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In the dead of winter when those pretty catalogs start pouring in, you begin dreaming of a rose garden. After weeks of looking and planning, you decide that roses may be too much work. Have you actually gone through with your impulse only to have a rose languish through the first few seasons then never come back? Have you sworn off roses after suffering such disappointment? Well don't throw in the towel just yet. Earthkind roses might save the day.
What is Earthkind®?
Earthkind is a label given to the most floriferous, disease and pest resistant roses. Planting roses like Earthkind, and other resistant roses, reduces our need for harmful chemicals that pollute our earth; Earthkind roses also thrive in a variety of soils. The Earthkind program was started by Dr. Steven W. George of Texas A&M. It is run by Agrilife extension service of Texas A&M. Earthkind is more than just a list of roses; you can learn more by visiting this website.
Why Earthkind®?
For many gardeners roses are the holy grail. Roses have a reputation of being fussy and prone to disease. While that is true for some cultivars, you can have a lush rose garden without constantly spraying, clipping and worrying. The trick to planning a successful rose garden is research. In fall and early spring, the catalogs come out by the dozen, and most of them have a single photo of a single bloom. Its hard to plan your garden around a bloom. When you cross-referance a cultivar with PlantFiles, Helpmefind.com, and the source you want to buy from, you will have a better idea of how that cultivar grows. ''Why Earthkind?", you may ask. The first and foremost reason is: they have done the research for you. The Agrilife extension service has not only conducted research, but they have done field tests. Through the trials, they have come up with a group of roses that will thrive almost anywhere with little care. They continue the work and add new roses that pass their tests, so don't be disheartened if the list seems short. I'm not, by any means, suggesting that you only grow Earthkind roses. But its a great placed to start if you have been jaded by fussy, less-hardy roses. From here you can branch out to other roses that will also do well in your area.
The Earthkind® Roses
Marie Daly is a polyantha that was introduced in 1888.
Starting a rose garden can be overwhelming. There are around 50,000 cultivars, many of them are commercially available today. With that many to choose from you can get caught up searching for the perfect rose. Most vendors have some information on the habit of the rose but you really never know until its growing in your garden. With the Earthkind stamp of approval you can rest easy knowing that they will thrive for you.
This article would have been barren with out all the pretty photos. Photos are the main reason I joined Dave's Garden and are one of the best tools to help inspire other gardeners. Without pictures we wouldn't be able to see what's possible. I hope the photos in this article inspire you try roses again or for the first time. For the seasoned rose growers, i hope this article helps you to inspire others to grow roses and share your experience.
Thumbnail : New Dawn from my garden
Mary Daly photos courtesy of sweezel
Mutabilis photos courtesy of TomH3787
The Fairy photo 1 courtesy of Joyce aka cactuspatch, photo 2 htop
Duchess de Brabant photo 1 courtesy of seedpicker_TX , photo 2 courtesy of bootandall
Dutcher photo 1 courtesy of and photo 2 courtesy of vossner
Georgetown tea photo 1 courtesy of sweezel and photo 2 melvatoo
SeaFoam photos courtesy of Calif_Sue
Spice photos courtesy of sweezel
Souvenir de St. Anne photo 1 courtesy of Calif_Sue and photo 2 bootandall
New dawn photo 1 courtesy ofseedpicker_TX and photo 2 myself
Mme. Antoine Mari photo courtesy of marcir from helpmefind.com
Climbing Pinkie photos courtesy of kell
La Marne photos courtesy of kell
Cecile Brunner photo1 courtesy of Calif_Sue and photo 2 Heidi Soroken
Thanks!
About Dana Garmon
For me gardening is an art form, stress reliever and a source of joy. I'm a wife and a mother to three boys. We have two dogs, a cat and 5 fish so it's a full house. I'm pretty eclectic. I like to collect plants (among other things). My main goal with my garden is to make my house into the secret garden. Something to look at , and color everywhere
