Witherspoon's Virtual Tour of Rose Gardens: Patty Roger's Garden

Welcome to Patty Roger's Garden

There is an excitement that surrounds waiting for a blossom to open.  Anticipation draws a gardener toward the bud over and over again in hope of catching an early glimpse into what that bud will blossom into.  This anticipation is one of Patty Rogers’ favorite things about growing roses.  As I spoke with Patty, I began to sense the joy she gets from her rose garden and how it fills a special place in her life.

Being a professional photographer, Patty is always searching for the perfect flower shot.  I can see her now, camera in hand, strolling through her garden on a quest.  Since About Face and Double Delight are two of her favorite roses, I am certain they are her first stops on her quest for the perfect shot.  When asked what about these roses she most enjoys, she replied with “Both the beauty and fragrance.  The appearance draws you in, while the fragrance holds you there.”

Patty is fairly new to growing roses, but she knows the joy of producing something so beautiful from your own backyard and enjoyment that comes from watching it grow.  As a young girl, she would work next to her Grandfather, who was an avid gardener, but while she was living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina she never had enough sunlight to grow roses.  She would stroll through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens to visit the roses.  The appearance of the roses would draw her in to visit, and the warmth of the fragrance would hold her captivated.  The time came when she moved from Chapel Hill to her new home on Real Quiet Lane.  Finally!  There was enough sun to plant her very own rose garden!  Now she is able to visit her roses every morning, which is by far her favorite thing about growing roses.  Even to the point that she feels a little selfish because she is jealous over her roses! 

As our conversation drew to a close, I asked her if she had any advice for people who are just now beginning their journey with roses.  The advice she gave was to visit other rose gardens before you plant your own in order to gain a better understanding of what you really like in a rose garden.  It is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the rose varieties and want to plant one of every variety in your bed.  So, she suggested that one consider planting an entire bed of the same variety for mass impact.

Patty’s journey began as a young girl learning to garden by her Grandfather’s side and it continues as she begins her new journey with growing roses.  She feels that there is a certain peace surrounding roses that embodies the name of her lane and considers her rose garden to be the crown jewel of her home on Real Quiet Lane.

Would you like for your garden to be featured in our virtual tour of gardens?  

Email Kelley Triplett at ktriplett@witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon ships premier roses to all 48 contiguous states February- April.  

Visit witherspoonrose.com for product details

Witherspoon also provides professional rose care services.  We offer preventative and corrective spraying for pests and diseases, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, and planting.

Give us a call at 1-800-643-0315 to request a FREE onsite estimate.

A Long Winter's Nap

The annual task of preparing your roses for winter is upon us.  

As colder weather settles in the rose bushes naturally continue to shut down.  Some of you will find that the roses are still pushing new buds, and if the frost does not burn them, you’ll still have some roses to cut and enjoy.  Certainly folks in warmer areas will see this taking place.  It definitely makes you want to enjoy the last of the color that the roses have to offer.  You’ll take every last bit you can get from them, right?!

That being said we still want to aid the dormancy process by cutting the roses back and providing a protective covering over the graft.  In this natural state of things the bushes go in to a resting period as a result of shorter days and a decrease in temperatures.  Our North Carolina climate affords us the opportunity to enjoy roses longer in the growing season and beyond, often until December.  By then the cold has done enough damage that it’s simply time to cut them back. 

This process can be done now for areas with colder climates than North Carolina.  In fact our customers in the mountains tend to do theirs sooner rather than later as compared to the Piedmont regions or regions on the coast. 

The great thing about the December cutback is that no special pruning skills are required.  You can simply cut any canes that are higher than the height of your waist as your standing next to the rose bush.  How simple is that?  By doing this we are only looking to remove any tall growth that might be weighed down and subsequently damaged by heavy snow or ice.   The real pruning comes much later and we’ll get to that early next year.

This waist high cutback can be done to any of your hybrid teas, grandifloras or floribundas.  We are often asked what to do if the roses to be cut back are already waist high or shorter, in which case they can be left alone.  We do, however, give climbing roses that bloom on new wood a heavier treatment.  

Cut back roses waist high

We start by cutting the height down to the level of the structure on which it is growing.  Then, we remove all but 5 or 6 of the strongest vertical canes.  Finally, remove the laterals (side canes) from those 5 or 6.  It will look quite skeletonized, but that is the desired effect. 

