Plant(s) of the Week: Oso Easy® Roses

Hello and happy Monday!

I am busily catching up after my week-long trip to the California Spring Trials (CAST), so today I'm reprinting an edited version of an article I wrote that was recently featured on the GardenSmart website.

I was so inspired by the gorgeous Oso Easy® Double Pink rose we had at CAST, it made me think about this article and just how spectacular this variety is, and how it gets to be that way.

Enjoy!

Natalie

Maybe it’s time to break up with your roses.

Every year it’s the same… the snow melts and the rose bush in your garden that has been lying dormant all winter springs to life with the hope and promise of a summer. However, by mid-summer you see it…the spot. And soon the rose bush that you were certain would be a blushing beauty, looks more look more like a sad, spindly bundle of sticks with a few dried out buds and some black-spotted leaves hanging on for dear life. Where did you go wrong?

Don’t blame yourself…

For anyone who has devoted their time and attention to cultivating roses, you know that if you see a rose plant with full, lush foliage and heaps of blooms all summer, it has probably had a fair share of coddling to get that way...and even then they are susceptible to a number of maladies.

The main thing to remember is you shouldn’t blame yourself. Sure, it would be great to be one of those people who can grow magnificent roses. Fact is, you probably are one of those people. It’s easy – when you start with the right plant.

It’s Oso Easy

Oso Easy® Lemon Zest rose

You know the expression from the cleaning product Scrubbing Bubbles - “we work hard so you don’t have to?” The same concept applies to plants that carry the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® name, all which go through rigorous trials before they reach the garden center - including each and every one of the 12 varieties of Oso Easy® roses.

Every year multiple new rose varieties are tested and trialed, and after 3-4 years of trialing, a vast majority of them are discarded in favor of only the very best plants. In fact, after 20 years, and hundreds upon hundreds of rose selections on the trash heap, Proven Winners® ColorChoice® has introduced only fifteen shrub rose varieties, which so far have garnered 32 prestigious awards.

Oso Easy® Double Pink rose

Rigorously trialing plants is hard work and time consuming, but it is also rewarding to be able to introduce beautiful, easy-care varieties like Oso Easy® roses. With the broadest color range of any landscape rose, all 12 varieties are dressed for success with an impressive display of non-stop color in any garden or landscape. 

Oso Easy® roses also boast surprising hardiness (some varieties thrive down to USDA zone 3) and are strong rebloomers with dark green, glossy foliage. They boast exceptional resistance to diseases like black spot and powdery mildew - plus their tidy habits make them ideally suited to a wide variety of gardening and landscaping needs. 

Low maintenance is the hallmark of Oso Easy® roses - they are self-cleaning, meaning their petals fall off when the flowers fade, instead of turning brown and withering on the plant. Just give these roses at least 6 hours of sun a day and regular watering, and they’ll provide year-after-year of natural, easy-care beauty all season long. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

Plant of the Week: Glow Girl® Spiraea

Hello and happy Monday!

I'm writing to you today from the California Spring Trials in sunny California! I'm not sure how I got so lucky as to miss the midwest storms, but Kirigin Cellars in Gilroy, CA, is all decked out with beautiful Proven Winners® annuals, perennials, and of course, ColorChoice® shrubs. We're expecting a cooler, rainy day today, but I'm not going to complain!

Next week I'll come back with pictures of some of the incredible plants that have been on display, but in the meantime here's a sneak peek "panorama pic" of the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® tent.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've had the opportunity to bring you Jane's Plant of the Week, but today I'm sharing her post about a beautiful little spirea...take a look:

Tough Love.

It's tough. And you will love it. It's Glow Girl® Spiraea betulifolia.

I've always thought of Spiraea betulifolia 'Tor' as kind of an introvert, especially when compared with the more common S. japonica cultivars on the market. But if you think that being an introvert is a bad thing, think again.

Glow Girl® birchleaf spirea is the introverted plant that can hold its own with the flashy hybrids.

This gold form of 'Tor' is just as cold-hardy and adaptable as the original, but with cheery yellow foliage. If you've never grown Spiraea betulifolia and are in a colder climate, please give it a try. It has very appealing texture and nice fall color as well as white flowers in spring. 

This is a very durable plant that is both attractive and easy to grow, and you don't need to a lot of space or to prune it to produce an attractive and uniform plant.

Remember that introverts aren't necessarily shy or wanting to be alone all the time. Glow Girl® is an excellent choice for mass planting or low hedge, and it will do what introverts do: get its work done without needing a lot of attention.

