I took my Dad to Sal’s to get him a hardy rose for Father’s Day. Up against the front of his house (south-facing) he has the same tough old rugosa rose that has probably been there for twenty years or more, just blooming its heart out. You know the one, kinda magenta, about six feet tall. Tough as nails. He really likes roses but I don’t think he realized there were so many new hardy roses available that he could add to his garden.
So, while Dad picked out the Morden Fireglow to dazzle passersby his front garden, I succumbed to the temptations there and picked the subtle and sweet Morden Snowbeauty for my back garden (among a couple other treasures you shall meet soon!).
According to the Canadian Rose Society, the Morden Snowbeauty, one of the Parkland series, “is a hardy, recurrent-blooming shrub suitable for mass plantings or as a specimen. It is named for the lovely snow white flowers produced during the growing season. They are slightly fragrant, average 8 cm across, have an average of 12 petals and are produced in clusters of 3-5 flowers.”
They say the scent is slight; however, it is delectably citrusy and quite mesmerizing up close. The rose is hardy to zone 2b (I am in 3b so that is awesome) and bred to be resistant to diseases such as powdery mildew and blackspot.
This is all good news to me as I have long drooled over roses that are out of zone. I am really a bit of a romantic, I think, when it comes to my vision for the garden, and roses will definitely be a part of my sunny borders. So the fact that there are people out there working to create gorgeous, tough and hardy roses delights me. (Thanks, rose breeders! We prairie gardeners deeply appreciate you!)
Of course, besides all that good stuff, the blooms are white, which I so love, and it is so perfectly sweet, that I will find a sunny spot for it in the southwest-facing area of the yard.
Now who else can I take to the nursery? Hubby has been talking trees...hmmm!
4 comments:
Such beautiful white roses. The pictures are awesome -- it's like I could smell them from here. Nice post! -Jackie
Thanks, Jackie:) I have a feeling my garden will have a lot of white flowers and, hopefully, lots of scent, too!
Those roses are lovely. I only wish I had enough yard to plant every rose with "Morden" in its name. They're such hardy plants.
Gardenista: I am thrilled with this rose. Given its small stature (2.5 - 3 ft), I hope to fit a few more in :)
Post a Comment