All your roses should look like the bush on the left after cutback

The next thing we do to the roses as part of the overall winterization is to cover the graft with mulch, known around here as mounding up.  We prefer mulch as opposed to pine straw since mulch is a heavier insulator; pine straw is too loose and does not pack well.  Mounding protects the rose bush from winter wind and cold.  Having adequate protection will keep the rose bush, and more specifically the graft, from drying out.  You can simply pull up the existing mulch that is already on the bed with a rake.  No need to buy more mulch unless there’s not enough to mound up! 

Mounding mulch up over the graft.

If you’re concerned about any fungal spores that may be lingering on the mulch from black spot you may want to consider removing all of the mulch and starting with fresh.  Applying a dormant spray in January will help with lingering fungal spores, but if you’re black spot troubles were pretty severe, then replacing the mulch is suggested.

 

The bush on the left is completely winterized

The act of winterization is such a simple process.  Cutting back the bushes could not be easier and mounding them takes mere minutes to do. 

Sincerely,

Sandie

Virtual Tour of Gardens: Strowd Garden

Witherspoon Rose Culture Presents:

Virtual Tour of the Gene Strowd Community Garden

We live in a society that champions speed and efficiency.  Smartphones make it easy to communicate without verbal communication and almost eliminate the need for face to face contact.  These advances in technology, frequency of relocation, and busier schedules have all contributed to an overall sense of isolation in our society.  We truly have to work to be a part of a community, but it is a refreshing experience to be a part of something larger than ourselves.  Gene Strowd was a man who championed community, and over four hundred and fifty roses stand as a testament to that fact in the Gene Strowd Community Garden in Chapel Hill, NC. 

Gene Strowd Community Garden

Gene Strowd was a rosarian on the national level, but his heart was obviously dedicated to his home community of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.  Mr. Strowd used roses as a way of engaging with people and bringing beauty into the lives of those he came in contact with daily.  In 1987, he proposed the idea of a community rose garden where everyone was welcome to come and experience the beauty that only roses can provide.  Gene Strowd, along with the Chapel Hill Rose Society and the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department, designed the layout of the garden and construction began in 1988.

Climbing Iceberg

As you walk into the garden, you get a sense of what Gene Strowd hoped to accomplish by planting a rose garden in the middle of Chapel Hill.  There are benches around the garden where you can sit and have a face to face conversation with friends.  You will hear joyful giggles from the playground that is located directly adjacent to the garden, and if you take time to sit in the gazebo at the back of garden you will see how many people from the community take time to stop and smell the roses.  The copper fountain in the center of the garden provides a soundtrack to the rose garden with soothing sounds of trickling water, and the brick pathways lead you through the fragrant beds of roses that encourage you to take time out of your busy day to enjoy pure beauty.

Raised Brick Bed

Both Gene and his beautiful bride, Irene, have passed on from this world, but through Strowd Roses, Inc their commitment to the community of Chapel Hill and Carrboro continues on to this day.  Not only does Strowd Roses, Inc fund the maintenance of the Gene Strowd Garden, they also provide funding for community organizations that improve the quality of life for the community of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Living in a society where speed and efficiency are often championed over personal connection, it is refreshing to step into a world of beauty where we can slow down and enjoy the people around us.  Gene Strowd and his wife Irene dedicated their lives and their money to promote a community where helping one another and enjoying togetherness was advocated for above all else.

Carefree Spirit  

Climbing America

Copper Fountain

Seating area in the gazebo

Secret

Double Delight

Signature

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW FOR A 360 VIEW OF THE Gene STrowd Community Rose GARDEN!

Join us next time for our third stop on the Witherspoon Virtual Tour of Gardens!

Would you like for your garden to be featured in our virtual tour of gardens?  

Email Kelley Triplett at ktriplett@witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon ships premier roses to all 48 contiguous states February- April.  

Visit www.witherspoonrose.com for product details

Witherspoon also provides professional rose care services.  We offer preventative and corrective spraying for pests and diseases, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, and planting.

Give us a call at 1-800-643-0315 to request a FREE onsite estimate.

Witherspoon Rose Culture's Service Map

What's Beneath Your Feet?

Soil Samples 

What’s Beneath Your Feet?

In the long run there are only two things that are always touching your rose bushes, soil and air.  If that air happens to be relatively dry and 75 degrees your bushes will thrive.  On the other hand, if that air is 95 degrees with 95% humidity your bushes will struggle.  The same is true for soil.  Healthy soil is the foundation for your bushes and it can mean the difference between thriving and barely surviving.  Soil is the only thing that delivers nutrients to your rose bushes which makes it the most important factor in growing beautiful roses.

