Roses
Growing Your Roses the Organic Way - Part One
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Nov 18, 2005 - 9:43:00 AM

By Gosia Wajchert

Organic gardening has much to recommend it. Growing plants and flowers without harmful chemicals and pesticides protects the environment, the gardener and his or her family.

Many people think it is impossible to grow roses oganically, but such is definitely not the case. Roses are the star of any organic garden, and they can lend an air of elegance and beauty to any landscape in which they are grown. Growing roses organically is easy and inexpensive. The key to all types of organic gardening, including growing roses organically, it a good understanding of the natural processes at work in the growing of roses. After all, roses have been growing wild around the world for millions of years without the need for pesticides or other types of human intervention.

Before beginning your adventure in organic rose gardening, a brief history lesson is in order. Roses have been a favorite in every society in which they were grown, from ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire. In fact, roses feature prominently in many paintings by the old master painting, proving that their beauty and majesty has long been
appreciated and revered. Roses have been grown for their beauty, their scent and even their healing powers.

The petals of roses contain tannin, a powerful astringent, and they were often used to control bleeding. In addition, the Chinese have long used rose oil and rose water as a cure for stomach and colon problems.

Rose enthusiasts and scientists alike refer to wild varieties of roses as species roses. The family to which the rose belongs is known in the scientific world as Rosaceae, and it includes such plants as almonds,
apples and plums as well. There are many species of wild roses. These wild species tend to have five petaled flowers that bloom once during the summer.

As one would expect from a wild rose, they are usually quite hardy. Roses may be the most highly hybridized of all flowers, and this hybridization has created many wonderful colors, shapes and styles, but this cross breeding has often resulted in weaker plants as well.

In addition, the frequent practice of grafting one rose onto a different root stock often creates a rose that is more prone to attack by pests and diseases.

Gosia Wajchert is a garden writer from the UK.

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