John Paul II Rose

Jackson & Perkins John Paul II Rose

In 2006, Jackson and Perkins released a variety of gorgeous white hybrid tea rose named for Pope John Paul II.

Often called John Paul The Great by his admirers, he was loved throughout the world by both Catholics and non-Catholics.  One of the distinctive features of his pontificate was his frequent travel throughout the world. He made more pastoral visits than any pope before him.  When totaled, the number of miles he traveled equal three trips to the moon and back! Along with President Ronald Reagan, he is largely credited with ending the cold war. He is also known for his humility and his gift for encouraging young people to live holier lives.

Pope John Paul II will be beatified this Sunday. (Click here for a definition of beatification.)

While I enjoy the many plants that grow well here on the Gulf Coast, I miss hybrid tea roses. They do quite well in gardens in California and the Pacific Northwest (Check out the rose gardens in Portland, OR).  But, in the subtropical humidity we have here, they quickly succumb to fungal disease.  That is why most rose lovers in this region are so fond of disease-resistant antique roses.

If you live in coastal California, bare-rooted hybrid tea roses are generally available at locally owned nurseries and garden centers in the fall.  In colder regions where there is danger of frost, late winter and spring are better times for planting roses, as new plants should not be allowed to freeze. 

Since this particular rose is owned by Jackson and Perkins, you will want to look for it at establishments that feature their products. If they do not carry it, ask! Small, locally owned nurseries are particularly likely to be willing to help you get your hands on what you want, even if they do not have it in stock at the moment.  Their employees are also most likely to know exactly how to care for hybrid tea roses in your particular climate.

If you live in a region that is friendly to hybrid tea roses, and want to commemorate the occasion of John Paul II's beatification in your garden, consider planting this rose.

Tiddlywinks!

It's not just a game anymore. I don't have any recollection of when I first heard this word, but I do remember being fascinated by the mere sound of it as a small child. For more on the game, you can visit the website for the North American Tiddlywinks Association (Tiddlywinks.org). It seems there is a website for everything these days.

The game of Tiddlywinks reminds me of "POGs" which were popular back in the 90's. (Does anybody else remember those?)

Tiddlywinks is also the name for a miniature rose that I fell in love with this week at the nursery (pictured above). I couldn't stop staring at it, which of course meant it had to come home with me! Hmm. I wonder what a "pog" rose would look like.

According to the label, this one is grown on its own roots. I just hope they are resistant to blackspot.

WeeksRoses, which grows these, gives the following factoids about this plant on their website:

* Height / Habit: 12 to 18 inches/Bushy & round
* Bloom / Size: Medium-large, semi-double
* Petal Count: 15 to 20
* Fragrance: Slight
* Parentage: (Golden Holstein X Livin’ Easy) X Neon Cowboy
* Hybridizer: Carruth - 2008
* Comments: Deeper colors in cooler conditions.

Knockout Roses

I am looking forward to seeing these in my garden again:



Right now my Double Knockouts are taking a blooming break. In the meantime I suppose pictures will have to do.

I still love these plants. They have already survived a significant episode of leaf spot with most of their leaves intact.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Time to prune those roses! (And other shrubs)

Photo by Aaron. Used with permission.

This is also a great time for transplanting any tropical fruit or citrus trees.

Search: How to prepare for a freeze warning

Someone in Florida wanted to know. We deliver.

According to the National Weather Service (apologies for the caps--its the NWS, not me!),

A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR
HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER
SENSITIVE VEGETATION. MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT TENDER
VEGETATION...PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT HAVE BLOOMED OUT OF SEASON.
BRING POTTED PLANTS INDOORS OR COVER WITH A BLANKET OR PROTECTIVE
COVERING.

It is good to know the cold hardiness of your various plants, so you know what to bring in, what to cover, and what to leave alone. If you can, find out roughly how cold it will get and for how long. Some plants can tolerate light, short freezes without a lot of help, while others are more fastidious.

