It is now the middle of May and the spring plants are giving way to summer plants. The tulips, crocuses, and muscari are long gone. My iris never deployed–a few sad little shoots stuck their heads up–but there was no regal purple bearded head. Unfortunately I don’t have peonies or lilacs. But who cares? It’s rose season now and the rose is truly the queen of flowers.
The end of May and the entirety of June are the apex of rose season. For people with antique English and French roses this is the only time they get to see their flowers bloom (but what magnificent fulsome flowers!). During the eighteenth century, however, European traders discovered that Chinese gardeners had entirely different rose species! Chinese roses were smaller than the European roses and less fragrant, but they possessed the ability to bloom and bloom again throughout summer, into late autumn and even early winter. Additionally their buds grew deeper in color as the flowers bloomed (unlike traditional European roses which faded and discolored immediately after opening).
My roses are all hybrid perpetuals: they bloom throughout the season and possess the best traits of European and Chinese roses. Modern Rose breeders have created all manner of new colors, shapes, and smells to delight the senses. The fashions in roses change from year to year and from decade to decade. Roses are everybody’s favorite flower—they are a big business with their own festivals and awards and inner circles. Whatever your tastes are, there was a period when rose breeders sought to appeal to them and there are breeders out there now working on even grander results.
The two photos in this article are pictures I took of my newest rose, a beautiful orange floribunda “Gingersnap” introduced in 1978. Curiously 3 of my 4 roses were introduced in 1977 & 1978 (Double Delight–1977, Gingersnap–1978, & Pristine–1978). Apparently that was the era of rose cultivation which appeals to me most (which seems ironic–since that era is in an infamous subject of laughter for fashionistas).
My garden--two days ago!
ferrebeekeeper 
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May 18, 2010 at 1:11 PM
Rachel
My roses are thisclose to bursting into bloom. I’m really looking forward to it. Are all of yours in pots or are some planted in the ground? How do you winter them?
May 18, 2010 at 2:38 PM
Hieronymo
Three of my roses are in pots (the three from 1977 & 1978, now that I think about it). I just cut them back and move them close to the building during winter. The last rose (Grandma Connie’s favorite–Fragrant Cloud) is planted in the ground. I cut it way back and mound dirt up over the graft union. Brooklyn is a lot warmer than Michigan though, so you should talk to some local growers. What roses do you have?
June 1, 2010 at 10:23 AM
stilltitled
Hieronymo – The rose had been doing very well, but it appears that the dreaded black spot has infiltrated its leaves. Have no fear, though, having successfully diagnosed the problem, we’ve started a sulfur-spray regimen, which should make short work of the infection.