The sight and perfume of a greenhouse full of more than 600 roses, just bursting into bloom, can be overwhelming for some gardeners and, for many, more enticing than a room full of candy. That emotion is exactly what the rose-growers at the St. Albert Botanic Park hope for, at their annual Mother’s Day Sale in May where this year there are 675 roses up for grabs.
“No other place in the Edmonton area has the choice we do or the range of varieties that we have brought in for this sale. We’ll have at least 25 different varieties of showy, hybrid roses,” said Richard Plain. He, along with other rose fanciers at the park, pots the bare root roses up in mid-March.
The early spring this year means most of the roses are already in bloom and Plain promised a healthy and fragrant mix of hardy shrub roses, hybrid teas, floribunda and grandiflora roses.
Most of the hardiest roses come from growers in Morden, Man. One of the newest successful roses in this category is Morden Sunrise, which has a wild-rose-shaped bloom. As its name suggests, the flower is orangey-pink with a yellow centre. As the flowers open, they fade until it seems as if the bush has a profusion of orange, pink and yellow blooms on it all at once.
Two pure-yellow hardy varieties available this year are the Dick Clark and Bill Reid roses, Plain said.
Less hardy but more classical-looking roses are the tea roses, the floribundas and grandiflora varieties.
“Tea roses have one flower per stem, like the classic long-stemmed rose. Floribunda roses have several roses on one stem and the grandiflora has the largest blossoms and usually it will have a couple of heads of blossoms on one stem,” Plain explained.
A pure white rose to look for this year is the Pope Paul rose, which has huge blossoms that are expected to be up to five inches in size. The flower has a citrus scent.
If you are into roses named for stars, the bi-coloured Neil Diamond is a rosy pink with white stripes. And if you are looking for a delicate, fragrant mauve rose, try growing the Barbra Streisand variety. The mauve is an odd colour for a rose, and draws interest wherever it is planted but it shows best if it is near a yellow rose such as the Doris Day floribunda or the apricot-coloured Anna’s Promise, which is a grandiflora rose.
The Mother’s Day rose sale is a fundraiser for the St. Albert Botanic Park, and it is run entirely by volunteers. The sale takes place Friday, May 8 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Roses are $30 each.
Schedule
May 2: Gift shop opens. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Labour Day. Look for sunshine mugs painted by Leo Nickerson School students. <br />May 8 to 10: Mother’s Day Rose Sale: Friday 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rose experts will be on hand to help with your selections. <br />June 19: Garden Day at the Park to celebrate National Garden Day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. tours, potting zoo for children, gardening demonstrations and volunteer opportunities. <br />July 1: Canada Day Strawberry Tea: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Admission by donation). Children’s activities and music.<br />July 12: Rose Show: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Drop by the park to see the beautiful entries and to get information on growing roses. <br />August 16: Enchanted Garden Picnic in the Park: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bring your picnic and enjoy music, games and activities for children in the beauty of the park. Ice cream, popcorn and lemonade are free! Donations gratefully accepted. <br />October 17 to 25: Christmas in October at the gift shop: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. It’s winter wonderland time at the gift shop.
