In late December many of us sing the old carol, “Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming,” but we in cold winter climates do not expect to see roses blooming in our gardens. Sometimes, though, there are exceptions. We are now heading towards late December and a rose in my garden pushed out an unexpected blossom … Read more
Roses have been around for about thirty-five million years, give or take a few million. Homo sapiens came on the scene about two hundred thousand years ago. The human love affair with roses most likely started whenever the two came together for the first time. It has been going strong ever since. Humans seem hard-wired … Read more
It has been a long time coming, but someone has finally made a sensible pronouncement about roses. English garden writer, Charles Quest-Ritson, opines as follows in the December issue of Gardens Illustrated: “The traditional wisdom is that you should spray your roses regularly with fungicides—and feed them and prune them and make as much work … Read more
