Plantman’s rosy selections

STEVE KAWARATANI

“The harbinger of spring is the arrival of bareroot roses.”

-- Stephen Scanniello

“Could we see when and where we would meet again, we would be more

tender when we bid our friends goodbye.”

-- Ouida

Spring is at least two months and several storms away. But the

annual rite of selecting bareroot roses signals the commencement of

the planting season in Laguna.

January and February are the best months to plant roses. Your

favorite nursery features roses selected for their combination of

beauty, fragrance, and hardiness. Purchase and plant now... you will

save money and the roses will be easy to plant.

There are shrub roses that stand upright, groundcover roses which

crawl along the surface, climbing roses that can cover entire walls,

and miniature roses that never grow more than a few inches high.

Floribunda roses produce clusters of small flowers and hybrid

perpetuals boast flowers as large as a man’s face.

Given the opportunity to select a list of personal favorites, I am

hard pressed -- there are so many wonderful roses to choose from.

However, possessing both the space and more than a mild interest, I

present the Plant Man’s seven favorites for 2005.

Much like Samantha, the hybrid tea, Bewitched is both beguiling

and beautiful. Unlike many modern roses, its pure pink flowers are

fragrant. A very vigorous bush, Bewitched is a fabulous bloomer, and

as Catharine reminds me, “it has an extended vase life.”

Even though it has been the most popular rose of the past 20

years, Double Delight still catches my eye. Its colors of red and

white appear randomly on blooms. No two are ever alike. It’s unique

color, high production of flowers, and spicy fragrance make it a

favorite of rose lovers.

David Austin’s most popular rose, Graham Thomas, is named after

the legendary English rosarian. Its flowers are a rich yellow and

perfectly formed, with shell-like perfection. A consistent bloomer,

it possesses old rose-like fragrance on a vigorous bush.

The nonstop bloomer, Iceberg, is a floribunda that is almost pure

white. Very fragrant and nearly disease resistant, if you only had

space for one rose, this is the one you should select. Hurry, this

rose is the first to sellout every season.

If red is your color, the hybrid tea, Olympiad, displays lovely

buds and large blooms that are very fragrant. A faithful bloomer, the

bush is erect with wonderful green foliage.

Arguably the most famous rose in the world, Peace is a hybrid tea,

with golden yellow flowers etched with pink. Blooms change colors

depending on the season. Look for fragrance, but only when it’s more

than half open or as a cut flower.

I recall when my father, Pete, first planted Queen Elizabeth in

our family garden. That was almost 50 years ago, and the first of the

grandifloras is still the best. Large pink blooms and fragrant, this

rose is certainly royalty.

Since its inception, Alicia Lopez has been the editor of the

Coastline Pilot. She has seen me through my preoccupation with

punctuation and my occasional battles with the written word. More

importantly, Alicia has given me the support and latitude to grow as

a writer and to observe Laguna beyond the boundaries of gardening.

Her departure this week is bittersweet, as I selfishly lose a friend

to higher education. Happy gardening, Alicia and see you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is happily married to local writer, Catharine

Cooper, and has two cats. He can be reached at 949 497 2438, or

e-mail to [email protected]