Pipsqueak Rose

My only rose bush is tiny. On New Year's Day, I host an annual open house for neighbors, who usually bring contributions of wine or food. Two years ago, my next door neighbors brought me a miniature rose bush in a small pot. Its name on the tag was "Miniature Rose Bush." Well, they were not gardeners, you can tell.

It grew through winter in its cozy pot at the base of my east-facing french doors. Actually, it did not grow, but it did not die. Having survived the winter, it was placed at the side yard, along stepped platforms [3.09.2009] leading to my new deck. This area was being landscaped, and I needed something to keep the cactus [24.06.2009] company and reduce the runoff down the slope.

Two years and two winters later, it prospers in its sunny dry spot. Last year, it bloomed profusely at times during the summer, interrupted by periods of rest. Flowers are vivid red and fade to a light red-pink after about a week. They have little fragrance, and no real stems for cutting.

I trimmed it back last fall like a good gardener, and this spring it responded by growing into a bushy ball about one foot (30 cm) high. And, it now sports multi-blooms on a single branch. It fits in adjacent to the walking surface where it gets noticed.

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments   • Full sun   • Small amount of fertilizer   • Little disease, but a few aphid outbreaks Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: hydrangea, nicotiana, larkspur, bachelor buttons, coneflower,     rose, hollyhock, phlox, salvia, geranium