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 March / April 2000 |
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March / April 2000 |
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Spring Blooming
Ramblers Think you only want roses that rebloom? Think again. There is nothing showier, more dramatic, or more lovely than a healthy, vigorous climbing rose that blooms only in the spring. Because these roses bloom only once each year, they put their hearts and souls into the process. They are generally covered with bloom, dripping petals all around, creating a fairy-land of fragrance and color. Spring-blooming ramblers, or climbing roses, will add color and height to your garden. They are excellent choices for dooryard roses — those lovely plants that scent your entryway, cover your tacky porch roof, or create a walkway through arbors leading to the door. The Lady Banks’ Rose (Rosa banksiae) is the most widely used spring-bloomer in the landscape. Available in both white and pale yellow, this huge and flexible rose can climb to 50 feet into the canopy of nearby trees. (It can also knock over fences if you aren’t careful.) This rose has the added benefit of being thornless, so you can plant it near walkways and structures and enjoy walking near it without worrying about being snagged. The Lady Banks’ will remain evergreen in Zones 9-10, but it is susceptible to very cold temperatures, so it is a great rose for Texas gardens. It tolerates all types of soil and some gardeners claim that deer will leave it alone. Plant this one where it has root to roam. It needs something to lean on as it grows. A deciduous tree is good or a very sturdy fence or trellis. Another lovely thornless choice is Tausendschon (Thousand Beauties), a pink-flowered rose that blooms in clusters that completely cover the very vigorous bush. This rose was introduced in the 20s or so and is not widely sold in Texas. I got my start from an old bush that grew in my mother’s yard in Sherman. It grew there with no care and bloomed profusely with long-lasting flowers. It has grown well in Central Texas too, in a spot with poor soil and little care. A rose that looks like Tausendschon but is thorny is Seven Sisters. This old rose grows all over Texas and is a treasured family heirloom for many. Introduced in 1817, this rose is named for its ability to produce flowers in at least seven shades of pink — ranging from creamy white to crimson. The vigorous plant can produce canes 15-20 feet long and the canes are flexible and easily trained to climb, cascade, or scale trees. If you want a brighter colored rambler, consider American Pillar. Introduced in 1902, this popular rose was almost "nipped in the bud." Hybridized by Dr. Walter Van Fleet, this rose was offered to a national company for propagation, but the firm was not interested. "Another wild rose" was the attitude. Luckily, the head propagator argued in favor of the rose and it became one of the most used climbers in the world today. It has giant clusters of carmine-pink single blooms, white at the center with gold stamen. It is a striking rose that shows up beautifully against glossy green leaves. A natural hedge or fence, this rose will grow densely into a six-foot clump or climb to 20 feet or so into the trees. Cherokee Rose is another rose that will make an impenetrable fence if you let it grow on its own. It will mound to five feet or serve as a thickly foliaged climber to 15 feet. A native of southern China, this rose has been growing here for a long time. Introduced into commerce in 1759, it is a species rose that has been naturalized in the South for so long that it was named the state flower of Georgia. Legend says that the Cherokee people took cuttings of the rose with them when they were driven from their homelands in Georgia. The story goes that they planted the rose along the Trail of Tears all the way to Oklahoma. A historical marker on the grounds of the Upshur County Courthouse in Gilmer tells the story of a trail planted with these roses leading from East Texas to Northern Arkansas. Known as the Cherokee Trace, the trail is marked by Cherokee roses growing near springs and camping grounds. Thomas Affleck, a nurseryman in southeast Texas, also did a lot to establish this rose. He sold cuttings all over the state as the preferred fence for plantations and farms before the widespread use of barbed wire. You can still see the bright white single flowers with yellow centers blooming along roadsides in the spring. It also has a lovely fragrance that fills the air surrounding the bush when it blooms. It is a vigorous climber but it is not invasive. It is a good choice for screening an unsightly area or shed or for naturalizing in an area where it will thrive with little care. With all these lovely stories, all this carefree bloom, and all these beautiful flowers, how can you resist adding at least one of these lovely spring bloomers to your garden?
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