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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Rose

Winter Prep: Heading Off the Coming Chill

Posted in Horticulture on December 3 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

RoseWith Thanksgiving and the season’s first snow behind us, the reality of winter is now upon us. At this time of year the rose garden is closed to the public, but the gardeners are still busy working. Fall clean-up is important!

As every rose gardener knows, the queen of flowers is particularly susceptible to black spot. The spores of the fungus will happily over-winter in the soil around your roses. It is paramount to clean up all the diseased foliage and be meticulous about keeping the area around the rose clean.

Once our roses start to go dormant for the winter and the ground starts to cool, we surround the base of the plants with mulch. The mulch acts like a winter Parka, protecting the base of the rose during the cold winter months. We use a finely shredded bark mulch that doesn’t get matted down into large clumps. “Hilling” or mounding mulch around the base of our roses to a depth of 6 to 8 inches provides ample protection during the cold winter months.

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Morning Eye Candy: By Any Other Name

Posted in Photography on June 4 2014, by Lansing Moore

The stunning Therese Bugnet rose is in full bloom in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. Ever wonder about the people for whom your favorite plant species are named? Well, this cultivar is actually named after the sister of the man who introduced it, Georges Bugnet. This Canadian writer and plant aficionado bred this rose to endure harsh winters, making it quite a hardy plant indeed! Our friend Therese here is only one of hundreds of varieties that you can enjoy this weekend at the Rose Garden Celebration!

Hybrid Rugosa rose Rosa Therese Bugnet

Rosa ‘Therese-Bugnet’ in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen