Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• The “Wave” petunias make wonderful hanging baskets for full sun. They come in purple, bright pink, reddish-purple and pale “misty lilac.” They can also be used for a colorful summer ground cover.

• Asparagus plants should be fed with good, rich compost when you have finished cutting spears. Keep the bed mulched and weed-free all summer, and the soil moist.

• Colorful Gerberas with their large, daisy flowers are a standout in containers. Water them infrequently and give them plenty of sun for flowers all summer.

• Earwigs are out and about and hungry. Control them with the new “Sluggo Plus”, or diatomaceous earth sprinkled around the plants, or go out after dark with a flashlight and a spray bottle of Safer’s Insecticidal Soap. One squirt will put an end to the spoiler.

• Tomatoes are the most popular summer vegetable. Choose from the many varieties, both Heirlooms and hybrids, available now, so you can enjoy delicious home-grown flavor.

Enjoying the Color and Fragrance of Roses

Roses have long been revered for both their stunning colors and their memorable fragrances. It is usually the color of a rose that first catches one’s attention but as soon as you get close to one, you want to smell it.

The palette of roses now includes an amazing array of colors. Flowers may be solid-colored, striped, bi-colored (different colors on the insides and the outsides of the petals), or blends (two or more colors intermingled on each petal).

To create a warm color scheme, choose a combination of red, orange, gold and yellow roses. These will draw the eye into the garden and make it look smaller than it is. A cooler color scheme, composed of violet, mauve, purple, pink and white, is soothing and refreshing. It is the best choice for a quiet garden meant for relaxing. It also makes a small garden look larger.

When it comes to fragrance, there are many fragrant modern roses as well as old garden roses. Color and fragrance are related and have to do with a rose’s heritage. The classic “rose” fragrance comes from the damask rose and is found mainly in the red and pink roses. It is a heavy fragrance that needs heat before the rich odor is released. White and yellow roses have a lighter fragrance that is best sniffed on a warm summer morning.

Many red roses have a strong fragrance. ‘Mister Lincoln’ has long been the yardstick that all new introductions are measured against. Its richly perfumed deep crimson blooms make it one of the all-time favorite roses. The lovely dusky red rose named ‘Lasting Love’® has a rich pure rose fragrance. It has shown itself to be a strong, healthy rose in our climate.

‘Perfume Delight’ has rich pink flowers with a strong rose fragrance and the super-sweet fragrance of the classic ‘Tiffany’ rose has made it an award winner. The pink petals suffused with yellow on long stems are excellent for cutting.

The large flowers of the new rose ‘Crescendo’™ are white, blushing to light pink at the edges with a strong honeysuckle and rose fragrance. It is sure to please.

Purple roses tend to be very fragrant. The dark velvety purple flowers of ‘Midnight Blue’™ have an old fashioned form and a strong, spicy clove fragrance.

‘Gold Medal’ has it all. The deep golden yellow flowers rich with fruity fragrance are borne on long stems with disease-resistant foliage. And ‘Strike It Rich®’ is a soft gold rose with a spicy perfume. The long elegant buds of gold are polished with rosy pink. It is an excellent rose in the garden or on the table.

The new, bright coral rose ‘Sedona’ ™ brings the bright colors of the desert into our gardens. Its unique, fruity, pear scent is strong and exciting.

Remember that one fragrant rose in a mixed bouquet will perfume the room and give you the colors you want at the same time.

For a climbing rose, ‘Autumn Sunset’® with its apricot gold clusters of shapely flowers has a rich, fruity fragrance that is hard to beat. It is also very resistant to blackspot, and blooms well the first season.

Few flowers bloom for as long and abundantly in this climate as do roses. Choose beauty and fragrance to decorate your garden and home.