Soil chemistry is extremely complicated and there are a lot of factors that go into healthy soil.  As with most things simple is better so we will concentrate on the big factors.

pH – it is important to know the pH of your soil.  For roses you want the pH to be between 6.0 and 6.5.  pH will affect how nutrients are made available to your rose bush.  Proper pH will let your bushes get the most out of the nutrients in the soil and the fertilizer that you put down.  Use the Digital Soil pH Meter to check your soil throughout the growing season.

Nutrients – we ask a lot from our roses.  They are always growing new roses for us to cut and enjoy.  All of that growth takes a lot food and roses are definitely heavy feeders.  A good base of lots of cow manure when you plant your rose bush is extremely important.  Composted cow manure delivers a large variety of nutrients to your rose bushes over several years.  It is well worth it to spend a little more at the beginning to give your plants the nutrients they need for years to come.

Fertilizer – fertilizer is the main course for your roses.  The N-P-K delivered by fertilizers allows your bushes to continue to thrive and bloom.  Whether you use Witherspoon Premium Rose Fertilizer or an organic option it is important to remember that the fertilizer is delivering nutrients to the soil and the soil is delivering them to the plant.  Sandy soils don’t hold on to nutrients like clay based soils do so you may have to increase your fertilizing regimen for those types of soils.  If you are not receiving a lot of rain, make sure that your irrigation system is set up in a way that will help the fertilizer deliver the nutrients to the soil.

Texture – roses like to stretch.  They want to spread their feeder roots as far as possible to find every bit of nutrition they can.  If not preparing a full bed for your roses, it is important to dig a wide hole and diligently prepare the soil.  In this case sandier soils have an advantage because the roots easily move through the soil.  On the other hand, compacted clay soil does not grow happy roses.  When planting roses, we recommend planting with our Witherspoon Premium Planting Mix.  Whether you have sandy or clay soil, Witherspoon Premium Planting Mix is great product to use.  It is a mixture of cow manure, soil conditioner, and PermaTill (a product that helps keep clay soils from compacting).

Our roses offer us so much joy.  If they are not happy in their soil, they are unable to get up and go find a better spot.  They depend on us to prepare and maintain their growing environment for them.  Spend a little extra time and money to properly prepare the soil when you plant your rose bush, check it each month, and it will thank you for years to come with bountiful bouquets of beautiful blooms.

2014 Rose Introduction

Meet the New Roses!

I know you don't want to think about this, but the winter months are right around the corner.  Between the shorter days and the cold weather, it is hard not to long for the warmer days of spring.  Let Witherspoon help you get through these tough months!  Take time to curl up in your Snuggie with some hot apple cider and the Witherspoon 2014 Rose Catalog.  Now is the time to dream about your new rose garden and begin to make your plans for next year.

So grab that cider and sit with me for a while so I can introduce to you the new roses we are carrying this year.  We are excited to introduce six brand new varieties along with two varieties that have returned after a long absence!

Brand New for 2014

Happy Go Lucky
Hybrid Tea

The charming, old fashioned pure yellow blooms will brighten your day, and since it is such a prolific bloomer, your days will never be dull!!  To top it all off, this bush has great disease resistance and a moderately fruity fragrance.  (3'w, 3-5'h )

Good as Gold

Hybrid Tea

This rose is not for the faint of heart!  With daring golden orange blooms, long stems and a sweet citrus fragrance, Good as Gold is a bold addition to any garden.  (3'w, 3-6'h)

Jump for Joy

Floribunda

Luscious clusters of peachy-pink blooms will have you jumping for joy in your garden.  Not to mention, the mild apple fragrance and long lasting blooms that will certainly bring a smile to your face!  (3'w, 3-4'h)

Sweet Sunblaze

Miniature Rose

Sweeten up your life with this disease resistant mini! The flourishing double blooms are the clearest pink in the Sunblaze family, and with a slightly spicy fragrance, you will have a little sugar and spice which makes everything nice!  (18"w, 1-2'h)

Lady of Shallot
David Austin

Orange red buds open to reveal a stunning old fashioned chalice bloom with a salmon pink center and a golden reverse.  This hardy and disease resistant rose will also tantalize your sense of smell with the fragrance of warm tea and spiced apples!  (3.5'w, 4'h)



Munstead Wood
David Austin

Enjoy the mystery of this rose as light crimson buds gradually open to reveal a deep velvety crimson center!  This excellent repeater is disease resistant and has a strong fruity fragrance.  (2.5'w, 3'h)

Welcome Back!!

