The Quotable Gardener: Roses
“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”
Emma Goldman, early 20th century political activist and writer
It’s June, and there’s no better time to celebrate heirloom roses with quotes and pictures.
Old roses can be many-petalled wonders, crammed full of velvet and satin. Or rumpled rugosas cultivated for a millennium yet barely tame. They carry heady wafting scents of tea and peaches; tints of butter and apricot, blush and sunset. They’re fleeting and delicate, yet strong enough to last centuries. Diamonds indeed.
“There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I believe flowers have souls. I’ve known roses that I expect to meet in heaven.”
Author Lucy Maude Montgomery
Happy Rose Month, everyone!
Are hybrid tea roses too passe nowadays? I do not plant any new roses, but if I did, I would want only hybrid tea roses. I have seen that some are still in nurseries, but they are not as popular as the others. At least one of my favorites is now difficult to find.
Hi Tony! No, I can’t think of many plants I’d want to label as passe, especially not roses. It’s such a personal thing, isn’t it? I just have a strong preference for the lovely old roses with their history, fragrance, form and growing habits. And they look so at home in cottage-style gardens.
I actually like the hybrid tea roses because they look so at home with classic California ranch architecture that was popular at about the same time. To me, they do not seem to need much maintenance if pruned properly in the winter. I do not spray them for disease or insects. Pruning keeps the vigorous enough to keep ahead of such problems.
Yes, I agree. They make me think of my mom, who loves them, and is of that era. The old-time cottage roses make me think more of my grandmother. Both nice associations!
Ha! My grandmother was an Okie, so did not bother with many flowers that were merely pretty. However, my main bearded iris came from my grandmother, who got it from her mother. I grow it because it is so pretty and fragrant. They grew it because it provides orris root. It is Iris pallida rather than a real bearded iris.
Are hybrid tea roses too passe nowadays? I do not plant any new roses, but if I did, I would want only hybrid tea roses. I have seen that some are still in nurseries, but they are not as popular as the others. At least one of my favorites is now difficult to find.