October 10, 2019
What is a Rose?
by Joey Bokor
Listen by Joey Bokor
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| Weapon, perfume or art. How do you see a rose? |
What is a rose to you? As Alphonse Karr said in A Tour Round My Garden 'We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorns have roses.' Today, I choose to rejoice that gnarled branches laced with weapons produce some of the most beautiful flowers in the world.
And whatever name you use for a rose, weapon, perfume or art, I promise, it can grow in your garden. Sure, it can be challenging in Florida, but what would gardening be without a little challenge to keep us on our toes.
This summer, I finally got a chance to plant my own rose garden at home. For years I've tried one spot or another, but just could never find the right sun to keep them growing well. A perfect sunny area finally opened up and we planted a variety of bushes to get as many colors and patterns as possible. It has been amazing to walk out each morning and see the colors smiling at us, to inhale the fragrance and to simply enjoy nature showing off.
If you want to get a rose garden started or just need to get your rose garden back into shape after a long summer, come join us this Saturday at 10am for the Fall and Winter Rose Care seminar. I'll teach you all of my best tips and tricks for growing roses in Florida, and maybe we'll be able to settle the argument over what a rose really is.
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Happy
Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family 
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The Weekly Special
10" Pot Size
Fall and winter are perfect for getting your rose garden started. By next spring, you'll be picking beautiful bouquets that you grew yourself. Kick off your garden with $10 in savings when you buy two rose bushes. This week only.
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Offer valid through 10/17/19 Cannot be combined with other offers. In Stock Items Only Exclusively for Kerby's Preferred Customers |
Garden Tip
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| The view in our rose garden. |
The cooler months of the year are the best time for roses in Florida. The lower rainfall and decreased humidity allow them to thrive and since we stay warm most of the time, they usually keep on blooming. Below are some of our tips for both getting new roses started and for getting the ones you have back in shape after the summmer. It's great to be a Florida gardener.
1) Fall and Winter Pruning - People are always a little scared to prune. But once the daytime temperatures cool a little more, it is a good time to start removing any dead and diseased branches and start shaping rose bushes back up. In January to early February, do a more intense prune, cutting back up to 50% of the bush, removing crossing branches and encouraging a smaller set (4 to 7) of major stems for new branches and new roses to grow out from.
2) Keep Roses Strong - To stay healthy, a rose bush needs its fertilizer. Fertilize monthly with The Kerby's Special or use a liquid fertilizer such as FoxFarm's GrowBig to keep roses filled with the nutrients they need to grow and bloom. Even through the winter months, roses keep growing while it is warm, so we'll usually keep up with our fertilizing schedule.
3) Watch for Pests and Disease - Rose gardeners breath a sigh of relief with the arrival of fall, because both insect and disease issues become less of a problem. That doesn't mean they go away completely, so keep scouting on a regular basis to catch problems before they overwhelm your rose garden. If you want to keep things on the natural side, spray every other week with Neem Oil or Copper Soap Fungicide. For something a little stronger, you can do a monthly spray of Liquid Systemic Fungicide.
4) Keep on Enjoying - Healthy rose bushes will bloom almost year-round in Florida, so stay ahead of the game, keep your roses healthy and you'll have bouquets of roses to bring inside each week of the year.
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New Arrivals
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Coleus Beautiful fall colors. 6" Pot - $5.99 |
Mandevilla A Fast-Growing Vine 10" Pot - $29.99 |
Calibrachoa Cool-Season Color 6" Pot - $5.99 |
