Gardening

Seminar on Propagating Easy-to-Grow Roses

by Dr. William M. Johnson, Galveston County Extension Agent - Horticulture

October 12, 2005

Whether you know them as old garden roses or antique roses or Old World roses, they’re easy to grow, low maintenance plants and the blooms are typically fragrant. Old garden roses can also be readily increased by a variety of propagation techniques. A seminar on "Propagating Easy-to-Grow Roses" will be held on Saturday, October 15. Photo Credit: William M. Johnson

"I would love to grow roses, but I just don’t have the time to do all that spraying!" Well, put the sprayer away, because there are rose varieties that will actually revel in the heat and bask in the humidity of Galveston County.

How can you get plants like this? You can start them yourself! And, you can acquire the needed skills and confidence by participating in our upcoming "Propagating Easy-to-Grow Roses" seminar on Saturday, October 15, 2005. The seminar will be from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Galveston County Extension Office located at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson.

Master Gardeners Anna Wygrys, Philip Fox, and John Jons, and members of the Master Gardener Propagation Specialists Team will provide the presentation and hands-on demonstrations. The class will cover starting stem cuttings, hybridizing, layering and grafting. All materials for a hands-on learning experience will be provided. Though not required for attendance, participants are requested to bring sharp, crosscut clippers to facilitate making cuttings.

The program is free-of-charge but pre-registration is required (GALV3@wt.net or 281-534-3413, ext. 6) due to space limitations. The Galveston County Master Gardener Association is sponsoring this educational program as a public service to our county residents.

Roses have been appreciated by Texans for generations. In fact, many old garden roses have been in this area since Texas was a Republic.

In 1934, Adina de Zavala related the story of her grandmother’s garden. When Lorenzo and Emily de Zavala returned from France to their plantation on Buffalo Bayou, they brought back plants of ‘Louis Phillipe’ and ‘Cramoisi Superieur’ started from the fabulous rose gardens of the Empress Josephine’s Malmaison Palace.

A visitor to the plantation "Bolivar" described the rose ‘Old Blush’ in 1843. The ‘Chestnut Rose’ and ‘Fortuniana’ were found at the site of an old plantation in East Columbia. The Caldwells brought the "family rose" when they settled in Freeport. Today gardeners love and enjoy both the shrub and climber forms of ‘Caldwell Pink.’

Their capacity to survive on abandoned homesteads and in neglected cemeteries is a testament to the extraordinary toughness of old garden roses. The low maintenance requirements have sparked a renewed interest in these plants and fortunately, they are very easy to propagate.

Whether you’re a beginner at propagation or wish to expand your rose propagation skills, the "Propagating Easy-to-Grow Roses" seminar on Saturday, October 15, will be of value.

Gardeners’ Q&A

Question: There are small limbs falling off of my pecan tree. Each one looks as if it was cut with a knife. What is doing this?

Answer: An insect called a twig girdler is responsible. They will attack pecan, persimmon, mimosa, and many other trees. Most twigs will be about the size of a pencil in diameter although they are capable of girdling one-inch and larger-sized branches.

Twig girdlers are interesting insects. After girdling the twig, the female lays her eggs in the part that has been severed. Her young will hatch out in that part of the twig this fall. Most infected trees are too tall to effectively spray. Therefore the best control is to pick up the fallen twigs and put them in the trash. Small trees can be sprayed with Sevin when beetle activity is noticed.

Question:

I have lots of plants outside that will need to come in before winter. Is there anything special I should to them before I bring them in?

Answer:

Before bringing plants inside the home, always inspect them for journey-ready critters such as slugs, geckos, and fire ants as each of these like to make their home in outdoor plants. This can cause interesting encounters at 3:00 a.m. in the morning when you get up for a glass of water.

Other insect pests to watch out for are spider mites, mealybugs, and scale in which case you should treat with an appropriate insecticide to control them before bringing them in. Pyrethrin sprays, insecticidal soap, and horticultural oil can control mites, mealybugs and scale. If a fire ant colony has taken up residence in the potting soil, try moving the pot to another location and water the plant thoroughly to run them out. You will likely have to repeat this action to encourage the fire ants to abandon the site. Some gardeners immerse the pot in water for 2-3 hours to flush out ants.

Question:

I sprayed several patches of weeds that are growing in my lawn with Roundup last week. It does not appear to be working. Should I spray it again and how long do I have to wait before I resod?

Answer:

You must have more patience. It can take as long as 2-to-3 weeks before you see the final results of your Roundup spraying. It will start to yellow within 5-7 days depending on the weather. By the end of the second week you should be able to see areas you missed. Spray those areas. You can resod 7 days after spraying but I would recommend waiting longer just to make sure your spray job was thorough and successful.

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

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