Melody Parfumee

Grandiflora

This grandiflora has clusters of deep plum colored buds that unfurl to reveal rich purple blooms which soften to lavender on this prolific bloomer.  These beautiful blooms paired with a strong old rose fragrance and disease resistant foliage will have you singing throughout your garden.  (4'w, 5'h)








Radiant Perfume
Hybrid Tea

If the deep golden yellow color of this roses doesn't draw you i for a closer look, the strong citrus fragrance most certainly will.  The long stems are great for cutting and the rich green foliage creates a perfect backdrop for the radiant blooms!
(3'w, 5-6'h)

To celebrate these new additions to the Witherspoon Rose Family, I am giving away a R.K. Witherspoon Rose!!

That's right...you heard me... a FREE ROSE!  I know you are wondering what you have to do to be entered into the drawing for this FREE ROSE.  It's easy... just follow our blog!  At the end of October I will enter the names of all our followers into a randomizer in order to pick a winner!  Isn't that easy?

UPDATE 10/16/2013

I have added a followers section to the top of the right sidebar so it should be easier to find where to follow the site!

The winner of the R.K. Witherspoon has been notified via email!  Congrats and we can't wait to hear from you!

Stay tuned for more giveaways!!  

This could be your rose!

If you are interested in learning more about our new roses, check out this video introducing our new catalog!

If you would like to receive a 2014 Catalog from Witherspoon

CLICK HERE

Success in the Rose Garden: A Yearly Evaluation

Success in the Rose Garden: A Yearly Evaluation

It’s a pleasant sunny fall morning.  You take your breakfast on the patio to admire your rose garden.  The morning light shines down on your roses like a beacon.  As you sip your coffee and chew your food you ponder over the successes and failures of your roses. 

So, what is the measure of your success?  Is it that you've had an abundance of flowers to cut and enjoy?  Is that you've managed to prevent blackspot?  Or is it a deeper understanding of how your garden performs from season to season? 

As our Rose Care Technicians prepare to evaluate our customers’ gardens we think about what it takes to grow great roses.  When I hear the words “fat bushes” from the mouths of our techs I know it means that the rose bushes are huge and often towering overhead, loaded with leaves and flowers from multiple canes which stem from large crowns at the base.  It makes caring for roses seem like child’s play when there are few challenges to overcome. 

Our annual evaluation process has many facets.  We determine the need for fertility and a need to rework the bed area using our specially blended Witherspoon Premium Planting Mix for better overall growing performance.  We look at whether or not trees are inhibiting the growth in some way either by way of too much shade or by way of the tree’s roots invading the bed area.  We also consider perpetual damage by deer, rabbits or voles to identify the need for repellents or fencing. 

These things are mostly environmental, and improvements can be made to liven up the roses.  Certainly no one can argue that enriching the soil area in which the roses grow will be a worthless effort.  And no one can argue that your roses will perform much better with more sun exposure.  Even installing irrigation so the roses have a regular water supply is time and money well spent for the result of thriving roses.  And finding ways to keep the critters from eating that deliciously sweet flower bud means that the rose remains yours and yours alone. 

But what about the cultural tasks in the rose garden?  What improvements will be made by yearly pruning and removing the spent blooms regularly?  Let’s begin with pruning.  Pruning is a great way to rejuvenate the rose’s growth allowing the canes to produce an abundance of flowers on the new wood.  This yearly task is vital to the growth of your hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas. 

Now let’s look at deadheading.  During the active growing season the roses put on their full display of color.  Their bloom cycle is on about a 30-35 day schedule.  By removing the spent blooms you can aid the regeneration process allowing your roses to perform at their peak.  Hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas respond very well to this treatment. 

What are some other factors to contemplate when thinking about evaluating your success?  Let’s consider that some roses simply might not be suitable to your growing conditions.   A particular rose may look great in someone else’s yard, but it struggles in yours.  There could be a host of reasons from soil to fertility to overall general care.  You may have to acknowledge that it’s just time to get it out of the garden and try a different rose.  Fortunately, we have a wide variety of roses to choose from in all manner of colors.

