It’s a prime time for planting roses

The rose has held a mystical relationship with man (and woman) since the earliest times. For the ancient western civilizations, the rose came to symbolize love and passion. The Romans featured roses in their feasts and orgies, mainly to mask unpleasant odors. Meanwhile, on the Eastern side of the globe, the Chinese preferred to honor roses a bit more poetically. One named “Yu-go-tain-tsing” (“Clear Shining after Rain”) has always intrigued me.

The rose advanced from a ceremonial constituent of paganism to serious usage by practitioners of healthy living. Rosa gallica, the apothecary rose, became a cure-all for almost any ailment.

The dog rose, Rosa canina, was reputed to combat rabies, and the Damask rose (thought to have originated in Damascus) was used to make rose water.

Roses are approaching their blooming peak during August in Laguna and can be enjoyed for their bloom and delightful fragrance (something you can’t do during bareroot season).

Your favorite nursery should still have ample variety for your collection, from the antique roses of yesterday to today’s disease resistant English, hybrid tea, floribunda and shrub roses.

Roses bought in containers can be planted any time of the year, but this is a great time to establish roses prior to the predicted El Nino. The “perfect” hole for your rose should be 1 1/2 times as deep and two times wider than the container. Create a backfill mixture around the rootball with a combination of half native soil mixed with half planter mix, 4 tablespoons of Gro-power, and the rose cocktail (see below).

Avoid disturbing the rootball during transplanting. I recommend that one cut and remove the bottom of the container and place the rose in the hole; the bud union should be about 2 inches above the ground. Cut the sides of the container and fill the hole loosely with soil. Remove the sides of the container carefully and the rootball will remain intact. Water thoroughly with a solution of 1 tablespoon of Vitamin B1 (further insurance against transplant shock) to a gallon of water to settle the soil. Check for settling, add more soil if necessary, and then water again.

Catharine’s Rose cocktail

1 cup of gypsite

1 tablespoon soil sulfur

1 tablespoon chelated iron

1 tablespoon Epsom salts

See you next time.

STEVE KAWARATANI is happily married to award winning writer Catharine Cooper, and has four dogs. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to [email protected].