I have been keeping some of my tender sub-tropicals in a temporary greenhouse, which I heat on chilly nights with a couple of strands of Christmas lights. While this looks pretty, and so far has been sufficient for keeping the greenhouse 5-10 degrees warmer than the surrounding air, I will need to have some more effective heating methods on hand when the lows begin to drop into the 20's here. So far, all of the plants I have been sheltering managed to survive our first frost quite admirably (click here for online news coverage of that). In fact, my Lipstick hibiscus continues to bloom happily as if nothing was happening.

I have done nothing to my Double Knockout Roses, and they continue to appear quite happy, even producing the occasional blossom here and there. I expect they'll last the winter here, as they're very cold hardy. But if you want some links to information on protecting your roses this winter, click here.

By the way, tonight is supposed to get close to freezing, so you may want to bring in your most sensitive plants.


For the shorter freezes that we get here in the greater Houston area and other mild gulf-coast regions, the brief guidelines provided at this website or at this one should be sufficient for most occasions.  If you want to be extra prepared, or live someplace where snowshovels might be needed, you'll probably want to take your advice from someone who hasn't spent her whole life living in coastal California and southeast Texas!

The bottom line with a freeze warning is this: keep your pets, sensitive plants, and family from freezing!

Blackspot resistant roses.

Here is a list from a Purdue University website. It includes hybrid tea, florubunda, grandiflora, climbing, Rugosa hybrid, shrub, and miniature rose cultivars (including Knock-out). Some of the shrub roses listed I recognize from Antique rose lists I have seen.

Search: Drying rose seeds

I've never done this myself, but an inquiring mind wanted to know.

Here was the most succinct information I saw.

Search: Pruning roses

With cold weather approaching, several people have dropped by searching for information on pruning knockout and double knockout roses. Many of them end up at my post "Double Knockout Roses Kick Lantanas' Butt", which does not have specific information on when and how to prune knockout and other roses.


The good people at the nursery where I purchased my plants indicated that they handle pruning (and just about everything else) very well.

With any rose, it is a good idea to cut off any diseased or dead canes. It is also a good idea to make sure no canes are rubbing against one another. This light cutting can be done any time of year.

If you feel like dead heading (not required for knockout roses to perform), they way my mother taught me was to cut the stem above the first set of five leaves, at a 45 degree angle, with the lower edge of the cut on the same side as the leaves. When I lived in coastal California, this was most of what I did with my roses. Heavy pruning never really entered into the picture because of the mildness of the climate.

Around here, the traditional time for yearly rose pruning is around mid-February, usually on or near Valentine's Day. This way, any new growth isn't as likely to be zapped by excessive cold. For colder regions, this might vary. In general, it is my understanding that roses do not need to be pruned in preparation for winter, unless this will help you shelter them more effectively.

I have heard that heavy pruning of knockouts or any other shrub rose for the first two years after they have been planted is generally not recommended. This gives your shrub rose time to mature. Mine are still new and very short, so I don't think I'll be doing much in the pruning department this year.

As far as how to go about it, that's up to you. Some people just take an electric hedge trimmer and prune their roses into shapes. I have seen some used as box hedges around town. Since I personally prefer my roses to be in a more natural shape, I will not be doing that.

This page suggests pruning knockouts in the same way as other shrub roses. For spring pruning of most roses, the Houston Garden Book also recommends thinning the small branches out until there are three to five hardy main stems left. It also suggests using directional pruning techniques to encourage a vase-like growth habit. This means cutting canes down just above a bud that is pointing in the direction in which you want the stem of the plant to grow. For more on what that is, and for step-by-step spring pruning directions click here.

For those interested in pruning your knockouts back for the winter, here is a short article on winterizing roses in Southern climates.

I like to use shears like this when I cut my roses:

Photo Source

Shears such as those shown above are easy to get at most hardware stores.

I also recommend wearing some good sturdy gardening gloves to protect your hands and arms from thorns. I have a long pair, specifically made for handling roses and other thorny plants. They have thick leather palms, and they go up to my elbows. I have even used these while handling bougainvilleas, which have thorns up to an inch long, and also while playing with a visiting cat who dropped by while I was planting my roses, and they have protected me well against thorns, claws and teeth. :) I could not find any at the larger home and garden centers where I live (Lowe's, Home Depot). I ended up going to a local nursery.


Here is a post with links to more information on winterizing your roses.

