Can Roses Be Green?
Can roses be green?
16/01/2006
HDRA, the national charity for organic growing
The rose is consistently voted the nation’s favourite flower. It is an icon of our cultural identity and emblem of our past. Sadly, of all our garden plants, it is also one of the most susceptible to pests and diseases. Old-fashioned roses, so beloved by gardeners and integral to the character of our historic gardens, tend to be very vulnerable. Traditionally these have been treated with chemical sprays but, as more gardeners turn to organic or pesticide-free gardening, roses remain a stumbling block for those searching for environmentally friendly alternatives.
Roses suffer from a range of pests and diseases, such as aphids, powdery mildew and black spot, that are hard to combat using organic methods. Rose black spot is particularly problematic. Plants are often chosen to reflect the specific period of a garden, while in other situations a particular variety may have an important historic value or emotional association for a gardener. In these cases it is not always so easy to pick a modern disease resistant variety.
Despite this, it is perfectly possible to grow roses in an environmentally friendly and organic manner. The following gives an overview of the research work carried out by HDRA and gives links to some of the information collected.
Research on Organic Rose Management
In the previous few years the National Trust, Roses UK and HDRA joined forces in a project, which aimed to find effective ways of managing roses organically. All aspects of rose care were covered but particular attention was given to finding solutions for keeping pests and diseases at bay, especially rose black spot.
In working together to solve this problem we combined the experience and knowledge of both amateur and professional gardeners, as well as commercial rose growers and scientists. In fact, anyone with an interest in a chemical-free future for roses was invited to participate in the project. The knowledge gained has been summarised in a pamphlet "Organic Management Practices for Roses- a technical note" which is available to download here (PDF - 566Kb).
The Organic Rose Watch
An important task was to gather together as much practical knowledge as possible from gardeners and growers. This was done through the ‘Organic Rose Watch’ that aimed to collect information on roses and how they are being managed in gardens across the UK. The idea was to collect information from as many gardeners as possible and combine it to give a picture of what roses are being grown and how they are fairing around the country. It was also hoped that the survey would provide some novel suggestions for organic rose management techniques.
Participants in the Watch provided a wide range of observations and comments on roses and rose management. It was clear that a wide range of types and varieties of roses are being grown in gardens and that management is aimed at providing adequate nutrition, timely prunning and controlling diseases (especially black spot) and pests (predominantly aphids). At one extreme many people were content to practise minimal intervention whilst managing their roses, whilst at the other many expend a good deal of management effort.
Both approaches can provide good healthy roses and a great deal of enjoyment. The overall sentiment was to grow roses that you enjoy and pick those types that suit your management methods.
A brief summary of the information collected is presented on the Rose Watch Factsheet (PDF 243Kb). More detailed findings are presented in the full Rose Watch report (PDF 130Kb). If you would like copies of any of these leaflets or reports please send a sae to us here at:
Rose Watch,
HDRA,
Ryton Organic Gardens,
Coventry,
CV8 3LG
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