At Catalonia Farms in Clark County, Washington, we have a small but beautiful rose garden filled with many hybrid tea roses and several grandiflora varieties. Their big, colorful blooms make us smile every day. Taking care of roses well needs the right tools. It took time to learn which toolContinue Reading
Soil is the home for rose roots, and it needs to be just right. In the Pacific Northwest, our soil can be clay-like and hold water. Making soil perfect for roses is an important task if you want the best blooms. In March, test your soil to see if it’sContinue Reading
Pruning roses in the spring time means cutting back your rose bushes to help them grow better. In the Pacific Northwest, do this in early March when it’s still cool. It shapes the plant and removes old parts. This lets new stems come out strong for summer blooms. At CataloniaContinue Reading
When people look at a rose, they usually admire its color, smell, or soft petals. But what they don’t often think about is what’s happening beneath the plant. Roses grow best when their roots have the right kind of soil. Healthy soil is like a rose’s secret helper. It givesContinue Reading
When someone creates a new kind of rose, they want the world to know about it. That’s where rose registration comes in. Registering a rose is like putting it into an official record book. It helps people know where the rose came from, who bred it, and what makes itContinue Reading
When someone creates a brand-new rose, they often want to protect it. That’s where something called a patent comes in. A rose patent is like a legal fence around a new plant. It makes sure no one else can grow or sell it without permission. This helps breeders keep theirContinue Reading
When a breeder creates a brand-new rose, one of the most exciting parts is giving it a name. Naming a rose is like naming a new baby or even a new invention. It takes thought, creativity, and sometimes even a little history. Some roses are named after people, like familyContinue Reading
Each rose parent gives half of its genes to its baby roses. These genes come in pairs, like socks. Some are dominant, which means they show up more often. Others are recessive, which means they only appear if both parents give the same gene. For example, red is usually aContinue Reading
Breeding roses is a careful, hands-on process. It starts when the breeder picks two parent roses—one to give pollen (the father) and one to grow the seed (the mother). The breeder removes the petals from a mother rose so the center is easy to reach. Next, the breeder takes pollenContinue Reading