Roses, Well Planted: How Care, Soil, and Time Turn Beauty into Devotion

 

Roses have always asked for a little care and offered much in return. They are not wild things, but they are honest ones, responding best to good soil, sunlight, and a gardener willing to listen. Given the right beginning, a rose will settle in like an old friend and stay for years, growing more generous with time rather than less.

Most garden roses prefer well-drained, fertile soil—loam is ideal, though they will forgive clay if it is loosened and amended. Drainage matters more than perfection; roses despise wet feet and reward soil that breathes. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (about 6.0–6.8) suits them best, allowing roots to take up nutrients easily and foliage to remain deep green and healthy. They thrive in full sun, especially morning sun, and perform well across a wide range of USDA climate zones, generally Zones 4 through 10, depending on the variety. In colder regions they appreciate winter protection; in warmer ones, good air flow and consistent watering keep them content.

Planting a rose is an act of optimism. Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots comfortably and deep enough that the plant sits at the same level it grew before—or slightly deeper in colder climates. Work compost into the soil, set the rose gently in place, and firm the earth around it without haste. Water thoroughly to settle the soil, then mulch to keep roots cool and moisture steady. From the beginning, roses respond best to deep, infrequent watering, encouraging strong roots rather than shallow dependence.

Feeding roses is less about force and more about timing. A balanced fertilizer or well-rotted compost applied in spring and again during the growing season is usually sufficient. Too much nitrogen brings leaves without flowers, enthusiasm without poetry. Regular deadheading encourages repeat bloom, while thoughtful pruning—done with restraint—keeps the plant open, healthy, and productive. Watch the rose, and it will tell you what it needs; yellowing leaves, sparse blooms, or weak growth are simply requests, not complaints.

And then there is the reward. Year after year, roses return with a familiarity that deepens affection. Their buds appear when the garden is waking, their fragrance lingers in warm air, and their presence changes a space from planted to lived-in. A rose by a gate, along a fence, or beneath a window becomes part of daily life—noticed, expected, relied upon. Long after the labor is forgotten, the pleasure remains, unfolding again each season, faithful as memory and just as enduring.

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Debbie's Charming Cottage Garden

 

Seen nestled behind a pecan grove, you’d think this charming cottage was built at least 150 years ago. But it’s much newer, built in 1990. Debbie moved to south Georgia over 40 years ago, but felt homesick for the place of her childhood in East Tennessee. After a few years in the area, she came upon a design that reminded her so much of her mountain home.

Her antique furnishings, décor and collectibles are in keeping with the homespun design. Visitors feel like they’ve stepped back into a simpler age. You’ll have to imagine it, though. The interior is not on display here.

While we stopped by to deliver some strawberries, Debbie allowed me to mosey around her little garden and take a few photos. I’m sharing them with you.

One of the joys of gardens, at least to me, is smelling the fragrance of flowers, and crushing the leaves of aromatic herbs for savoring. Debbie's roses, dianthus, verbena, achillea and bay delight the senses.

Her little place reminds us that delightful gardens needn't be large or ostentatious to be satisfying. They can be comfortable, small and intimate.

Follow me and see what grows in Debbie's garden.

Multiflora rose

Rosa 'The Fairy'

Verbena 'Homestead Purple'

Rosemary and Bay

Mutliflora rose

Achillea millefolium

Rosa 'The Fairy'

Oxalis

Dianthus and Oxalis

The cottage garden

Magnolia grandiflora

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Another Pest On The Loose: The Redheaded Flea Beetle.

Yet another pest is on the loose, apparently moving southward from New England. Now it's the redheaded flea beetle (Systena frontalis). It has recently become a serious nursery pest, and if it's a problem for plant nurseries, it can become a problem for you.

xpda [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

The redheaded flea beetle munches on roots and leaves of woody plants, vegetables and perennials including crape myrtle, hydrangea, roses, buddleia, forsythia, blueberries, cranberries, cabbage, beans, beets, sedum, salvia, hibiscus, rudbeckia and coreopsis. After overwintering in the soil, the larvae hatch and start on the roots. Heavy infestations can completely girdle plants.

The larvae are slender and white. Adult redheaded flea beetles are about 1/16 inch long, black with reddish heads and have long antennae. As the name suggests, they jump when spooked.

Gardeners probably won't see them when they're feeding in the root zone, but will notice skeletonized leaves from feeding adults. Redheaded flea beetles seem to be more abundant in rural gardens adjacent to row crops such as soybeans and corn.

So far, there aren't any sure-fire remedies for redheaded flea beetle infestations. They might be caught with sticky traps. They feed on certain weeds, so their numbers might be reduced if gardens are kept weed-free. Researchers are working on chemical combinations they hope will do the trick. Systemic insecticides containing dinotefuran and bifenthrin seem to work well. Dinotefuran is pretty expensive.

Pesticides should be applied in mid- to late spring when larvae are most active. Always follow label instructions when applying chemical pesticides.

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Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Florida

In 1936, title to a tract of land known now as Washington Oaks Gardens, a Florida State Park, was received by Louise Powis Clark (1887-1965), a widow with three children. It was to become a winter home for her and her third husband, Owen D. Young (1874-1962), also recently widowed. Both were from New York. Louise owned a lingerie company in the Philippines. Owen had been a lawyer, diplomat, and chairman of the boards of General Electric Company and RCA. But there's very little about Washington Oaks that immediately suggests the owners' wealth.

The area had been home to diverse residents, from aboriginal people to Spanish and English Colonists. In 1818, Jose Mariano Hernandez acquired the tract as an addition to his plantation, Mala Compra (Bad Purchase), to the south. Since it overlooked the Matanzas River, he called it Bella Vista (Beautiful View).

Eventually it passed to heirs, one being George L. Washington. Members of the family lived on “The Washington Place” occasionally from the 1870s to 1890s. The Washington lodge no longer exists.

In 1923, the property was sold to developers to be subdivided into residential lots known as Hernandez Estates. But the financial crash of the ‘20s and the Depression of the ‘30s put an end to that dream.

Louise and Owen discovered the property along old highway A1A in 1935 while visiting her mother in St. Augustine, FL. The developers had failed to pay taxes on some parcels, land values were way down, and the romantic couple from up North had money to spend. Louise acquired title in 1936. She and Owen were married the following year.

Rather than rename the place, they called it “Washington Oaks.” Perhaps they liked the sound of it, or named it so because George L. slept there.

Being a designer with interests in weaving and pottery, Louise went to work designing the house and gardens with an artistic eye. Their home was modest, and took full advantage of the view of the river. She combined native and exotic plants in the garden, and included oriental motifs.

Owen Young was a businessman who took an interest in horticulture, so he planted a citrus grove. Naturally, he set up a fruit stand beside old A1A where he occasionally tended and sold citrus to passersby.

My parents often took us boys to Florida in those days, sometimes traveling that scenic highway. I like to imagine we passed the old man hawking oranges by the road, not realizing he was the co-founder of RCA, NBC, and a consultant to presidents.

The Youngs eventually purchased land across the road, allowing them beach access. Owen built an office on that side so he’d have a quiet place to do business and study.  He built a nice home there for the caretaker, too.

Traffic increased, and road noise began to disturb the Young’s idyll, so they prevailed to have A1A relocated closer to the beach. A quiet, scenic portion of the old road still exists, reminding visitors of those days long gone.

Follow me to see what grows beyond the garden wall by clicking on the links below.

Travelers might have barely noticed Washington Oaks simple coquina gates. Coquina stone is sedimentary rock consisting of coquina shells and sand. It was often used as a building material.

The driveway at Washington Oaks opens to a fine view of the comfortable house and the Matanzas River beyond.

Much of the Young’s home looks as it did in the 1950s and '60s. A vintage television displays recorded episodes of old shows.

The front door of a home on the river always faces the river. Remember that.

A view of the Matanzas River from Washington Oaks Gardens, a Florida State Park.

A cistern at the site of the old Washington lodge.

Roses ‘Sweet Surrender’, ‘Gold Medal’ and ‘Pope John Paul II’ in the formal rose garden.

Visitors can rest on the garden bench beside the pond.

Bromeliads form a ground cover among palms.

Curcuma provides pops of color in the tropical garden.

A Bird-Of-Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) flower hides among the foliage.

A sculpture from Asia and koi reflect the Young’s affection for oriental motifs.

In The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton observed “the Carp is the Queen of Rivers: a stately, a good, and a very subtil fish”. Koi are glorified carp. For bait, Walton instructed, “Take the flesh of a Rabbet or Cat cut small, and Bean-flowre;…and then mix these together, and put to them either Sugar, or Honey, …beat together in a Mortar, …and then make it into a ball, or two, or three…” Since I had none of those things, nor a fishing license, I simply watched them laze about.

Plumbago auriculata in the foreground, Monstera and magnificent ferns among palms to the rear.