Read my other posts on Double Knockout roses.

Protecting roses from freezing winter temperatures

Here are some websites with information that will help you prepare your roses for winter freezes:

Freeze protection for roses in Houston, by Donald Burger
University of Illinois Extension

Planting Knockouts

Somebody from Missouri was searching for information about how to plant double knockout roses.

As with any rose, if it is in a container, the basic procedure is to dig a hole a little bigger than the root ball, and put the rose in it. The top of the root ball should be an inch or two above the surrounding bed. Water it in, and add a layer of mulch.

For Double Knockout roses, the label recommends spacing of 3-4 feet.

Even though Knockouts in their various forms are supposed to be able to take any kind of soil conditions, I did amend the soil in my bed a bit with some organic planting mix and a little leaf mold compost. Because of the drainage issues in this area though, I did not dig my amendments in too deep. I also added a little bone meal to the bottom of the holes I dug for them, to encourage root growth. As this bed had been mulched last spring, I moved the mulch layer out of the way before planting, and put it back afterward. I may add a new layer of mulch before the cold weather really gets going. Time will tell us if they happy in their new location.

For bare root roses, which were what I preferred when I lived in California, the planting is a little more complicated, though it is not difficult. It requires that one make a cone-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the hole, which is used to give the roots proper structure, so they can grow in the right direction after planting.

The American Rose Society has a collection of articles on planting roses that can be worth reading.

My St. Louis, Missouri visitor might want to consule the Rose Society of St. Louis Missouri or the Central District of the American Rose Society for regional information.

Houston area rose-lovers can get their regional information from the South Central District of the American Rose Society, or from the Houston Rose Society. Donald Burger also has a page on planting container roses in this region. If antique roses and organic methods are more your cup of tea, have a look at the website for the Vintage Rosery in Needville, TX.


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Read my other posts on Double Knockout roses.

Should have done this six months ago!

I got those double knockout roses in the ground this week. Definitely an improvement over the lantanas!

The dark green foliage of the roses works much better with the variegated foliage of the shrub behind them, and also balances the darker plants in that same bed. The red flowers ad punch that the purple flowers of the lantana never did. The tangled wildness of the lantanas never made much sense with formal box hedges anyway.

That's the nice thing about roses. They can be formal or casual, it's just a question of how they are dressed up!

Double Knockout Roses kick Lantanas' butt!

So when we moved into our home, there was a lot of landscaping already in place, most of which appeared to have been there since the house was built.

This included a little patch of rambling dwarf lantanas.

I eventually discovered that these things die back in the winter to the point of extreme ugliness. They would need to be pruned back almost to the ground in the spring.

Oh, yes, and they give me a rash when they touch my forearms.

So I started looking for something to replace them. Something with pretty dark green foliage that would keep its looks in wintertime.

Something with a long blooming season, and a profusion bright, red flowers

Something that could handle soil that stays wet for along time after it rains, but wouldn't shrivel up if things got a bit dry.

Something that wouldn't catch some nasty plant disease and die while I wasn't looking.

I finally settled on some Double Knockout roses. They are not antiques, but they are bred to be tough, even in lousy clay soils, and since I can't raise this existing bed to a height that would be good for an antique rose, Double Knockouts seem to be the best option in the rose department. They are supposed to be resistant to blackspot (unlike the Martha Gonzales roses I previously considered for this same location), and also tolerant of a wide range of temperatures and soil conditions. Being more compact than their sister, the original Knockout rose, these were appropriate for the limited space I have in this particular bed.

They will require significant pruning eventually, to keep them down to the size I want, but from what I have read, and from what I am told, they can handle that, too.

Oh yes, and did I mention that they are suitable for places as cold as USDA zone 4? That means they can survive temperatures down to -30 degrees Farenheit! (Though they need protection below 20 degrees, according to Floridata).

And the flowers are beautiful.

Those lantanas are toast.


Related:
An online fact sheet from the company that breeds these roses. Includes information on growth habits, height, width, water and soil requirements, blooming, hardiness zones, and so on. They have a downloadable fact sheet available as well.


Didn't find what you needed? Try my other posts on Double Knockout roses, or use the search box in my sidebar.