Podcast shares tips on best roses to grow for bouquets
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Olympiad is one of the best red roses to grow for use in bouquets. (Photo:
Debbie Arrington)
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The rose is overwhelmingly America’s pick. Four out of five people say roses are their favorite flowers. Roses make up 84% of all purchased cut flowers – and seven out of every 10 of those are red.
But how do you grow bouquet-worthy blooms at home? Which varieties make the best cut roses? And how do you get them to last longer in the vase?
These are some of the rosy topics discussed by yours truly, master rosarian Debbie Arrington, during this week’s “Garden Basics with Farmer Fred” podcast, hosted by Farmer Fred Hoffman.
“Roses are beginning to put on a show throughout most of rose-growing country, especially USDA Zones six through 10,” says Hoffman. “What are the best roses to grow that not only look nice in the garden, but do especially well as cut flowers in the house? What are the roses that have outstanding shape and color, but also can last a long time in a vase, and aren’t a hassle when it comes to dealing with their prickles, in other words, ones that aren’t a thorny mess?”
Debbie suggests more than two dozen varieties that fit that description plus offers tips for keeping those roses looking good, on or off the bush.
Among the best long-stemmed red roses to grow in your own garden: Olympiad, Mister Lincoln and Veterans’ Honor.
Prefer pink? Consider Pink Promise, Queen Elizabeth, Friendship, Gentle Giant and Hot Princess.
Want longer stems? Cut lower on the stem (farther away from the bud) – even when deadheading (removing spent blooms). Hybrid tea roses tend to grow to a certain height and stem length. By always cutting long stems (instead of snipping off spent flowers near their base), the bush will continue to grow new stems the same length.
Listen in and learn more: https://gardenbasics.net/episode/195-the-best-roses-for-cut-flowers-786 .
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Food in My Back Yard Series
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of June 15
Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Pull weeds before they go to seed.
* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. It also helps smother weeds.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
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