Trying a New Rose in Charleston
Finding good shrub roses that like growing and thriving in our southern heat and humidity isn’t easy. Those such as the Knockout series have proven to not only grow but surpass most of my expectations for a modern rose worthy of being in our gardens. My interest in a new rose called ‘Julia Child’ skyrocketed when my good friend and fellow horticulturis Kari Whitley, Scout Horticultural Consulting, recently talked about it in her blog post, “A rose is not a rose is not a rose”. It promises to be quite the introduction should it perform like Kari has seen in some of the wholesale nurseries where she has ben watching it grow for the last 8 months. But what will it do in landscapes with limited water and absolutely no chemical spraying, who know?
I made her promise to bring me a few back so we could try them in some of our Conservancy parks and greenspace projects. Yesterday afternoon, they quietly appeared on my doorstep. (Thanks Kari!) What I found on this late November day was the most beautiful apricot-yellow rose with a sweet fragrance that when planted in mass will bring us all to swoon about like bumblebees in a field of clover. So let the testing begin and stay tuned for regular updates.