Regal Roses

Open all Mother’s Day weekend!

I have so enjoyed the dip in temperatures this past week, along with the much needed rainfall, but waking up to sunny skies this morning was a delight. Last week we went over old style varieties of Roses and their history. This week, we’re going to go over some newer types of roses and pick the brain of our resident rosarian Austin Lohin.

David Austin’s love of roses started with a gift from his sister for his 21st birthday — a copy of A. E. Bunyard’s Old Garden Roses. His love for heirloom varieties and respect for the colors of modern Hybrid Teas lead him to produce what are now called English roses, typified by their luscious, full blooms and enchanting scents.

Landscape or hybrid shrub roses have exploded in popularity in the past 30 years due to their ease of care, reliable reblooming, and easy to deadhead blooms. Flower Carpet roses got their start in Australia in 1992 with their Pink variety. The Knockout Rose got its start in 1989 in Milwaukee, and was brought to market in conjunction with Star Roses in 2000. My favorite of these is the Drift Rose, which was created by Star after the success of the Knockout. They partnered with French hybridizers in the 1990s to combine the spread of ground cover roses with the height of miniature roses. However, they didn’t achieve traction in the market until 2007.

Austin Lohin, one of the friendly faces of Gardening Inside Out, has cultivated a love of roses since his prior job where he was put in charge of their care. He was hooked on the attention to detail required to bring the best out of these beauties. While perfection is rarely achieved, he stresses novice rosarians can still strive for optimum conditions. Pruning and deadheading are vital for success, opting for airflow to prevent disease when pruning your dormant canes in the winter. Naturally, I had to ask his favorite varieties! He looks for two things: vigor and color. For the former quality, he likes New Dawn, Julia Child, Mr. Lincoln, and Pope John Paul II. A few of his colorful favorites are Showbiz, Henry Fonda, and Sugar Moon. Peace is a variety that excels in both!

That’s it for this week, friends. Tune in Saturday mornings at 8 am for Gardening Inside Out. Follow us on Instagram to see what’s new and blooming. Queue up the podcast for your next adventure. We hope to see you and Mom soon!

Happy Gardening,

Sara Bates