Tea)-- I had a specimen that I dubbed "The Rose that Ate Garland" because it grew so fast and did so well.

Smith's Parrish -- This is a "found" variety that Antique Rose Emporium carries with a group of roses from Bermuda.

Mme. Isaac Perreire (Bourbon)-- I've had this rose pegged at both houses. It only blooms dependably in the spring and fall, but when it does the blooms are the most gorgeous, fragrant things you've ever experienced!

Clothilde Soupert (Bourbon) -- This is a smaller rose that I have growing in a half whiskey barrel. It starts blooming in the spring and doesn't stop until the first freeze.

Penelope (Hybrid Musk) -- I've had this rose planted on a north exposure at both houses and even with the reduced direct sun it does beautifully.

In all the years I've been growing old roses I think I've sprayed for blackspot maybe twice. I foliar feed about once a month in the growing season and give them some Epsom Salts in the spring and that's about it for my care program! Antique Rose Emporium (as of the last time I ordered anyway) no longer ships bare root roses, they only ship in pots. I usually have mine shipped in late February (I live in the Dallas area). I've never regretted switching from hybrid teas to the older varieties.