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You need passion, patience
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Rose, the queen of flowers, needs all that extra attention, writes Swathi V.
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Patience pays: Roses are toughest when it comes to nourishment and call for lots of care and concern.
Icon of love, symbol of hope, epitome of beauty, or bloom of all blooms, whatever one may call, a rose is always a rose and no other flower can match its beauty or class. A rose sticks out in the world of flowers by virtue of its petal pattern. Even the range and combination of hues are simply mind-boggling.
Eulogies apart, a rose is the toughest flower to please when it comes to nourishment. Indeed, cultivation of roses requires tonnes of patience and a huge amount of time. This is the reason why many gardeners are flinching from nurturing the queen of flowers nowadays. Instead, they prefer seasonal plants which grow and bloom in a jiffy and allow the gardener scope for more experimenting once the season gets over. There are, however, a few inveterate fans of the rose who go through year-long rigours to have one glimpse of their favourite blossom.
The market offers a platter of hybrid varieties of roses. Confidence, Gladiator, Double Delight, Superstar, Peace, Sentimental, Edward, Calcutta 300, Bajajo, Srinivas, Gold Medal, Neptune, Topsy Turvy, Misty Twilight, Brandy, Julia Child, First Prize, Jayant Rao Tilak, Black Lady, Paradise… the list is unending. Choice in most cases depends on the colour and size of the flowers.
The technique
Many beginners think that a rose stem, when planted and nourished, grows roots. This is true only of wild roses and not the hybrid ones. One may go for hybrid plants grafted with wild rose saplings which are readily available in all commercial nurseries. However, the mother sapling should be severed once the graft develops roots. “Many people wonder why the plant is not blooming even after full growth. They least realise that it is not the graft, but the mother plant which is growing,” says Parthasarathi, a rose cultivator.
A proper drainage system helps the plant to survive and grow. The soil should be loose to allow proper aeration and easy penetration of roots. A container filled with two layers of sand underneath will help in better drainage. Roses love the sun and chill alike and hence should be kept in the open. Unlike seasonal plants, roses require year-long care for the three to five months of blooming period.
Chemical fertilizers such as Growmore should be supplemented with organic manure such as neem cake and bone meal. Abundant supply of micro nutrients will aid the flower in radiating its genetic flavour to the full. Usually, once established, the plant will bloom for 10 consecutive seasons.
Pesticides
Roses should also be watched for pests throughout the year and during the flowering season in particular.
Pesticides and fungicides should be applied at regular intervals to avoid diseases such as Black Spot, Powdery Mildew, Scales and Thrips.
“Prevention is always better than cure. Once a plant develops disease, the whole garden will be affected within no time. Half the season will have gone before the disease is brought under control,” explains Mr. Parthasarathi.
Roses need constant attention and have huge claim on one’s time. One should go for them only if one nurtures a passion for them.
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