YORKTON - Our roses have been just lovely this year: but these roses are the ‘wild children’ of the garden. Some are the great-grandspring of the little rose that Keith brought home for me in his shirt pocket many years ago, a tiny little rose that he spotted and rescued when he was out working in the field. It has gone on to have many offspring shoots, and we keep some of them because the bees just love them.
Other roses that are simply glorious now are mysterious visitors in the garden; we must have planted their long-ago relatives at some time, but in recent years they have taken off (taken over?) an area along our path. And while they look a little untidy, the fragrance of them now is simply heavenly, taking me back to Mom and Dad’s wonderful garden.
One small corner of that garden held a prickly, knobby Hansa rose. It was beautiful because it had an abundance of dark pinky-burgundy-purply blooms, (how’s that for a color description!) that were three or four inches across, more flattened out in shape than bud-like…and on a hot summer afternoon the delicious fragrance of them filled that whole corner. The bees loved them, too, because I always remember the buzzing of bees was very evident as we approached that area.
Hansa roses, rosa rugosa, originally called the areas around Eastern Russia and Northern China home. Coming from such a rugged climate, we know that they are very hardy. These lovely plants are also very disease resistant. (But as with many roses, it is good to keep vigilant to the occasional problem of black spot or powdery mildew.)
If you are thinking of adding a beautiful and fragrant rose to your garden, you might want to consider the Hansa. The bush grows about four feet high and four feet across, and it does not like to be trimmed or pruned. So when you are planting it, be sure that it has ample room for its own space. But see how easy care it is? Just plant it and let it do its thing!
Hansa roses like full sun, although they can tolerate partial shade. Because they like full sun, they will be at their best in a sunny location, meaning that they will produce an abundance of flowers there, and be their strongest and most disease-resistant there. (This is an obvious fact for us as gardeners to keep in mind with any plant: if we plant them in the best conditions that they like, they will do their best for us. If we try to sandwich them into a spot that has conditions they do not like, that is when we will see poor performance and disease or pest problems). Hansas also like to have well-drained soil.
As mentioned, Hansa roses attract bees, butterflies and birds. They would make a great feature plant all on their own, but if you have the space, they would also make an amazing hedge. However you use them, they’d be a delightful addition to any garden.
Here’s a reminder: please join the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society at their Annual Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show on Wednesday August 9 from 11AM till 3PM at the Parkland Mall, Yorkton. Last year we had a great time visiting with gardening friends at the show, we look forward to seeing you all again! Every show is beautiful and unique; we hope to have a nice variety of exhibits in a variety of categories including, flowers, vegetables, flower arrangements, houseplants, and containers. Everyone is welcome, admission is free! Bring a friend!
Thank you to our friends at YTW for their wonderful work each week. Gardeners, visit the Yorkton hort society at www.yorktonhort.ca to see what’s ‘coming up’! Have a great week!
