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Rose Hit Parade – May 2002 |
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‘Rosarium
Uetersen’ – Nancy Edgar Like
a child in FAO Schwartz, I find that the world of the ROSE is a wonderment to
behold, and I want them all,
now. Starting with six roses and
currently growing over two hundred, it has been very difficult for me to pick
just one favorite. So, here it goes, ‘Rosarium Uetersen’. It is a spectacular rose, with long arching canes filled with the most
beautiful large, four inch, pink/salmon/coral, clustering roses.
I can’t help but to reach over, grab a cluster, and fill my senses with
a delightful rich rose scent. The
flowers remind me of tissue paper flowers, packed with over a hundred petals.
Surprising for the petalage, this rose does not ball in wet weather, nor
fall apart quickly. After a
spectacular June bloom, repeat flowering is good, quickened by deadheading.
The foliage is a deep, copper-green, with a high luster, and very disease
resistant. ‘Rosarium Uetersen’
is hardy and versatile. It can be used as a climber of ten to thirteen feet, trained
horizontally on a fence for fantastic bloom stem to stern, or as a shrub with
languishing canes. Last year, I
landscaped about fifty feet of our driveway alternating ‘Rosarium Uetersen’
and ‘Long Tall Sally’ as freestanding shrubs. ‘Rosarium
Uetersen’ was hybridized by Reimer Kordes and named for an associated garden;
parentage: R.
Kordesii x Karlsruhe; introduced in 1977; classification: large
flowering climber; color: salmon pink; fragrance: ‘Eglantine rose’; rating:
8.5; zone hardy: 3-9. ‘Graham
Thomas’ – Mike Chute I bought
Graham Thomas ten years ago along with two other English roses.
I have long since pitched the other two, but Graham remains. I have moved him several times and he now resides in a
position of prominence in my rose garden. It
took several years for this English shrub rose to fulfill his potential, but
come late June, I can expect a bush chock-full of golden yellow blooms, cupped
like old-fashioned roses with a fruity bouquet.
Long arching canes with six or seven blooms form fragrant, buttery-yellow
sprays framed with shiny, dark green foliage.
I like to pinch out the terminal bud in the middle of each spray and that
way all the other blooms in the cluster will open together.
(This is one way to win the shrub class at the rose show.)
Introduced in 1983 and named after Great Britain’s noted old garden rosarian, ‘Graham Thomas’ is winter hardy as are many of the English roses. In fact, Claire Laberge maintains a small bed of English roses, including ‘Graham Thomas’, in the magnificent “Roseraie” in the Montreal Botanical Garden and provides no winter protection beyond snow in this Canadian climate equivalent of US Zone 4. The
only complaint I have is that the repeat bloom is disappointing.
I have tried everything to generate a successful second flush but with
limited success. I even left my pruning shovel next to him last year as a
warning but he knew I was only kidding. ‘Graham
Thomas’ is a crafty prima donna
who thinks I will always keep him around just for his spectacular display each
June…and he’s right. ‘Knock Out’ -
Audrey Ratti
My
flower beds consist mainly of shrub roses and climbers. A striking performer in
my garden is the best description for my favorite rose, ‘Knock Out’.
‘Madame Hardy’ had been my favorite rose the past few years, with its unique
green center eye winking through its lovely white petals, but it only bloomed
once a season! ‘Knock
Out’, with its cherry red color, is aptly named. It can not be missed in your yard, easily seen by passers-by.
I’m often asked, “What is the name of that bush?”
As a true performer, it maintains its vibrant color, with an added bonus
of shiny blue-green leaves. A
profuse bloomer all season, it bloomed to Thanksgiving last year. Hardy and disease resistant, it maintains a lovely compact
shape. ‘Knock Out’ has been a perfect landscape rose. RIRS
Members--If you would like to contribute to this column and let other members
know about your favorite rose, either sign up at the next meeting to write a one
or two paragraph description, or submit your favorite rose description to Angie
Chute at apc1090@aol.com
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