A bridge not too far with Clerodendrum speciosum beside.

Ponderosa lemons (Citrus limon) in the citrus grove.

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made.” (Genesis 3)

Impressive oaks (Quercus virginiana) at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, FL.

Owen Young’s office now houses the gift shop at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, FL.

Old U.S. Hwy A1A near Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, FL.

Coquina rock formations on the beach at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, FL.

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FAQ: Should I prune my Knockout roses this time of year?

Q. Should I prune my Knockout roses this time of year? They have grown too big.

A. I understand that you are concerned about the appearance of your Knockout roses, but I advise you to wait. Pruning stimulates new growth. New growth is easily damaged by freezing temperatures.

Now it's late October, so cold weather will be arriving soon, if it has not already, in most parts of the country. If you live in a mild climate such as south Florida, you may prune Knockout roses now without much risk of damage. However, if you live in a colder climate, you should wait until spring when danger of freezing is past.

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New Ground Cover Roses - Get The Drift®

Advertised as the newest thing in roses for small gardens, the same company that introduced the Knock Out® roses, is promoting Drift® roses. Knock Out® roses are extremely popular for their disease resistance and extremely long bloom period. Just so are the Drift® roses. These, however, are naturally dwarf and spreading, so you can use them as ground cover or in borders. If you have an unsightly slope or hillside, they should be just the ticket for adding color throughout the growing season. Plant them on terraces to cascade over the edges, and I can see a lot of potential for container gardens, too.  Varieties include Apricot Drift®, Icy Drift®, Sweet Drift® (a clear pink), Coral Drift®, Pink Drift® (a deep pink), Red Drift® and Peach Drift®. Flowers are small and doubled. Some are so frilly they remind me of heirloom cabbage roses.

To find them, go to the Star Roses web site and look for the link that takes you to their participating garden center search engine.

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Donna's Garden

When the McKenna's moved from backcountry Maine to southeast Georgia, they thought they had reached civilization at last.  But Brooklet is one of the quietest towns I know.  It's the slow, gentle pace of life that gives one time to work in the garden, think and be creative.

Donna, the lady of the house, is known for her thrift and exuberance.  Her well-known book, The $30 a Week Grocery Budget, first published in 1991, is a favorite of prudent homemakers.  She admits that the budget might be increased to $50 a week, but probably won't.  That's thrift.  Donna's exuberance shows in her hospitality with the table nearly groaning under the weight of food.  How does she do it?

Her garden reflects her character.  Nearly every plant was obtained for free, or propagated.  She, in turn, generously gives plants away, especially Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus).

Her husband, John, is a plant enthusiast.  Having worked around nurseries, he has brought home all kinds of seeds, bulbs and cuttings.  John, native to New Jersey,has been a licensed tour guide in Savannah, Georgia.  I bet he's always peeking into gardens en route.

Most of her acquisitions are old-fashioned varieties, their names often unknown to her.   Attractive weeds like spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) and Viola species grow in wild profusion along with cannas, crocosmia, daylilies, iris, roses and yarrow (Achillea spp.).  English boxwoods (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa') line paths paved with recycled brick.  Snowrose (Serissa foetida) softens and fills bare corners.  Mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) beckons the nose.

Flower bulbs including shamrock (Oxalis spp.), Amaryllis (Hippeastrum cvs.), narcissus, lilies and bluebells (Hyacinthoides) pop up everywhere.  Escaped house plants (Setacea and Saxifraga stolonifera) have made themselves at home outdoors.  Conifers such as cedars (Cedrus deodora) and Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) punctuate the landscape.  Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), chocolate vine (Akebia quinata), creeping fig (Ficus pumila), wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), and Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) drape from porches, trellises and trees.  It's a joyful sight.

As we walked to the vegetable and herb garden, Donna had to show me what they had uncovered: spicebush (Lindera benzoin).  I explained how to make tea from it.

The raised bed vegetable garden is planted with garlic, arugula and rhubarb, along with more conventional plants.  Of course, herbs are grown not only in the herb garden, but in clay pots, decorative containers, and tucked into every imaginable crevice.  Mint seems to be Donna's ground cover of choice.

Whimsical sculptures, fountains and furnishings express Donna's effervescence.  A rain barrel is a sign of her care.

In another town, you might pass a garden like Donna's without noticing it.  Very old camellias screen some of it from the street.  But this is Brooklet, GA where everyone drives slowly.  So if you pass the McKenna house, you'll certainly be tempted to wonder what grows behind that evergreen wall.

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