It's not all rosy in Margaret and Richard Plain's St. Albert garden.
True, there are some 50 roses tucked here and there in their big wedge-shaped yard, but there are also herbs, vegetables, perennials and – oh, yes – there are weeds.
The Plains are busy people. The former city mayor and former city councillor are both involved in many committees and Margaret, who chaired the city's 150th anniversary committee, is still wrapping up the tail ends of that three-year volunteer committee.
So the weeds grow.
The Plains have always been busy people however, and they've never let a few weeds get in their way. They just keep hoeing along.
"It's not a given that you'll be successful," said Margaret as she yanked a bunch of purple-flowered nettles, which had taken up residence in the raspberry patch.
Like every other gardener, the Plains had to contend with thunderstorms all week and the garden, which is on a side hill, took a beating.
"Surprisingly the roses stood up very well," said Richard, "But look what the leaf-cutter bees have done to them."
Richard explained that the actual blooms are fine but the leaves, which were peppered with holes, detracted from his ability to exhibit the roses this Saturday at the St. Albert Botanic Park's rose show.
"There's nothing to do about them. Just leave them be," he said with a shrug.
Lifelong pursuit
Richard attended his first rose show with his mother, when he was a small boy.
"My mother belonged to the Pembina River garden club and she brought me along with her some 68 years ago to move pots and so on. I remember she had a Chrysler tea rose, which was unusual for those days because not many people had tea roses. It had a beautiful scent and she won prizes for it," he said.
He still marvels at the fact that his mother managed to keep the delicate rose over the winter and admitted he got his first lesson in rose management from her.
"She probably planted it deep and so the roots were protected," he said.
He has gone back to many of his mother's old ways himself, and has changed the way he overwinters his own roses.
"I used to dig a trench and bury them but I realized it's not the temperature that kills a tea rose. It's when they are exposed to our arctic desert that they get killed. It freeze-dries them," he said.
To protect the delicate roses against winter drought he makes sure all the roses planted in the ground are at least six inches deep so that the graft bud is buried. In the fall he waters them well and covers them with a mound of dry leaves. The leaves act as a blanket that doesn't keep the roots warm, but instead, helps keep the moisture in the ground. In the spring, the roses will need water again.
Best in pots
Most of the Plains' show-stopping roses are planted in big pots next to the house.
"This is the nicest, neatest way to grow hybrid tea roses," Richard said, as he explained that even though his yard is huge, the plots are already full of roses and it's tricky to find a new spot to grow something new. In addition, several big old poplars shade the yard but the potted roses are in the sun.
"If they are in pots, you can easily put them right by the door and then every time you step outside, you can stop and smell the roses," he said.
These potted roses are cut back in the fall until the canes are about eight inches high. Then they are pulled from the pots, placed in one corner of the yard and covered with peat moss or more leaves. In the spring they are planted in the pots again.
Tomatoes and vegetables are also planted in pots. A vertical A-frame shaped structure is tucked in a sunny corner. It contains boxes filled with parsley, spinach, beets, lettuce and carrots. The raised beds ensure the porcupines that live in the ravine beside the house cannot get the veggies.
There are still pots of miniature roses and lilies to be planted. But gardening here is an everyday pleasure. Every day there is a new plant to move or something to be weeded.
"We've been growing a garden together since before we were married 51 years ago," Margaret said. "That's when we planted our first vegetable garden."
Their garden is huge and about the only thing missing is a chair to sit on. There's too much to do for sitting. Both Plains looked somewhat perplexed at the idea of taking on a smaller yard with fewer challenges but speculated that even then, it would have to somehow involve a bit of soil and a prickly plant or two.
"I know what we'd do. We'd just get some land and plant more roses," Richard said.
The St. Albert Botanic Park rose show takes place today. Entries will be taken from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Judging is 10:30 a.m. to noon. Viewing of exhibits is from noon to 4:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded at 4:30 p.m. For more information visit the park website at www.stalbertbotanicpark.com. The St. Albert Botanic Park is located at 265 Sturgeon Road.
