Organic Roses?

I was going to stay off the topic of roses because they are notorious for being hard to grow without chemical sprays against disease and insect attacks and I only know a fraction of all there is to know about them. But a previous owner planted about seven hybrid tea roses along the east-facing wall of the house and except for the one that sent me to the doctor for a tetanus shot, I haven't had the heart to take them out. I've also poked in some miniature roses and have been enormously pleased with their ruggedness. So here's some semi-beginner tips that you might find useful for growing roses without using chemical sprays.

• If you have a choice of what type rose to plant, don't make it a hybrid-tea rose. These have lovely flowers because they are bred solely for that purpose. There are modern exceptions that are starting to break the rules but for the most part disease immunity, pest resistance and overall pleasing plant form were not on the breeder's list of important items. Flower shape and color, fragrance and the ability to produce good cut flowers with long stems were the key goals.

  The list of roses that are healthier, from heirloom or old roses bred before the late 1800's, to rugosa roses that are tough, fruit-bearing hedge material, is nearly endless. Try one of those and your work will be reduced ten-fold. And there's no compromise on beauty or fragrance. A good nurseryman can easily point out which roses are best for you if you don't want to spray.

• If you have heavy clay soil that you are willing to mulch and amend, access to regular watering and a spot where the rose can grow with good sun in well-circulated air, you are starting off with its preferred conditions and are likely to face fewer problems.
  
  
  
• Plant roses a good distance away from each other if you can. If you plant flowers other than roses near them, beneficial insects will be around to keep predators down on the more delicate roses and they won't pass shared diseases from one to another. Companion plants will also screen the rose's somewhat leggy plant form. Lavender, rosemary, rue and wormwood are all traditional choices for this and are tough, disease-free plants. Keep open space around the rose so that air can circulate and keep the leaves dry.
  
  
  
• Mulch them. Did I say that twice? Good. Many of the fungi and bacteria to which roses play host are returned to the plant when water splashes from the soil to the leaves.
  
  
  
• Watering. The debate over whether the leaves should ever get wet is fierce. Some say if you water at ground level and keep the leaves dry, the diseases that need moisture can't take hold. Others say that rain naturally washes the spores from the leaves, as does overhead watering and as long as the water doesn't splash back up from the ground, you are fighting disease and keeping the leaves dust-free, too. I'll bet the best choice depends on the average humidity and rainfall where you live. We've tried both and the hybrid teas always get rust, black spot and a textbook worth of other diseases in either case, though I think the leaf washing method might work slightly better.
  
  
  
• Whether you spray or not, pick up ALL the fallen debris from under roses or better, pick diseased foliage from the shrub and discard it. The diseases plan on falling to the ground and over-wintering till your roses are in prime condition to play host to them again and you can stop them by gathering them up and removing them from the scene with the fallen leaves. Yes, this is a LOT of work. Did I mention sunflowers need none of this?
  
  
  
• Enjoy them. Realistic as I am about roses, on a May morning when the leaves are green and healthy and they are in their first flush of bloom, heavy blossoms lifted towards the sun, scenting the air from yards away, they are the essence of the concept "flower garden". There's no denying it.

Text and images Copyright 1998 Cyndi Kirkpatrick. All rights reserved