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EarthKind Roses
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If you are rushed of your feet, overwhelmed with life generally, do not have the time to "work" with your roses, but still would like a good rose garden with variety, then look to EarthKind roses for the answer, especially if you live in the hotter, bright sunlight, climate areas.(arid?)
My own, local Rose society, provides the perfect example of why programs like the EarthKind roses program are growing fast. Society members are slowly dwindling and the the yearly rose show is itself declining in size. Growing roses is still popular but the numbers of those willing to put in the time required for even the smallest of rose gardens is declining. Time is important, space even more so, and the perception is growing that rose gardening is a long labor of love, and in my area, one that requires chemical spraying, something that is slowly becoming a taboo.
The major question asked at rose societies everywhere has become, "Can you recommend a rose that is easy to grow?" So, in the 1990's, Dr George asked Texas A&M University this question and found that no scientiffic studies had ever been done. In 1996 he started the EarthKind Rose Program (EarthKind is a registered Trademark!) and the first results were released in 2002. Houston Rose Society funded the expansion of this program to include the identification of 30 cultivars which would grow equally well from Canada to the Gulf Coast and from the Atlantic to the Pacific states.
Very briefly, the original EarthKind roses research team, tested 468 bushes of 117 cultivars over a 5 year period: only 11 showed performance.
The research test included:
Growing in highly alkalkine soil (PH 8.0 plus)
Never being fertilized
Never being sprayed
Never getting supplemental watering after the first year.
And never being pruned except for dead wood.
In other words, the meanest rose abuse anyone could apply, and remember, this was in the Texas heat!(They did actually get a 4
inch layer of mulch to help with the heat!)
In order to be given the EarthKind rose designation the cultivar should:
Exhibit outstanding disease and insect tolerance.
Produce spectacular blooms.
Be the best variety for organic management.
Reduce the need for pesticide/fungicide application by 95%.
Reduce the need for supplemental watering by 70%.
Some other observations of these winning cultivars are worth mentioning. They survived a 67 day drought in 100 degree temperatures, they are highly resistant to blackspot, none showed any insect problems at all, and all were grown on their own roots. Yes, own root varieties faired the best!
And The Winners Are...?
The eleven cultivars that survived to produce outstanding results in southern garden and thus get the Earthkind stamp of approval were as follows:
Sea Foam
3 foot tall shrub rose with creamy white double blooms.
Marie Daly
Almost thornless polyantha with pink, semi dwarf blooms. 3 foot tall and therefore perfect for container growth in arid areas.
The Fairy
Another polyantha dwarf shrub but with light pink double blooms.
3 feet tall and said to survive at temperatures reaching 200 below 0!!!
Caldwell Pink
A carnation style with lilac pink bloom. Small shrub rose to about 4 feet. Loves the heat, particularly higher than 80 degrees. Has red and orange foliage in the fall!
Knock-Out
A 4 feet tall shrub rose with cherry red semi-double blooms. This was rose of the year in 2004 and is a candidate for the national EarthKind trials.
Perle dÓr
Another polyantha but with peach colored blooms. PomPom shaped blooms. This one seemed to thrive on the harsh testing!
Belinda's Dream
A 5 foot shrub rose with fragrant pink blooms. Resembles a hybrid tea. Has been nicknamed "the Rose of the 20th Century".
Else Poulson
A pink, semi-double floribunda that grows to 5 feet.
Carefree Beauty
Also known as "Katy Road Pink".5 foot tall buches with fragrant pink, double blooms. This is also being considered for the national trials.
Mutabilis
Known as the "Butterfly Rose", 6 foot china rose with single blooms. Changes color during it's life cycle from yellow to pink to crimson!
Climbing Pinkie
A 5 foot shrub or a 10 foot climber. This is a fragrant, pink, semi-double polyanyha rose. It is said to display about 800 blooms each day on a mature bush!
The EarthKind Roses program is undoubtedly the most searching research ever done with roses and it's continued progress will help all of us who are looking for the most appropriate, care-free roses. Interest in the program is growing steadily as we await the next stage. And you can be part of it at no cost just by agreeing to test one of the roses for yourself.
For further information on this testing and to find out how you can be part of this research, check out their website at: http://earthkindroses.tamu.edu/
www.rose-works.com helping you find the carefree roses you are looking for for your rose garden.
Click here for the EarthKind Roses website.
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