GARDEN FANATIC: Time to plant autumn roses

“Now that your rose is in bloom...” —

Seal

The autumn roses in Laguna are the loveliest of the entire season. Catharine’s earlier prediction that “2008 will be another banner year for roses” has certainly proven to be true. And what a season it has been! A mild winter ensured that our first rose was in bloom on the day before Super Bowl Sunday. Since then, rosarians have struggled to find enough vases to keep pace with their bountiful production of blossoms.

You should not wait to add to your rose collection until the winter planting of bareroot roses. Roses are at their peak now, and can be selected for their bloom and delightful fragrance (something you can’t do during bareroot season). Your favorite nursery should still have ample variety ... from the antique roses of yesterday to today’s disease resistant English, hybrid tea, floribunda and shrub roses.

Roses bought in containers can be planted in the garden at any time of the year, but it is best to plant in the fall, so that the roots can establish themselves during the upcoming mild weather. The “perfect” hole for your rose should be 1 1/2 times as deep and two times wider than the container in which the rose is growing. Create a backfill mixture beneath and beside the rootball with a combination of 1/2 native soil mixed with 1/2 planter’s mix, four tablespoons of Gro Power, and the rose cocktail (see below).

Avoid disturbing the rootball during transplanting. I recommend that you cut and remove the bottom of the container and place the rose in the hole; the bud union should be about two inches above the ground.

Cut the sides of the container and fill the hole loosely with soil. Remove the sides of the container carefully and the rootball will remain intact. Water thoroughly with a solution of one tablespoon of Vitamin B1 (further insurance against transplant shock) to a gallon of water to settle the soil. Check for settling, add more soil if necessary, then water again.

Catharine’s Rose cocktail

1 cup of gypsite

1 tablespoon soil sulfur

1 tablespoon chelated iron

1 tablespoon Epsom salts

Although the rose doesn’t quite reign supreme in Loreto (the ubiquitous bougainvillea is surely king), our roses down south are as beautiful as a Baja sunset. Never-ending sunny days ensure blossoms 300 days a year, and no mildew or rust!

See you next time.

STEVE KAWARATANI is married to writer Catharine Cooper and has one cat and four dogs. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to plantman2@mac.com.