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Letter to the editor

Grow beautiful roses in Florida's climate

Skip the florist, and thrill your sweetie with fragrant beauties you cultivate in your own sandy, stifling, humid Florida garden.

By John A. Starnes Jr., Special to the Times
Published February 2, 2008

Perhaps it is the sensuous curves of a red rose that remind us of romance. Maybe the prickles evoke memories of love's hurts and healings. Add its sweet fragrance, and it's easy to see why the rose has long symbolized passion.

But the common, scentless red roses we find at the supermarket or the florist aren't romantic at all. Imagine, instead, giving someone a rose bred to grow in Florida that will fill the air with its lush perfume for years.

"But roses are hard to grow in Florida," people say. Aside from those varieties that are legitimately hard to raise here because they require Northern winters, some heady red roses grow tenaciously in our demanding soil and climate.

A sturdy fellow

"Don Juan" is the archetypal red rose for Florida. It's common in public and private gardens, and it is usually sold grafted onto the Fortuniana rootstock, which resists root-damaging nematodes. Released into commerce in 1958, it includes a trace of the genes found in the Japanese species Rosa wichuraiana that impart additional resistance to nematodes. Those genes also ward off leaf diseases common in our hot, muggy summers.

Sold as a climber, it is actually a stiff-caned, lanky bush that can be forced to climb a trellis or arbor. Its toughness and reliability have made it a crucial component of my own rose-breeding work.

The unfurling petals of the dark-red buds have a velvety sheen. A fair amount of fragrance is released as they open, especially once they are warmed by the sun. Whether grown in a garden or a container, this rose thrives in full sun if kept well fed and watered. Blooms form all year atop long, straight stems that are perfect for bud vases. The more you cut them, the more this rose blooms. A good source: Hardin's Nursery and Landscaping in South Tampa.

A round of applause

My favorite red rose for Florida is "Oklahoma," which was introduced in 1963, named for the Broadway musical. The blooms are dark red shaded with black and the perfume stunningly intense. Hardin's is a good source for this one as well.

Still growing strong

Toughest of all in a garden setting is the Old Rose "Cramoisi Superieur," which entered commerce in 1832 and once was common all over Florida. The term "Old Rose" refers to varieties that date from 1867 or earlier. Each bloom is cupped like a peony. Its cherry-red chalice spills over with the characteristic "roses and ripe fruit" perfume of the China roses (these roses also originated in China) that thrive in our funky soil and demanding climate. The blooms, 3 inches in diameter, range from magenta red to deep crimson, depending on the way the bush is fed.

This rose thrived in Victorian Florida landscapes long before the arrival of toxic fungicides and insecticides and earned the nickname "Cracker Rose." A good source is the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas (toll-free 1-800-441-0002, www.antiqueroseemporium.com). Each bush is grown in a 2-gallon pot for about 18 months and is cut back just before shipping. It will quickly releaf and bloom here once it is planted in a garden or large pot.

Oh, and about those prickles: We call them thorns but, botanically speaking, that terminology is incorrect. Thorns are modified branches, deeply embedded in a plant's woody structure, and very difficult to break off. Prickles are sharp outgrowths of the plant's outer layers that can be easily broken off. Both prickles and thorns protect plants from predators. Prickle's the correct word, but somehow saying, "Every rose has its prickle" just doesn't sound right.

John A. Starnes Jr., born in Key West, is an avid organic gardener and rosarian who studies, collects, cultivates and hybridizes roses for Florida. He can be reached at johnastarnes@msn.com. Information from the University of Indiana was used in this report.

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Planting your roses

Roses love damp soil, so our drought and watering restrictions have made growing them in gardens a challenge.

Following the example of some California rosarians, I've started growing them in black plastic tree pots (15- and 20-gallon sizes). The Californians have found that filling large pots with a rich, humusy soil keeps the entire root ball damp. That's impossible in dry soil. I've had spectacular results with this approach. I painted my pots white to keep the soil mass cool. You can use decorative pots of the same size.

I use a soil mix of 3 parts Lambert potting soil, 1 part white clay cat litter and 1 part chipped tree trimmings, tossed together like a salad.

If you plant your roses in the ground, use the same soil mix.

As I plant each rose, I bury beneath it a few cantaloupe-sized chunks of broken concrete block to aid drainage, supply slow-release calcium, and help deter nematodes. Then I mulch the soil with 2 inches of those same chipped limbs. You can get these free from tree-trimming companies.

Four times a year I feed the bushes with fish emulsion or my own homemade version. (I call this "John's Jungle Juice," and it introduces beneficial fungi and microbes. For information, e-mail me at the address at the end of this column.) Or give them a quarterly sprinkling of Sunniland Palm 8-6-6 fertilizer.

Once a year I sprinkle about a cup of dolomitic limestone around each bush. Roses dislike intensely acid soil.

[Last modified February 8, 2008, 15:35:08]