Category Archives: Roses

06/16/10

The Saga of ‘Mermaid,’ Part 14

Mermaid

Mermaid -Best of Show, Albuquerque Rose Show 2010

Over the past several years, I have documented ‘Mermaid’ as a beautiful Old Garden Rose (hybrid bracteata) introduced in 1918. She was up to my roof, and in May of 2006 won “Best of Show” in the Albuquerque Rose Show. You have seen that “The Big Snow of 2006” almost totally destroyed her, and she had to be cut off at the ground. She has very slowly come back. She is not yet up to the roof, but this spring she is blooming as beautifully and prolifically as when she was in her prime.

She just won the ARS Victorian Award for best OGR introduced after 1874, as well as Exhibitors Dream and BEST OF SHOW at the Albuquerque rose show June 5.

‘Mermaid’ is back!

08/7/09

‘Gemini,’ a Great Hybrid Tea Rose for the Desert Southwest

Spray of hybrid tea rose, 'Gemini'

Spray of hybrid tea rose, 'Gemini'

Isn’t this a gorgeous spray of roses? This is ‘Gemini,’ a hybrid tea by Keith Zary of Jackson and Perkins.

This photo was taken this afternoon. This week has been both hot and windy, and yet the bush is covered with single blooms and with sprays.

07/29/09

‘Flower Girl,’ A Wonderful Rose for the Desert Southwest

Flower Girl, a shrub rose Susan Brandt Graham, photographer

Flower Girl, a shrub rose Susan Brandt Graham, photographer

‘Flower Girl’ is one of my favorite roses to grow in Albuquerque. It blooms early, continuously, and well into the fall. As you can see, it makes huge sprays of delicate flowers. It is disease-free, and requires little more than an occasional feeding and the addition of iron once a season to keep its fresh pink look.

This rose was grown by Lois Brandt.

07/26/09

The Green Rose

Green Rose

Green Rose

This really is a rose, officially a China. In rose shows, it is eligible for the Genesis Award.

The cluster of green you see are really the sepals. I have been told there are true flowers deep inside the cluster of sepals; I have never seen one.

When I took the test to become an ARS Accredited Rose Judge, one of the questions was “What is the ARS color of the Green Rose?” There is no ARS color “green,” so I answered “no clue.” I think I was given partial credit for that answer.

The official color of the flowers of the Green Rose is “white.” Just some rose trivia.

07/7/09

Mermaid 2009

Rose 'Mermaid'

Rose 'Mermaid'

This is the rose that was almost destroyed in Albuquerque’s “100-year Snow” in December of 2006. Although it is not yet as tall as before the storm, 2.5 years later, ‘Mermaid’ has returned to its full glory in terms of quality and quantity of blossoms!

Patience does pay.

08/15/08

‘Gemini,’ A Great Rose for the Desert Southwest

Spray of hybrid tea 'Gemini'

‘Gemini’ is a great rose for the desert southwest. This photo was shot on August 15, 2008. You can see that the rose does not lose its size, form, or color even in the heat of summer. Flowers generally appear singly, one-bloom-to-a-stem, but ‘Gemini’ is capable of making very large sprays. One year I had a spray with 13 florets; this spray has “only” five.

If you want to grow only one hybrid tea in the desert southwest, ‘Gemini’ is a great choice!