Here's a little know fact about yours truly: I was actually a history major in college. (That's right, no need for any Agricultural Science for this rose guy.) In the course of earning my degree, I had more than one class focused on Medieval Europe. You can only imagine my excitement at the prospect of writing a rose story so steeped in history. Not to mention, I'm sure my parents are truly pleased to know I'm finally putting my degree to work! The middle to late 1400s were a tumultuous time [Read More]
Choosing the Right Rose
Winter Protection part II – Container Roses
So I just wrote an entire post about protecting your roses that are planted in the ground (you can find it HERE) and I realized I neglected to address one of the most challenging parts of winter protection, roses in containers. For the most part, roses do quite well in containers and add a reliable burst of color to patios, decks and accents each year. Much of my winter protection advice is similar to when your roses are in the ground, but there are a few additional things you should keep in [Read More]
Winter Protecting Your Roses
The most common question I get this time of year is about what you should do to protect your roses in the winter. Over the years, I've heard of some creative solutions and it seems like rose lovers will do just about anything to help their roses through the cold months and give them a head start in the spring. In the old days, my grandma used to cut all of her roses down to 6 inches tall and cover them with a styrofoam cone in hopes of the roses merely surviving (for the record I don't recommend [Read More]
Rose Stories – Beulah Blakely
Denver's Riverside Cemetery is the final resting place of many of Denver's pioneering residents. Some of Colorado’s most notable early citizens including Clara Brown, Augusta Tabor, Miguel Otero, Barney and Julia Ford, Captain Silas Soule and Governor John Evans are laid to rest here. Amongst the many well know names to Coloradans is final resting place of a little known, young girl named Beulah Blakely. Beulah was 8 years old at the time of her death in 1890 and was the daughter of Alderson [Read More]
Rose Stories – Lemon Zen
Lemon Zen is a cheerful Noisette rose initially developed by John Starnes around 1990. John lived in Denver and was a frequent visitor to the nursery all the way back to the 1980’s. I first met him as teenager and let’s just say John had a personality you would never forget. His eccentricity served him well as a rose breeder. Lemon Zen is curious cross between R. moschata and the David Austin rose Graham Thomas. The flowers are beautifully single with pronounced [Read More]
Rose Stories – Linda Campbell
Okay, this seems like an obvious choice. Of course I like the rose named after my mother, but my affinity for the variety runs a little deeper than maternal allegiance. I first came to know this rose in the late 1980’s. It cropped up in our family garden in Denver as yet another rose that my mother was trialing for “Ralph”. By Ralph, I mean Ralph Moore. You may know him as the Godfather of miniature roses, or the owner of Sequoia Nursery, or simply as a rose industry [Read More]
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