This is from my grandma's old rose bush... has to be at least 60 years old. I got it from one of my aunts about 4 years ago. She said it never really made "big" roses. It's been in a container until this Spring when I finally got it in the ground. The flower is about 2-3 inches... the largest I've seen it produce. There's a few more buds on it... so hopefully it's really liking the dirt! first rose '11 ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
That's a beautiful bloom. Give the roots more roaming space and it rewards you with larger blooms, great work
From generation to generation, you are now enjoying flowers your grandmother enjoyed. Through your eyes you see what she saw many years ago, You should enjoy the rejuvenated roses for many years to come. Something most people rarely get a chance to do. Good luck with your 'new' old roses. Jerry
My aunt said to give it some "food" so I fertilized it today with a 5-30-5 mix... or was it 10-30-10... Anyhow... I know the middle number was a 30 because I looked for the highest middle number I could find because I read it here. Probably from one of Jane's posts since she's been my "rose mentor" lately. I'll be not-so-patiently-waiting for the other blooms to open so I can take one to my aunt... and hopefully another one to my other aunt (her sister).
Cheryl girl, I've said it before and I'll say it again--you have a green thumb all the way up to your elbow! That is a lovely rose, with a lovely history. Give it a year or two to grow and settle in, and you can take cuttings to root and give to your aunts. I just finished feeding my roses, and won't do any fertilization again until August, getting them ready for the fall bloom. You don't need a rose mentor, you're doing just fine on your own, but I'm always happy to chat about roses!
Jane... how often do you fertilize your roses? The bag that I bought said to feed them every 6 weeks. Is that too much?
Cheryl, Old roses (antique or own-root roses, not grafted hybrid teas) don't require a lot of fertilizer, especially in our climate. If there is a lot of new, tender growth, our July-September heat can damage or kill the new growth. Also, trying to promote bloom when the plant is heat-stressed or going through a dry period can really set a rose bush back. I fertilize mine at planting, then in April when they are in bloom, and again in late August to give them a boost for the fall flush of flowers. The roses bloom intermittently throughout the summer, but I don't encourage them other than seeing that they get enough water. I use composted cow manure, but that's just because there's a lot of it laying around in the next field (and I'm cheap!).
What a beautiful thing your grandma's rose is Cheryl. I love these 'old fashioned' roses. I hope it smells as lovely as it looks.
I'll make a note on the calendar to fertilize it again in August. I just planted a new bush, does that get more frequent fertilization? And what about one that was transplanted because it was being overtaken by the Crocomias?
Cheryl, I'd give both a gentle fertilization. The new one can use all the help it can get to settle in, and the moved one, ditto. In this case, I'd just use the fertilizer at half-strength, and then fertilize again at the end of April, half-strength.
Think I'm going to make myself a calendar just for feeding the variety of stuff I have. Especially when it comes time for the trees. My poor brain can't remember all this stuff! :-D
