Coming up roses

Imagine a tete a tete between Pope Paul II, Julia Child, Doris Day and Mr. Lincoln. Or a moment where Queen Elizabeth and Don Juan hold court ... together.

One wonders: would Tiddly Winks be part of the package? Would they do an About Face or would they stand there All a’ Twitter?

The names of roses are as infinite as their variety. and it’s fun to make up such scenarios.

I kept my pen poised to record as many names as Dave Ellis could toss at me during a recent visit to Roseland Nursery in Acushnet, where he presides over an astounding largess of gorgeousness and gorgeousity! He’s done so for over 41 years — and as always, had something to teach me.

Roseland in Acushnet is the largest supplier of potted rose bushes in the Northeast. Spread over 35 acres, with 25 in cultivation, it’s a full-service nursery specializing in roses, carrying some 300 varieties that are distributed to nine states along the eastern seaboard.

Rows upon rows, organized by category with hybrid teas, grandifloras and climbers each in their separate sections and a separate section for English David Austin roses, it’s an impressive layout.

I always feel my ficklest here. July finds me there flitting about like a butterfly in search for just the right flower. My tendency is to lean toward the color orange! I’d recently made some selections and quite thrilled at the results as I’m in the process of building back the roses in my gardens. Some were lost to frigid temperatures, others shrank into oblivion due to an increase of shade but I’ve always been a fan of the flower, in spite of their reputation for being high maintenance. And as I told Dave “they have to have scent, or what’s the point?”

Dave steered us toward the roses that will be introduced in 2016 first, and I beheld a posy of pure poetry under the trademark Pretty Lady Rose. The rose was inspired by Downton Abbey’s Lady Rose, and projects an elegance and regal manner with a dark pink hue and large ruffled blooms that have an old fashioned English style.

Another collection of shrub roses favored by Dave that you can totally expect to be batting a thousand when released next year are those under the tag Home Run. It comes in a flame red, a warm pink, and a yellow gold with pink blush called Watercolors Home Run. These varieties are known for their natural disease resistance, well-behaved rounded habit and excellent flower production lasting from spring well into fall. “The new buds come out faster than the old flowers can fade away,” says Dave, calling it a no-brainer for any garden.

The name game gets a tad confusing when trying to distinguish Livin’ Easy, Easy Does It, Take it Easy and Easy to Love! I purchased Take it Easy (a red rose with lighter reverse and white eye) last year, and when it bloomed in my back yard this year it stole the show. I do think it’s misnamed, though  it clearly surpasses its tag.

“When a rose is new, you can usually count on it being improved along the way,” stated Dave. “People read about these old varieties, but what they don’t realize is that they only bloom once and they’re susceptible to black spot and mildew. Modern roses have been selected for hardiness and reblooming qualities, clear foliage, repeat bloom and unusual qualities such as the striped petals that have entered the market.”

Another group featured for 2016 are the true ground-over roses: Rainbow Happy Trails and Sunshine Happy Trails, with the promise of holding color until the end of their cycles and abundant repeat bloom.

We stopped by perhaps some of the most aromatic of roses, rugosas. Dave held out a cluster of beguiling soft yellow blooms called Topaz Jewel. In the world of Rugosa roses, yellow is hard to come by. This breakthrough in hybridizing elicits a soft yellow color with all the vigor and spicy scent one can expect from a Rugosa. Dave raved about another white rugosa called White Out: “Look at it! For the 7th of July, it’s in full bloom. It always looks like its in full bloom.”

As we moved along in the golf cart, the fields of new introductions were a blur against the green surrounding hills. Dave listed a few of his favorites, including hybrid teas that include a lavender rose Neptune, along with an appropriately named white Pope Paul II, and two prized pink teas (Sweet Surrender and Secret), along with his top choice — a red tea, Mr. Lincoln, because “Every garden must have a red rose!”

A superb choice for a shrub rose is a dark pink, Party Hardy, which Dave described as tough as nails and disease-proof. Two others he raved about include Dorothy Perkins pink and Excelsa red, of which Roseland has exclusive rights to as growers. “Super Dorothy and Super Excelsor continue to bloom June to fall and will grow 20 feet, with 6-8 foot shoots.” This is impressive when you compare to the old cottage varieties that only bloomed once and were done.

How are these bred, you wonder? Weeks Roses Research facility is on the campus of Cal Poly in Pomona, California, where each year, about 40,000 to 45,000 flowers are hand-pollinated to produce around 250,000 seeds. Private trials are conducted in California, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington. Seedlings are observed for disease resistance, floriferousness, cold hardiness, flower form and novelty of color. After the grueling process, methodical selections are made and following an 8-10 year evaluation period, only 4-5 varieties emerge from the group as a truly superior and market-worthy.

"When we select names for new roses, we make sure they match the 'personality' of that rose,” states Research Director Christian Bedard in the latest catalog. Thus, you have Cutie Pie, noted for little darling blooms of a pink blush persuasion. Meanwhile, Miss Congeniality is a charismatic and poised grandiflora rose with picture perfect buds and flowers of everlasting pure white with vibrant pink picotee (edges).

Dave reminded me that the rose is the official flower and floral emblem of the U.S.A. He quipped that if Illinois senator Everett Dirksen had gotten his way back in 1967, we might have ended up with the marigold as our national flower! Now that just wouldn’t be right!

ROSE PETAL JELLY

The rose has been around for 35 million years and grows naturally throughout North America. The petals and rose hips are edible and have been used in medicines since ancient times. Thanks to friend Alicia Crabbe for this rose Petal Jelly recipe! Be sure to use petals from untreated plants.

• 1 cup petals (rosa rugosa)
• 3/4 cup water 
• 2 TBS lemon juice 
• Put in blender and blend until smooth, then add
• 2 1/2 cups of sugar 
• Boil a package of powdered Surejell and 3/4 cup water then add to blender 
• Blend and put in jars
• Let set at room temp for 6 hours/ keep cold 
• Share with everyone the jelly that is the essence of our summers (plain crackers are good to use)  

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“Of all the flowers me thinks a rose is best.” — William Shakespeare.