Double Delight Rose
Rose has changed colors.?
I have been reading about rose colors changing. I have had my George Burns rose for 3 or 4 years now. Last year it started changing colors. The roses were half and half. This year it has totally changed to red. Also it looks like it may have more roses than before. I also have a Tropicana, Chihuly and a Graham Thomas which I have had a lot longer than my George Burns and they are still the same color. My newest roses are Oklahoma and Double Delight, I have had them for 2 years now. They look ok, but hope they don’t change colors. I have always wanted a black rose and the Oklahoma was the closest I could get.
When they hybrid a rose, they graft the flower variety on top of some root stock (you can tell where this has occurred – there is a knotty bulge near the base of the trunk). If the stems with the flowers are coming up from above the graft, this is the hybrid variety. But, if any stems are coming up from below the graft, they will have the characteristics of the root stock variety. These are called suckers and they should always be removed.
I have also found that variegated roses may change colors (become one solid color) depending on how well they’re fertilized. If you don’t already us a systemic rose food, use one. It’s a granular fertilizer that includes all of the nutrients your rose needs and it includes a pesticide that kills aphids (it makes the plant poisonous to them). You just sprinkle it on the soil according to the package directions and work it into the top inch or so of soil.
Double Delight Rose
Geraniums Galore – A Container Garden Delight
All over the country, geraniums flaunt their red and scarlet, rose, pink, and white blooms with a gay abandon that few other plants can rival. In boxes on city fire escapes and rooftops, in window boxes on suburban and country houses, in tubs and pots on terraces and patios, and in hanging baskets of the porches of summer cottages, they are beloved and cherished plants
It needs sun to bloom; it tolerates shade, where it is usually handled as a foliage plant. What it resents is too much moisture and a rich diet. Kept too wet, the leaves turn yellow; given a heavy soil, one high in nitrogen plants go to foliage and flower sparingly.
Even if you choose no other plants, you could have a varied potted garden of single and double zonal, fancy-leaved or variegated, scented-leaved, ivy and Lady or Martha Washington geraniums (also called show or fancy geraniums), not to mention a few oddities of cactus and climbing types.
The zonal geranium is characterized by dark circular markings on the rounded green leaves. Double types dominate the trade and are offered by florists in the spring for planting in gardens and window boxes.
Variegated geraniums, with leaves that are often brilliantly colored, are attractive even out of bloom. Set among green-leaved geraniums and other foliage plants, pots of the variegated plants add color and pattern.
The trailing, ivy-leaved geraniums are among the most profuse flowering when grown under favorable conditions. They dislike shade and high humidity and thrive best in climates with warm days and cool nights, as in California.
Lady Washington’s, considered the handsomest of geraniums, are not so easy to grow. Like the ivy-leaved, they prefer cool nights and warm, sunny days, preferring shelter from wind and all-day sun.
If you are a geranium gardener, you may want to spark your pot plant collection with some cactus and climbing geraniums. They will give you bizarre and fascinating forms and flowers and are certain to arouse comment.
Geraniums flourish and look well in pots, boxes, and planters. They thrive in various soil mixtures if drainage is good. For abundant bloom, however, supply a special preparation, not high in nitrogen, or lush foliage and few blooms will result. I have success with good garden soil and a sprinkling of a 5-10-5 fertilizer and bone meal. During the growing season, plants respond to a low-nitrogen fertilizer in liquid form.
When potting, be generous with drainage material to insure free passage of water. As with any plant, always water with care, since too much or not enough can be harmful. The best rule is to water when the surface of the soil feels dry. Then soak the soil well and do not water again until plants need it. If soil is kept too wet, leaves will turn yellow; if too dry they wilt and discolor.
To maintain even plant growth, turn containers from time to time. Remove yellow leaves and faded blossoms which are especially distracting on plants at doorways or any other key spots. If rain rots and disfigures the center florets of the heads, pull them off with your fingers, leaving the unmarred outer florets and buds.
If you want plants for next spring, take two- to four-inch cuttings in August or early September. Look for mature stems (with leaves spaced close together) that break easily like a snap bean. Woody growth is hard to root and succulent tips tend to rot. Before planting spread out cuttings in a shady place for several hours so leaves will lose excess moisture.
When ready to plant, cut off the lower leaves, allowing but two or three to each cutting. Also pull off the little wings on the stem, since they are inclined to rot. Dip stem ends in hydrated lime to prevent decay and then insert about halfway, in a flat or large pot of pure sand or a mixture of sand and peat moss. With geraniums, rooting powders are hardly necessary. When cuttings develop inch-long roots, they are ready for spacing out in another flat or for separate planting in 2½-inch pots. Fill with a mixture of three parts sandy loam and one part peat moss or leaf mold. After planting, keep in the shade for the first few days, and bring indoors before cold weather.
When the separated cuttings have developed strong root systems, shift to 3½- or 4-inch pots. Use the same potting mixture as before, with bone meal added. Later as established plants begin to grow, feed periodically with a high phosphorous fertilizer, as 5-10-5 or 4-12-8.
To keep plants bushy and to encourage branching, pinch while small, starting when they are three to four inches high. Provide sunny windows, and keep turning pots to prevent lopsided growth. Water regularly, but allow soil to dry out just a little between applications
Plants may be wintered in cool cellars with little light. Remember only that the less light, the cooler the temperatures should be. This is because too much warmth and insufficient light cause lanky growth that undermines a healthy plant.
Gardeners with cellars or sheds when temperatures remain above freezing, can winter geraniums hanging upside down from the ceiling. The dead-looking sticks, set out in pots or in the garden in warm weather, will astound you when they develop into glorious flowering plants.
Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
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what is the best soil composition for roses?
I have a cutting of a “Double Delight” and am ready to plant. What is the best soil condition?
the best soil condition would be 2 parts of soil, 2 parts potting soil. and 1 part bone meal. Mix these and use as planting medium for your cutting. Roses like bone meal and the potting soil will help keep the soil loose for good root development. I also like to use peanut shells as a mulch around my roses as the shells are a good source of nitrogen. Crush the shells and spread them around the new cutting and they will love it. For insect control use a mixture of lemon juice and dish washing liquid. 2 spoons of lemon juice, 4 spoons of dish washing liquid in 12 oz spray bottle. Fill bottle first and then add ingredients. Spray plant as often as needed. Follow these instructions and your Double Delight rose will do just fine!
Double Delight rose – first flowers.3gp