My favorite flower is the rose, especially miniature roses. At one time I had almost 200 miniatures rose bushes. I belonged to 2 rose societies and won a fair amount of ribbons at the shows. I would have to travel to Ft. Wayne, Toledo or Findley if I wanted to exhibit.
The only rose that I have been able to grow or keep alive here is the Knockout Rose. It is a shrub rose, great for landscapes. Pretty well disease resistant and not many insects bother it. When it starts bloomin, it doesn't stop till a hard frost.
A few weeks ago I decided it was time to give up on the two Firebushes in front of my garage. They have never really grown much in the 7 years I have been here. I replaced them with a couple more red Knockout roses. I will definitely have some color next summer.
I hauled in topsoil to build some raised beds. Little did I know that the soil was too 'sweet' for roses. If the soil chemistry isn't right for what ya have planted, the plant isn't goin to be healthy. After a couple of unsuccessful growin years, I had the soil tested. I needed to amend the soil to make it more alkaline. Sulphur does the trick. My problem is I'm not sure how much to add, so I keep it on the conservative side. This fall I got some decent blooms. That tells me that I'm gettin close. Can't wait for next year!!
This miniature is know as Simplex. It has 5 petals and is a very light pink or ivory color. Fall colors are different than springtime colors. They usually have a deeper, brilliant tint, if that makes any sense.
This is Y2K. It is classified as a medium yellow rose. In the spring ya get a bright yellow. In the fall ya get some pink streaks.
Pretty clear shots for not usin a tripod. Kinda proud of myself.
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