Tough and beautiful, Glow Girl® holds its color well through the season before transforming to burgundy in the fall. It is hardy to USDA Zone 3 and will grow in full sun or partial shade.

There is a lot to love about this tough little spirea, proving it's worth your while to invest a little attention into these spectacular landscape introverts.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

Plant of the Week: CAST Preview

Good morning and happy Monday! I'm preparing to head out to sunny California and the end of the week for the California Spring Trials.

For those who are unfamiliar, the California Spring Trials (CAST) is an annual week-long touring event held at various locations throughout the mid-to-northern region of the state. The event is designed exclusively for those who are in the horticulture industry so they can learn more about the newest plant varieties, signage and packaging products, and merchandising programs and concepts.

This year, Proven Winners® will once again be setting up their display of annuals, perennials, and shrubs at Kirigin Cellars in Gilroy, CA...the garlic capital of the world!

I know not everyone can attend CAST, but I'm so excited about the plants we'll be showing, I wanted to give you a quick online tour of some of the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs that we will have on display. Enjoy! - Natalie

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® will bring almost 30 varieties of gorgeous, new shrubs to CAST this year, so to avoid writing a blog that is far too long, I'm going to highlight four of my favorite new varieties that will be on display next week in Gilroy:

At Last® Rosa x
New to garden centers this year, At Last®  rose has a tidy, compact habit that reaches heights of about 3', with glossy green leaves and fragrant double-flowers that are deep apricot-orange fading to a light pink as the season progresses. 

Like all roses, At Last® likes to be planted in a site that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day and will do best with regular watering, but otherwise, like most shrub roses, it is very low maintenance. 

Why it's special: Because it's a landscape rose, At Last® is a garden workhorse; the foliage is resistant to black spot and powdery mildew, and the petals fall off when the flower is done instead of drying on the plant, so no deadheading is required. But what makes it unlike a typical landscape rose is the spectacular fully-double, sweetly-perfumed flowers that rebloom all season. It's just gorgeous and really has to be seen, and smelled, to fully appreciate it.

Scentara™ Double Blue Syringa

Available in garden centers in 2019, Scentara™ Double Blue lilac's cool, purple blooms take on a blue tone in the spring sunshine. This very heavy bloomer will grow 6-8' tall/8-10' wide, and has a handsome, appealing shape that will look right at home in your landscape. Like all Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs, Scentara™ Double Blue lilac boasts excellent disease resistance and like all syringa, is super-hardy, this variety withstanding temps down to USDA zone 2.

Why it's special: There are about 15 different species of lilacs found in nature, and Syringa hyacinthiflora is the queen of them all when it comes to fragrance - and this variety is the most fragrant we have ever developed. Not only do they smell heavenly, Scentara's purplish-blue blooms are made up of intricate doubled florets, presenting a delicate seashell-like effect that is unlike any other lilac. Plant it in full sun and it won't fail to knock your socks off every spring!

Juke Box™ x Pyracomeles

If you live in zone 7 or warmer, this is a handsome new evergreen for warm climate gardens! Though you might not have heard of it yet, Juke Box™ is a super-versatile, easy to grow landscaping plant. It has dense, very glossy foliage with a distinctive texture and grows well in sun or part shade.

Why it's special:  For those who live in areas affected by boxwood blight, this is the perfect alternative. You can plant it just like you would a boxwood: as a hedge, edging, specimen, or try trimming or training it as your heart desires. This thornless plant produces no flowers to speak of and is very resistant to pests and diseases. Available in garden centers in spring, 2019.

Tuff Stuff AH-HA™ Hydrangea serrata

Of course, I had to include a hydrangea! We will be bringing eight varieties to CAST this year, so it was tough to choose just one, but this is a beauty, and it's brand-new.

A truly outstanding mountain hydrangea, the newest member of the Tuff Stuff series has massive dinner plate-sized blooms. Sterile florets are doubled and waterlily-like, taking on outstanding pink or blue coloration depending on soil conditions. Like all Hydrangea serrata, it has outstanding bud hardiness. 

 

Why it's special: At first glance, it would appear that we decided to introduce this beautiful mountain hydrangea solely for its waterlily-like double florets. But that's only part of the story - this is also one of the most prolific reblooming hydrangeas we've ever seen. All summer long, it devotes its energies to creating flower buds on its new growth so that you have a constant supply of fabulous blooms from early summer through frost. Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha™ hydrangea will bloom pink or blue, depending on soil chemistry and grows to about 2-3' tall. Available to garden centers in spring, 2019.

And that's it! I'll be blogging from CAST next week, so I hope to have some fun, new plant information and stories to share with you. Until then, happy gardening!