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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

I Was So Wrong

'Morning Blush'
Some variation of  the title of this post should probably be the title of every other that I write, amateur gardener that I am, but in this case it pertains to my 5/1/12 posting regarding the beautiful rose 'Morning Blush'.  I was unexcited about this rose during its juvenile growing phases, but it has both figuratively and literally grown on me.

Perhaps this is an unusual and stellar year for this rose, given the wet and cold conditions of this spring, but I'm convinced it was one of the stars of my garden this year.  Sandwiched between Barden roses 'Gallicandy' and 'Allegra', my 'Morning Blush' has reached its 6 foot tall promise at maturity, and the canes that I formerly regarded as "floppy" are at least leaning nicely against the neighbors.  I wouldn't call this rose overly floriferous, but it is putting on a decent display as you can see from the photo of the full bush below.

'Morning Blush', mature bush
The blooms make this rose a keeper. The petals are quick thick and seem to be resistant to the ills of the weather.  Even in the damp 10 days proceeding the photo above, the blooms of  Morning Blush are not stained brown by water or botrytis, while 2 doors down, the blossoms of 'Marianne' are a mess.  'Morning Blush', in contrast, looks as fresh as if just from the shower, which, literally, I guess it was. The blooms also stay on the bush for a long time, and the pink fades slightly but never completely disappears.  I am going to stick to my previous assessment of the fragrance as "moderate."

It goes without saying that 'Morning Blush' is fully cane hardy in my climate and she is one of the healthiest roses I've ever seen.  No blackspot, no mildew, and no cane dieback at any time of year.  I don't think I've ever touched her with a pruner.  Those long thick canes are both an asset and her only drawback;  they are stiff and ungainly like a Hybrid Tea, and they tend to sprawl if not supported by neighbors.  At least they aren't thorny.

ProfessorRoush was raised and trained to step up and admit when his is wrong, and, while I admit that I don't think I'm wrong very often, I was wrong about 'Morning Blush'.  This offspring of 'Maiden's Blush' is a beautiful rose and I'm sorry that I doubted her.



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2 comments:

  1. SusieMay 26, 2015 at 8:32 PM

    May I ask an unrelated question? My neighbor wants me to dig out all my nandinas because she says they are toxic to birds. Is this true?

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  2. ProfessorRoushMay 26, 2015 at 9:02 PM

    Some of that depends on the nandina varietie(s) you grow. The primary question is whether they produce berries, which are the toxic component if eaten to excess in birds (and livestock). Several popular cultivars of nandina, for instance 'Firepower' and 'Harbour Dwarf', seldom flower and produce berries, while the more common species, Nandina domestica does and it spreads as a noxious weed. So the answer to your question is; they may be toxic, but if yours don't flower and produce berries, or if you pick the berries off so the birds don't feast on them exclusively in winter, then there won't be a problem.

    It is also interesting to note that the "toxic to birds" stories all go back to a single report by veterinarians at the University of Georgia, who examined 5 dead Cedar Waxwings and found their stomachs full of Nandina berries. Nandina berries are one of the only sources of fruit in Georgia in the winter. So, first of all, it seems the berries must be eaten to excess, which may a problem with Cedar Waxwings more than other bird species, and secondly, as the article states, these five birds lesions in these birds were consistent with cyanide toxicity so it is a likely supposition, not a certainty. Interestingly, the article also states that over 2000 plant species produce cyanides toxic to man and beast. The article can be read here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3005831/

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