Sunday, August 15, 2010

How it all began...

I was asked by a forumer on how I became interested in growing roses. I thought I share my answer here.

I love roses and fancy English garden. To realize a garden as such, I knew I had to at least successfully grown some roses first.


Many had said that roses couldn't be grown well enough in tropical gardens but I had bought a house that came with a front yard I own to the core, so I thought 'Hey, I got to try this (and accept the challenge)!'.

Down the memory lane

Picture tells a far better story.

Miniatures of highland roses were the first. None had survived.
More roses added. Some lived. Some died.
Huh? Some lived?
Those days... The full collection of my pioneer roses. 
When my roses survived their first 3 months in the garden, I knew they would be with me forever.

I knew nuts about growing roses

A growing love for roses made me thirsty for rose knowledge. Roses brought me into a world of learning and discovery. The challenge was not on growing but finding local resources on rose growing. The nurseryman here weren't really rose experts.

I purchased books on roses from local bookstores and many from UK, apart from reading countless articles and experimenting what I have learnt.  Even so, there are still so much to learn and do.

For the love of roses


LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11:  A sign reading...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
I went through a great deal of challenges - spider mites, black spots, scales, thrips, anthracnose, etc, and plenty of others mishaps and misjudgments. There were times I almost gave up.

But roses, though defoliated and sickly, seemed to never give up hope on me. There were buds on them always and flowers, rain or shine.

More to know... A lot to share...

Some of my first roses are still with me till this day, though my collection has grown in folds.
 They make my garden as it is now; I humbly call a rose garden. 
I treasure my roses not for their blooms but for the invaluable lessons, experience and rose education that they have bestowed upon me. Challenges made me stronger and less green and I am happy I went through them all so I can teach others.

Now I take special delight in sharing information about roses in hopes that you might be inspired to grow them too. I also dream that nursery people and vendors will make roses which natural to our climate more available for easy growing and will make available the cultivar names for value/appreciation reasons by all rose hobbyists.

Author and copyright of Rough Rosa





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8 comments:

Stephanie said...

Your roses really look wonderful! I love how you planted them in planters on stretch. They look so pretty and I am sure they smell heavenly as well :-D Thanks for sharing.

James David said...

nice story.
Im sure its a great worth of experience than 1000 roses.
Congrats!

Lady of Leisure said...

wow.. i kagum tengok your roses.. really macam english garden cantik sangat.. i love roses so much cumanya tak pandai nak jaga.. i think one day i nak cuba..

ROUGH.ROSA said...

Aaron, the key to getting rid of spidermites is to hose the off with water really hard (like jet spray), everyday. Keep the plant away from humid and wet spot. And it helps to get rid of some of the lower leaves; there are eggs there. Don't use insecticide but use miticides. Check on the label the one u're using now if it can kill spidermites. I'll try to post on this issue soon.. coz I wish to explain in details. But for now, I hope this instruction helps.

ROUGH.ROSA said...

Hi Steph, yup they provide the visual contrast and smell heavenly :) I make it a routine to patrol my roses at 11 am. At this hour the smell is at peak, the time when roses release most of it's smell chemical.

ROUGH.ROSA said...

Hi James, thanks for reading and understanding where I am coming from. Come to think of it... they all have probably collectively gave 1000 roses by now :) Fortunately, I don't have to choose between the experience or the 1000 roses. They let me enjoy both.

ROUGH.ROSA said...

Lady of Leisure, terima kasih. Ada ros2 yg senang nak dijaga kalau u nak cuba nanti, mungkin blh start dgn ros2 yg jenis ni, contoh ros kampong. Mungkin kalau hidup nanti sure bersemangat nak bela ros..:)There's always a rose for every garden.

Terra Mirabilis said...

Hello, Rosa. Thanks for visiting my blog; it led me to yours. My most favourite flowers are roses. I have some lovely old roses (Souvenir de la Mal Maison, Natchatoches Noisette, Louis Philippe) that seem to love a tropical climate and need very little attention. I've also got some Knock-Outs. I grow them mostly in containers because our soil has nematodes that love rose roots unless the plants are grafted onto a nematode-resistant root stock, usually Fortuniana.

I'll be following your blog from now. Best, Penny