arkansasrose
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Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:36 pm
Location: Arkansas Zone 7a

The biggest problem we face here (and in Texas when we lived there) were the temperature swings during the winters, sometimes 40-60 degrees within a short period. Many of the roses never go dormant.
I grow a lot of teas, noisettes and chinas that are marginally hardy here. That translates to losing some to the ground while others take the winters fine. So those I never prune until the last in the late spring.

The Austins have all been totally hardy here which translates to having to keep the beasties under control. I've adopted the term "octupus" to describe the growth on many of the Austins in our climate and those get hard pruned in the spring. I have some that get in excess of 14' if I let them go..I've tried that and the hard pruning and yes, the bloom is better on the hard pruned ones. Unfortunately, "enterprising, talented, goodlookin' young rose grower" doesn't describe me, however, that has been my experience with the Austins over several years with about 50 varieties from him.

Just as a footnote on the record as to temperature swings and something you might find interesting..I have a copy of a journal from a nurseryman in the northwest part of our state. Jacob Smith kept this journal from January, 1852 thru January, 1886. The entry of note was duing that first year when on January 19, the temperature was 28 degrees below zero followed by 70 degrees at noon on January 28. He also noted that many of the roses were lost that year. One constant I did see thru the years in his journal was the arrival date of the hummingbirds..it's still the same after all these years.

The Helpful Gardener
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Location: Colchester, CT

Wow Arkansas, sounds like you have quite the rose garden! :)

Yes Austins down south appear to be wild things compared to the same roses here or in England; glad you have found them to be of value to your landscape (I DO like them) and have found the protocols to make them work for you. And don't count yerself out of that good lookin' young group just yet; it's all relative :wink:

The old journal notes are interesting; seems odd weather has been with us for a while. But next time you are watching weather and wondering how they get it SO wrong nowadays, keep in mind the models are built on weather data from way back; the primary sourcing is Royal Navy records going back to the 1700's. And the models are not behaving like our weather patterns of late; I suspect that rising ocean temps and widely modulating jet stream patterns are not factored in just yet. Just a hunch, but a strong one...

Nice post Arkansas; hope to see you here for a while... :D

HG

Scott

grandpasrose
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Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:21 pm
Location: Quesnel, BC, Canada - Zone 4a

That is so cool to have that old journal! 8) I love finding those kinds of things, and hang onto them whenever I can. Of course, I am also a geneologist, so keeping old stuff hanging around just comes naturally I guess.

This is just a thought that passes through my mind regarding the roses that you sometimes lose because of the temperature fluctuations. I'm not sure if it would even work, but what if you insulated them so that they stayed at a more constant temperature. They wouldn't get as hot, and they wouldn't get as cold. Like maybe trying a rose cone or something? It's just a thought.

I would love to be able to see your roses - I think you probably have many more than I do, and you certainly have more variety. I'll bet they're gorgeous!! :D

Val

The Helpful Gardener
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Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Sure a block of ice could go a long way in a short but hard temperature swing. Keeping those roots cool and moist might help keep it sleepy...

And cones are white and reflective and might keep some cool for some longer...

It's a thought...

arkansasrose
Full Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:36 pm
Location: Arkansas Zone 7a

We do protect some of the ones I really want to keep..chicken wire cages and oak leaves do a pretty good job. I also add mulch heavily on some. The biggest problem can be the big climbers..thank goodness most of mine are pretty hardy here.

I have some picture albums on picturetrails.com. User name is: arkansasrose100

The Helpful Gardener
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Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Thanks AR, I'll be sure to take a look...

Scott

grandpasrose
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Posts: 1651
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:21 pm
Location: Quesnel, BC, Canada - Zone 4a

You have alot of roses!!!!!! Your photos are gorgeous, and I'll bet your yard smells beautiful all the time with all those roses. I noticed that you have done alot of stonework as well, which is alot of work in itself.
Very lovely yard! :wink:

Val

The Helpful Gardener
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Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Brugmansia and Musa! Thought I was in the tropics for a minute! :lol:

An amazing garden. Nice vistas, great seasonality, and a very apparent amount of love spent here. Thank you AR.

Shares well with others...A+ 8)

Scott
Last edited by The Helpful Gardener on Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

arkansasrose
Full Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:36 pm
Location: Arkansas Zone 7a

Thank you both. Arkansas has proven to be a wonderful choice for aretirement for my husband and me. Acidic soil and a fairly temperate climate have been kind to our gardening attempts, rocks are plentiful for edging the beds..soil is in short supply. Glad you enjoyed the overview..and I hope to be adding some more pictures this spring.

The Helpful Gardener
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Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

:D

HG



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