Friday, December 19, 2008

Learn about roses through other rose bloggers

The web is a great place to learn more about the Rose!

Visit my twitter page at twitter.com/BradJalbert - it is a lot of fun and a great spot for light chatter about roses.

Another example is Carolyn Parker's Rose Notes, a newsletter/blog full of beautiful photos and news about the rose world.

The World Rose Festival has it's e-newsletter - visit its website to subscribe!

It is getting close to Christmas - make sure to include some wonderful red roses on your dinner table!


Name a Rose!



Have you ever wondered how roses get their names or wanted to name one after a loved one? Often referred to as one of the most unique gifts imaginable, having a rose named after someone is truly special way to immortalize a special person in your life. The process of having a rose named in itself is actually very simple. The real difficulty is in hybridizing a rose that's worthy of naming!

For Details on Rose Naming, visit the website of Select Roses at WWW.SELECTROSES.CA on rose naming to the left. You will find some pics of new Hybrids up for naming and information on the breeding and selection proccess.
I will be featuring some of my latest hybrids at the 2009 World Rose festival. You wont want to miss the Flower event of the year! Tickets for the World Rose festival would make excellent Holiday gifts.




Monday, December 15, 2008

Tickets on sale now

Visit www.worldrosefestival.com to buy your tickets online. Buy early and save... a great Christmas gift idea!

Advance Ticket Sales (up to Thursday, June 18, 2009)
Adult $18.00
Three Day Pass $49.00
Group (min. 20 tickets) $16.00

Note: Tickets purchased online are subject to an administration fee of $2.38 and will be mailed to you at the address provided when purchasing your ticket/s. Tickets purchased as of June 13, 2009 will be picked up at the door.

You can also buy your advance tickets in person at one of many fine garden centres or florists.
  • Garden Works, 8 locations in Greater Vancouver (Burnaby, North Vancouver), the Fraser Valley (Mission) and Greater Victoria (Saanich, Oak Bay, Colwood)
  • Country Garden Store, 10015 Young Road North, Chilliwack
  • The Avant Gardener, 1460 Marine Drive, West Vancouver



Monday, December 8, 2008

Roses heading into Winter!

Brrrr! I just came in from the garden and for the first time this year I think winter is setting in. I know I know, but hey the roses get to have a much needed rest while the weary gardener gets to enjoy some fireside book reading. On that note, I wanted to show you a couple of my last roses for the 2008 season. I can't believe how some of these girls have held their late season blooms until early December! That is a true testament to the versatility of one of natures greatest plants.

"Dublin Bay", one of my long-time favorite red climbers, flowers from spring until well past frost! I have another photo to show you later that has Dublin Bay flowering with snow in the blossom. I think this is what they call a weather-proof rose! wink.

I'm pleased to see that Terri Clark, one of the guest writers of my blog, mentioned the wonderful David Austin rose "Jude The Obscure". I have to agree with Terri that she is a superb garden rose. My plant is still covered with thick green foliage and not a black-spot on a single leaf this late in the season! Its flowers are a distant memory but I can still smell her sweet lustful fragrance in the air. Gosh that is one nice garden plant!

This soft yellow rose is actually very orange during the normal growing season but in December this "Octoberfest" rose changes its hue. She is a super robust, easy-to-grow, plant and one you would just love if you enjoy cutting your roses. My 3 first year plants in the new bed grew about 4 feet tall in year one and produced over 40 roses each plant. Mom loves this one.

Gift Certificates!
Select Roses is closed for the season but I would be happy to meet with anyone that is interested in Gift Certificates for garden lovers on their holiday shopping list. Just give me a call or email at
Selectroses@shaw.ca to arrange for an appointment.


Friday, December 5, 2008

Thomas Hobbs' Seasonal Rose Picks

From guest writer Terri Clark

Vancouver’s own garden guru, nurseryman and best selling author, Thomas Hobbs, revealed his rose-related roots in the floral trade when recently asked about holiday displays and gift ideas. Diligently multi-tasking in his super stylish gift store Hobbs, he rattled off his rose favourites for the festive season while expertly putting the finishing touches of imported ornaments on a divine copse of bare branches.

“If you are looking for a gift certificate of rose types my absolute no-fail favourites right now are the new shrub type roses from David Austin.” Pick number one is Rosa ‘Jude the Obscure’ .Even Thomas Hardy would have to agree that this medium yellow, highly fragrant and repeat bloomer fits the gift bill nicely whether in the hilly Dorset landscape or in a diminutive Vancouver garden. Rose selection two is called ‘Teasing Georgia’, a multi-petal, cupped flower that is a saffron yellow in the centre fading to the softest moonlight hues on the outer fringes. Strongly scented and a good grower, who could ask for more? “I sell thousands of roses every spring at my nursery Southlands and these two rose varieties fall into the no fail category and give great customer satisfaction.”

As for some old standards that have stood the test of time, Tom easily identified roses including the white Sally Holmes, Golden Wings and the deeply apricot coloured Leander.

And what does the famous Thomas Hobbs suggest for those of us wishing to create our own special “rose bowl” for the holiday table? “I would stick to a range of colours for interest such as salmon pinks mixed with coral oranges adding some artfully placed hypericum berries. Simple but beautiful, just like Nature itself.”

We couldn’t agree more!

Southlands Nursery – 604-266-6411
Hobbs Gift Store – 604-261-5998


Monday, December 1, 2008

The Gift of Christmas Roses

From guest writer Terri Clark

It’s hard not to be disheartened by the headlines over the past months and with the normally over-abundant Christmas season looming just around the corner many thoughts are turning to more affordable gift purchases this year. Being the child of Depression era parents I was raised to give practical but thoughtful gifts, ones that either fed the stomach or touched the soul.

A display of fresh roses during the holidays can never go wrong. Most florists and floral designers will be more than happy to take one of your sparkling cut glass or silver vases or bowls and fill them with a scented gift of greenhouse grown roses. Not only will this save on cost but the roses will convey the giver’s good thoughts in two sensorial ways- through fragrance and visual beauty.

Truly what can be more simple and elegant that a shimmering bowl full of roses amidst candle light on a dining room table, mantel or an aromatic nosegay at your bedside? The hip new Madison Avenue-style Quince Fine Florals in Vancouver’s MacKenzie Heights shopping district is using roses in an array of new ways. Last year’s Christmas craze starred the previously much maligned garnet-coloured carnation whose densely positioned heads covered orb-shaped oasis which were then displayed on large glass flutes. This year rose heads and hips will be featured not only in delightful balls but in artfully fashioned mini pillow-like wreaths and centerpieces for the home’s interior spaces.

For the garden rose lover, now is the time to discover those rare outdoor plants that are still giving their blooms even during the darkest months. What better gift than a nursery gift certificate from Select Roses for, say, Rosa Mutabilis, a species plant that has never failed to produce enough single blooms to be placed on my holiday table’s crisp linen napkins.

And for the real rose aficionado in your life, excellent stocking stuffers should include tickets to the World Rose Festival in Vancouver June 19- 21, 2009. This cornucopia of rose related events will include an internationally attended rose show, rose lectures, garden displays, marketplace, culinary treats, art and more.

What better way to say “Merry Christmas” throughout the year!

Ticket information for the World Rose Festival: www.worldrosefestival.com
 
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