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
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| 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.
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| 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.
