Roses in October!

I arose about a week and a half ago to find the rose bush in my back yard
with two small blooms and a few in the bud stage. Is it common for roses to
decide to bloom in October? Usually it's just for a few weeks in May/early
June and then that's it. The two small blooms are still there now, even
though it's been colder than usual here in Tennessee during October. We've
had a few nights when it's gotten down to 33-35 but so far no hard frosts.
This is the first time I've noticed this, even though I've only been at
this location for three years.

Our yellows were blooming last week and the reds are in bloom now.

Some roses are one-time-only but there are those that bloom and bloom.
[ our purples are not blooming nor are the pinks ]
Martin

Dennis M wrote:

On 10/21/2009 2:40 PM, Dennis M wrote:

This might be unusual where you live, but not in my garden. 'Pink
Perfume' and 'Color Magic' just finished blooming. 'Honor', climbing
'4th of July', 'Salmon Ovation' (a miniature), and 'Arizona' are
blooming right now. 'Mr. Lincoln', 'Iceberg', 'Sunsprite', and climbing
'Dublin Bay' have buds that will open within a week. I expect climbing
'Peace' will bloom before Thanksgiving.

That accounts for 11 of my 14 roses. The three remaining are struggling
because they are too close to my oak tree.

It's not unusual for some of my roses to be in bloom on New Years Day,
when I'm pruning them. Then I present my wife with a rose bouquet to
brighten her day.

After pruning early in January, my roses start blooming again in April.
Some remain in bloom almost continuously until pruned again at the end
of the year. Others bloom on and off, but they repeat every few weeks
throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

If your roses don't normally bloom at this time of year, that is a
result of your climate. But if your roses only bloom once a year ("for
a few weeks in May/early June and then that's it"), you picked the wrong
varieties, prune them wrong, or fail to feed and water them properly.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary>

>I arose about a week and a half ago to find the rose bush in my back yard

No roses blooming but I have an Indian Crab Apple tree that just burst out
with a couple of beautiful pink blossoms!

Donna
in WA

>But if your roses only bloom once a year ("for a few weeks in

I didn't pick them, I inherited them from the previous homeowner. I imagine
they're just your run of the mill red variety, nothing exotic.


Don't do a lot of pruning unless a stem gets completely out of hand and
begins to touch the ground, then I might prune some of the other stems
while I'm at it.

I was told to prune the stem in a diagonal direction about an inch or two
after a perpendicular stem, and that's the way I do it.


I never "feed or water" them, I'm not really a big flower/plant person. I'm
happy to just appreciate them for the few weeks in May, this year they were
particularly big and beautiful.

Another thing I thought of, they could've decided to bloom in the fall
because it's been pretty rainy the past couple of months.

On 10/22/09 2:05 PM, in article
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ], "Dennis M"
<dennism3@dennism3.invalid> wrote:

Sorry I missed your original post - take them for the gift they are. My
grandmother always called those fall roses gifts of grace.

Cheryl

>




Gifts of grace....thtt's exactly what they are having come the words
of an elder who would know.

Thanks, Cheryl.

Donna
in WA

Dennis M wrote:

Got a few blooming here in zone 7, and I have one rose that has it's
first bloom of the year, and it's a beaut. If you have an everbearing
rose, my observation is that they kick in after a wet spell, which we've
had.

Jeff

On 10/22/2009 11:05 AM, Dennis M wrote:

Roses do best if they are severely but carefully pruned in the early
spring (or -- in my climate -- early winter). Go to a good public
library and look for a book on general pruning; most will have a section
just on roses.

Roses require ample water. The soil should remain quite moist during
the growing season, but it should not be soggy.

Roses also require ample nutrients, especially nitrogen. If your soil
tends to be acidic, any general high-nitrogen garden fertilizer --
organic or not -- should be okay. If your soil tends to be alkaline,
dig a little soil sulfur into the top inch of the soil. If leaves are
yellow with green veins, spread a little iron sulfate around the plants.

Most roses sold today are hybrids. They are not natural plants and thus
require more care than Mother Nature provides. If you plan to continue
neglecting your roses, you might as well remove them and plant something
else.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary>

On 10/23/09 10:50 AM, in article yojEm.286146$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ], "DEM"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

You're welcome!
Cheryl