I think the most important aspect in determining your success is the work you put into growing your roses.  Take a honest look at your maintenance schedule.  For example, roses are heavy feeders.  Are you really using the right kind of fertilizer at the right time of year?  When there’s no adequate rain, are you supplementing with the proper amount of water?  Are you actively deadheading the roses to help them produce more?  If the canes are spindly and weak should you just throw in the towel on that particular rose or keep on fighting to get it to do something?  Is it finally time to part ways with the unthrifty producers in the garden to trade them out for better bushes? 

It’s not easy to make the decision to remove roses, especially if they have sentimental value.  Keep in mind this investment in your landscape is something you want to show off, something to be proud of.   The reward is beautifully performing roses that you can enjoy and share with others.  So, putting in the effort is well worth it.  

Sincerely,
Sandie

Fall Blooms are Starting to Open!

It's not quite Fall yet in North Carolina, but the weather is cooling down!  Not only do we love the cooler temps, but so do our roses.  Check out some of the blooms that are opening now!

Mellow Yellow

Mellow Yellow

Rio Samba

Rio Samba

R.K. Witherspoon

R.K. Witherspoon

Sexy Rexy 

Summer Love

If your bushes are not producing enough blooms or if they just need a little extra umph, take advantage of our online sale on Super Bloom! Now through August 31, 2013.

www.witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon's Virtual Tour of Gardens: Welcome to the Bolton's Garden

Witherspoon's Virtual Tour of Gardens

Welcome to the Bolton's Garden

Peaceful sounds of trickling water drifted across the garden as I sat down with Steve and Karen Bolton to talk about their roses.  We sat on the top level of their two tiered deck that overlooks their secluded garden and had a conversation about how they began their journey into growing roses.  

A beautiful water feature adds peaceful ambiance to their garden.

Their journey began ten years ago in Oxford, North Carolina.  Steve pastored a church where they met a lovely woman, named Nellie Grey McFarland, who was an avid rose gardener and became a very dear friend.  As Ms. McFarland grew older, she approached Karen and said “I want to give you something to remember me by.” She wanted to give Karen a rose garden.  Thus, Karen’s rose journey began with Ms. McFarland’s small gift of three roses.  

As the centerpiece of their garden, they had a beautiful Abraham Darby rose climbing up a small trellis.

Ten years later, Karen still takes the first blooms from her rose garden to Nellie Grey who is now 104 years young.  I wonder if she knew ten years ago that her small gift would inspire such joy in the Bolton’s life.  When Steve and Karen decided to move from Oxford to Durham, North Carolina, the three roses that Nellie Grey gave them made the journey to their new home where they are still flourishing.

Look at that stunning Abraham Darby!  You can tell I fell in love with this rose!

  This gift of roses has inspired Karen to enjoy her garden by sharing her blooms with others.  One of her favorite things about growing roses is the opportunity to share the cut flowers with others.  She will cut her roses to take to her neighbors, as hostess gifts, and to her friends and family that are under the weather.  I’m sure Veteran’s Honor, being her favorite rose, makes it into most bouquets!

View of the garden from the deck.

I have learned in my lifetime that advice from others is one of life’s most valuable treasures.  As we concluded our conversation, I asked what advice they would give to people who are just beginning their rose gardens.  Right off, Karen said research!  Start small and learn all you can about roses and how to care for them.  Before she began growing roses, Karen never really thought of herself as a gardener.  Now, in tending to her roses and learning all she can about them, she experiences great satisfaction. 

Karen and Steve Bolton

As I stood up from their patio table to leave, I looked out over the garden one last time.  Steve said earlier in our conversation that he felt that the roses completed the garden, and I could see clearly what he meant.  Their secret garden has the perfect punctuation mark, roses.

Karen and Steve Bolton

Peaceful serenity is the theme of this garden.

Karen's favorite rose, Veteran's Honor.

The Heritage rose was gorgeous!

Roses, the perfect punctuation mark to this beautiful garden.

Check out the video below for a 360 view of the Bolton's garden!

Join us next time for our second stop on the Witherspoon Virtual Tour of Gardens!

Would you like for your garden to be featured in our virtual tour of gardens?  

Email Kelley Triplett at ktriplett@witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon ships premier roses to all 48 contiguous states February- April.  

Visit witherspoonrose.com for product details

Witherspoon also provides professional rose care services.  We offer preventative and corrective spraying for pests and diseases, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, and planting.

Give us a call at 1-800-643-0315 to request a FREE onsite estimate.

Witherspoon's Service Areas