Growing Roses Organically : Your Guide to Creating an Easy-Care Garden Full of Fragrance and Beauty

by Barbara Wilde

• ISBN13: 9780875968803
• ISBN10: 0875968805
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2002-05-01
• Publisher: Rodale Books

Summary

It is a myth that roses demand chemicals and special care to grow, as Barbara Wilde demonstrates in her beautiful, groundbreaking book Growing Roses Organically. It contains an identification guide for more than 100 roses that are the best choices for organic gardening techniques, a month-by-month rose care calendar, and gardening information applicable to all U.S. climates.By choosing healthy varieties and those best suited to the organic garden, gently intervening when it comes to pest and disease problems, and using proper pruning and planting techniques, a lush garden filled with roses is within the reach of everyone from beginner to veteran gardener. For any gardener who has ever tried and failed to grow roses, for those intimidated by the care and feeding of these unique blooms, and for those committed to the organic way, Growing Roses Organically was written just for them. Including garden designs that pair roses with perennials, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs, it is a one-of-a-kind exploration of how the simple makes the spectacular.

Author Biography

Barbara Wilde has been gardening organically since the age of 17, when her Swiss grandmother first introduced her to gardening. As owner of a midwestern specialty plant nursery, Barbara spent 10 years exploring garden design and ornamental horticulture and growing heirloom and European fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers organically. As a garden designer and education specialist for a premier midwestern landscape firm, she developed staff training curriculum and pioneered organic landscaping techniques still in use by the firm today.

Barbara has written for Horticulture magazine and Rodale publications and is the regular garden columnist for Indianapolis Woman magazine. A frequent public speaker on horticulture, she is known for her ecologically sensitive designs that use a wide variety of unusual plants.

Barbara currently lives in Paris, where she maintains her own Web site, www.frenchgardening.com. At the site, you can find articles on French gardens, practical gardening advice, favorite plants, kitchen gardening, her life in Paris, and even cooking-- her (barely) subordinate passion. When not writing content for the site, Barabara spends her time traveling throughout France searching for traditional French garden seeds and artisanal products, including tools, books, and decorating items, which she sells on her Web site. She also gardens with her companion, Denis, on their Parisian terrace and on weekends at an old Normandy farmhouse.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Beautiful Roses the Organic Way	viii
Part I: Starting Out	x
Roses: Perennial Favorites	2	(12)
Choosing Healthy Roses	14	(8)
Laying the Groundwork	22	(8)
Planting New Roses	30	(12)
Part II: Basic Care	42	(62)
Watering Your Roses	44	(8)
Fertilizing Roses Organically	52	(10)
Pruning and Training Your Roses	62	(20)
Fighting Diseases	82	(10)
Preventing Insect Pests	92	(12)
PART III: Remarkable Roses	104	(144)
A Gallery of Roses	106	(90)
PART IV: DESIGN DETAILS	196	(2)
Roses in the Mixed Border	198	(16)
Roses in the Wild Garden	214	(16)
Roses for Hedging	230	(10)
Roses for Wildlife Gardens	240	(8)
Rose Gallery at a Glance	248	(10)
Rose Care Calendar	258	(4)
Glossary	262	(2)
Recommended Reading and Resources	264	(2)
Photo Credits	266	(1)
Index	267	(11)
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map	278