Roses look best in Southern California in April.<\/p>\n
During this month, they bloom at maximum capacity. In April, roses erupt with a blinding proliferation of flowers that is unlike any other bloom they will display all year. Not yet stressed by the heat that lies ahead, roses not only bloom their heads off in April; they give off an unreal air of perfection as well. Each leaf is green and lush, each flower without blemish.<\/p>\n
Strolling through a nursery in April, you could easily get a false sense of security about roses and develop inflated expectations regarding the lushness of their leaves and the number and quality of their flowers. Despite religious removal of spent flowers and regular fertilization, it is unlikely that rose bushes will recapitulate in the coming months the freshness and the glow, in both flower and foliage, that they are exhibiting now.<\/p>\n
There is one group of roses that will bloom longer and with fewer headaches than the rest. These are floribundas. Floribundas are the result of cross-breeding between hybrid tea and polyantha roses. Hybrid teas are the classic, large-flowered, typically fragrant but disease-prone roses, while polyanthas are low-growing, small-flowered, disease-resistant and long-blooming.<\/p>\n
Some people have attached to floribundas the sobriquet of \u201clandscaping roses.\u201d The reasons for this are clear. Floribundas can be deployed in sunny locations as alternatives to India hawthorn, euryops daisy and other medium-size flowering shrubs. Floribundas may be planted individually as accent plants or allowed to grow into a hedge. They also make excellent container subjects.<\/p>\n
Floribundas come in all colors \u2013 white, pink, red, orange, yellow and lavender. I am familiar with a hedge of Livin\u2019 Easy, an orange and spicilhy scented floribunda, that has been thriving for years with no more maintenance than your average hedge. They have never shown the slightest imperfection in either flower or leaf.<\/p>\n
In my own garden, several Judy Garland roses have been blooming for more than two decades. Once a flowering flourish is over, the sooner you go about removing spent flowers, the sooner another wave of blooms will begin. In the manner of floribunda roses generally \u2014 and the iconic Iceberg is their most well-known representative \u2014 Judy Garland is a strong performer that is virtually impervious to diseases and insect pests.<\/p>\n
This cultivar produces flowers that are combinations of yellow, orange and scarlet and may occur singly or in clusters. The bush is shapely, growing 3-4 feet tall, and does not produce rank growth. Keep a constantly decomposing layer of mulch under your floribundas and they will always be the picture of health, with near flawless flowers and deep green leaves. I should add that Judy Garland is more fragrant than most floribundas and stands up in cut flower arrangements for 7-10 days.<\/p>\n
To extend blooming of cut flowers, whether we are talking about roses or any others, place your vase in the refigerator at night. The cooler temperature stops respiration, delaying the aging process. Change water, which should be warm when poured into the vase, every two days. For every quart of water, add one tablespoon of sugar for energy mixed with 1\/2 teaspoon of bleach to keep water clear and prevent bacterial buildup.<\/p>\n
Floribundas were first hybridized in Denmark. Their Scandinavian background is evident in their cold tolerance. Within the floribunda group, Iceberg is the cultivar that flowers longer and more prolifically than all the rest. It is a garden workhorse that is almost never out of bloom since it does not require dead-heading to keep flowering.<\/p>\n
I was inspired to write about roses after receiving an email from Linda Kokelaar, who gardens in Westchester, adjacent to the east edge of the Loyola Marymount University campus. She sent a photo of this year\u2019s first bloom to appear on her Moon Shadow rose. This is a hybrid tea that was developed by Jack Christensen, a longtime contributor to these newspapers<\/a> prior to his passing five years ago. Moon Shadow is a rose that everyone raves about due to its powerful fragrance and opulent, double, lavender-purple flowers. Unfortunately, after conducting thorough research on the subject, I have not succeeded in finding a source for it. If anyone knows of a source, please advise.<\/p>\n Rose breeders benefit from the fact that roses are precocious bloomers. If you plant an apple seed, the tree that grows may not give you flowers (and fruit) for 10 years. An orange seed will turn into a tree that bears its first flowers in no less than 7 years. A fat avocado seed becomes a flower (and fruit-bearing) tree at around 5 years, and a peach tree that grows out of a pit may finally flower at the age of 3. In fact, woody plants of any description, grown from seed, will generally take several years, at a minimum, to produce flowers and fruit.<\/p>\n Hybrid roses, however, may flower as soon as five or six weeks after their first baby roots and leaves have sprouted. So you will know, soon enough, if the new flowers you see are attached to a plant worth keeping.Although roses may flower when very young, there is an elaborate process that goes into preparing the seeds for planting. There are two goals in mind: preventing the seeds from drying out on the one hand and preventing fungus infection on the other.<\/p>\n Once a flower fades, as long as it has been pollinated, the hip or fruit will start to form soon enough, though it will take 2-4 months for the hip to ripen. The hips may be slightly shriveled, but don\u2019t let them dry out too much before harvest or the seeds within will not sprout. Cut open the hips and remove all traces of pulp that cling to the seeds, since pulp will inhibit germination. Rinse the seeds in a solution of bottled water and 5% bleach (2 teaspoons of bleach per cup of water). Then place the seeds in a strainer, rinse them with bottled water and soak them for 24 hours in a 3% peroxide solution.<\/p>\n Now place the seeds on a paper towel, moistened with a 50% bottled water and 50% peroxide solution, and then fold it over to cover the seeds. Place seeds with a paper towel in a zippered plastic bag and refrigerate for 60 days. Alternatively, you can plant the seeds in the shallow cells of germination trays and place the trays, covered in plastic, in the refrigerator. The key here is making sure the seeds do not dry out while in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n Prior to planting the seeds in trays or small pots, whether planted before or after refrigeration, treat them with a root hormone, available at most nurseries, that contains a fungicide. Soil mix should be 50% vermiculite and 50% fast draining, sterile potting soil. Even after all of this preparation, do not be discouraged if only 20% of your rose seeds sprout, since this is typically the case.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s World Bromeliad Conference will be held April 14-19 at the Hilton Orange County Hotel in Costa Mesa. A show and sale open to the public will be held there on Friday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, go to bromeliadconference.com<\/a>. Peggy Kramer\u2019s 16th Annual South Bay Water-Wise Garden Tour, a self-drive tour, will be held Sunday, April 19, from 10 a.m. \u2013 4 p,m,. For tickets, go to www.southbaywaterwisegardentour.com<\/a>. Proceeds from tickets will be donated to the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve.<\/p>\n California native of the week: Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis) is a perennial that produces a carpet of yellow blooms in moist habitats. It is highly medicinal and is recommended as a topical treatment on unbroken skin for bruises, sprains, and muscle aches. It is incorporated into creams and oils for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties when rubbed into the skin. Some people have a dermatitic reaction to arnica, so take care: Apply it to a small area to see if any rash appears before wider use. Seeds are available on Etsy.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n