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The Great Rose Garden Cover Up

comments (0) December 17th, 2010 in blogs

Paul Zimmerman, contributor

3 users recommend

Papi Delbard. A stunning climbing Garden Rose bred by the French Nursrey Delbard and available from my good friends at Roses Unlimited.

Photo: Paul Zimmerman Roses

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One thing we haven’t talked about much is mulch. I realize many of you use it for its decorative qualities and to keep weeds under control, but it’s also a vital part of growing Garden Roses. It contributes to enriching the soil, keeping the root zone moist and at an even temperature, winter protection and disease prevention.

Wait, did I say disease prevention!?

Yes, I did. About five years ago I started to hear from other rose growers around the country that a mulch of native hardwoods actually seems to suppress disease in roses. This has been observed in tests by mulching some roses with commercial products and some with hardwood mulch from say, a local tree trimming company. While no one yet seems exactly sure why this is happening the evidence seems to be leaning towards it working.

And since you need to mulch anyway why not use something that seems to keep disease under control?

Growing roses in a sustainable manner involves combining many different aspects such as selecting roses that are disease resistant for your area, enriching the soil etc. So let’s hang one more ornament on our Sustainability Tree.

Check with your local tree trimming companies, local country agricultural agent or if you have one a local lumber yard. Ask where their tree trimmings go, or in the case of the tree trimmers if they’d be willing to dump their chippings at your house. The latter has worked for me and usually it’s free!

Happy Roseing
Paul

posted in: disease, mulch

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The Two Camps Begin To Emerge

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About this blog

Everyone loves roses. If you always wanted to add roses to your garden but were too intimidated by their diva reputation, Roses Are Plants, Too is the blog for you.

Paul Zimmerman has grown thousands of roses for over 15 years and for ten of those years in a sustainable manner. His common-sense approach shows you how to integrate garden roses into your landscape by looking at them as nothing more than flowering shrubs, all the while encouraging you to trust your own "Gardener's Instincts" in the care of these beautiful plants.

You will learn how to prune and train climbing roses, and how to get the most "ka-bloom" out of your shrub, David Austin and Knockout rose bushes. You'll get tips on growing roses organically and trimming them all season to keep their shape. You'll discover the difference between own-root and grafted roses, and more. Much of the instruction will be via videos that Paul produces himself!

Paul Zimmerman ran a rose care company in Los Angeles before moving to South Carolina to start Ashdown Roses. Now he focuses on rose education and teaching via Paul Zimmerman Roses. He lectures, gives workshops, and judges rose trials around the world, and it is this experience he brings to this blog.

Whether you are new to roses or an experienced grower, Paul will open your garden to the vast diversity our national flower offers.

If you have questions about roses and rose care or would like to share your own experiences please visit our Roses Are Plants, Too discussion forum.

To inquire about Paul's workshops and lectures, email him at paul@paulzimmermanroses.com.