To celebrate the visit of my friend Riikka from Finland, I redecorated part of our yard, and threw a small garden party. You can see the results to the left. What a gorgeous day it was! The only rose to bloom so far this year is my Tombstone rose. As you can see, it made up for all the others.
Last December I attended the All Arizona Rose Society Luncheon in Mesa, AZ, where Clair Martin was the guest speaker. His topics were changes at the rose gardens at Huntington, and their spring 2008 exhibit "La Rose Impériale." Needless to say, I am planning a trip to my old stomping grounds. How lovely it will be to see the Huntington Gardens and Descanso again!“La Rose Impériale: The Development of Modern Roses” will showcase 110 rare illustrated herbals and rose books, including a first edition of Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s glorious multivolume work, Les Roses (1817-24). The exhibition is the anchor of a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Rose Garden at The Huntington, which was established by the institution’s founders Henry and Arabella Huntington in 1908."
I just finished doing the fall pruning and fertilizing, and almost everything survived the summer quite well, even though June was unusually hot and the summer rains a bit sparse. Unfortunately, one favorite rose (Pat Austin!) died. Back in May, the soil seemed too wet so I moved its emitter to another pot -- then forgot about it. Not good.
This one was given to me by Rose Society member Kacie Johnson. She bought it in Oregon, but has no idea what it could be because pack rats ate the labels off all her pots. It has been tentatively identified as Shailer's Provence, which is truly exciting because SP has a wonderful history -- it was one of the roses that Thomas Jefferson grew in his garden at Monticello.
This delicate rose came from my friend Abbie's 100-year-old ranch house in Patagonia, AZ. I have given it the study name of "Abbie's Mystery." It suckers like mad and produces tiny magenta flowers with a white eye. It is not fragrant. Abbie leaves during the summer for long periods of time and this rose has survived without watering!
This rose also came to me from a Rose Society member. She propagated it from a rose that grew at her mother's house. Ive had it for 4 years and this is only the second year it has bloomed. As you can see it definitely has old rose form. The growth habit is like a Bourbon rose -- long and leggy (though you don't see that here). It's very fragrant. Study name: "RST Mystery."
And finally, "Goodwin Creek Mystery Rose." This picture comes from the source plant which we found along a creek near the old gold mining camp called "Goodwin" in the Bradshaw Mountains. There was also mint growing wild nearby so I like to think that both were escapees from a miner's garden. This rose has not bloomed for me yet. It does not seem to be Rosa woodsii.
This Thanksgiving we took a trip to Cochise County. Ever since we found the hotel where my grandparents met in 1917 (and discovered that it is still in business) we have been wanting to go for a visit. But we went dirt-roading first, visiting the old Butterfield Stagecoach Station on the northern edge of the Dragoon Mountains, then drove into the mountains to check out Dragoon Springs. The Station was essentially a stockade with 10-foot unmortared stone walls and two teeny (5x5') rooms. It was really only used for 2 years due to the Civil War, Apache raids and the success of the Pony Express.
Dinner at the Hotel Cochise was down-home delicious. The dining room was filled with local folks, the owner Carla's kids and a trio of bikers who had made the trip from Phoenix.In 1917 Julia met a young man on the steps of the Cochise Hotel. Her father didn't want to introduce her and told her he was "some Eastern chap from Harvard." Brother Philip arrived late for his train and in his hurry his suitcase fell open with everything falling out. The young chap sprang to help repack and the introduction followed. Of course Allan proceeded to court Julia.
However, some of my new roses are going to be contenders. Tradescant is blooming its head off in the 100+ heat, bearing deep red blooms that are textured like butterfly wings. And Pat Austin (left) isn't stingy with its glowing orange/yellow/blush flowers.
When I had my open garden this spring people were surprised that many of my roses were in pots. Ever since then I have wanted to write about my observations about using pots in the desert.
CONS: It is true that roots dry out and get hot faster for plants in pots. Additionally, our winds here in Tucson have knocked over many of my larger roses and damaged their canes and root systems. And finally, potted plants must be re-potted every 3-4 years when the soil line shrinks because of loss out the bottom and compaction. That isn't a problem with small plants but it is not fun to pull a 10 ft. rose out of its pot. Some gardening books will also tell you that you need to fertilize more often and that it is impossible to mulch but I have not found this to be true. 
PROS: Pots allow you to move a plant that needs more protection from the wind or sun, as well as to control the quality of its soil more easily (our native soil is dreadful for roses). Re-potting lets you check the health of a plant's root system: I have discovered crown gall and grub infestations during the repotting process. And finally, if you have large aggressive trees it is easier to protect the plants from root competition. Many of Tucson's most experienced Rosarians (Les, Terry, Lou and Judy) also keep their roses in pots, so I am in good company.
Just back from a long weekend exploring Prescott and the Bradshaw Mountains. The weather was absolutely perfect: cool, cloudy days, light rain showers, and evenings that got down to the low 60s. Just the tonic we needed in the middle of a Tucson summer!At Palace Station the stage coach stop is still there, a simple log cabin with a huge apple tree out front. At Goodwin I found 2 building foundations and something even more precious: a rose bush that I think was part of a settler's garden. At first I thought it was the wild mountain rose, Rosa woodsii, but then I realized that the thorns were all wrong and that there was also mint growing nearby. I dug up two pieces that had suckered and we'll see if they survive a Tucson summer.
Crown King was a real hoot. It was the site of Arizona's richest gold mine and so prosperous that by late 1897 it had a post office, a company store, several saloons, two Chinese restaurants, and a feed yard. We expected it to be fairly modern and all commercialized, but it was the real thing! Crown King still has the state's oldest standing saloon and brothel, today a saloon and cafe. I was tickled by the sign on the door: "Friday and Saturday nights: Dogs cannot be in the Saloon after 8:00 p.m. due to prior dog fights / bites. All other times they must be on leash." We had our dog Arrow with us and he was totally welcome inside, as were several local dogs: Atlas, Scruffy and Kisses.
Mutabilis means "changeable" in Latin; it is also the name of one of my favorite roses. I think it is a good metaphor for life -- and gardening -- in general.
We finished the wall on the north end of our property, and it is everything I hoped for. I wanted a wall so that I could landscape the yard without worrying about javelina eating everything tender and juicy. I also wanted a wall that was eye catching and elegant.