Regional Growing Guide: Middle South
Hot, hazy and humid describes much of the year in this region, where roses commence their first peak of bloom by Mother's Day, then continue budding out and blooming through December. While most of the rain comes during winter and early spring, fierce afternoon thunderstorms, nor-easters and even hurricanes may blow through during summer months. The soil may be acidic or sandy: amending with lime helps balance the pH, while compost provides nutrients and improves drainage. The best roses are heat tolerant and resist black spot: new roses often offer improved repeat blooming as well.
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Remontant Roses
Remontant is a French word meaning to rise again, or remount. Coined two hundred years ago to describe the reblooming talents of hybrid perpetual roses, it is spoken these days by admirers of hybrid teas, the roses most likely to bloom again and again all summer and finally to charm us with the last flowers of fall.
Encouraging Remontance
Remontance in roses is never guaranteed, but attentive care of naturally gifted varieties is the surest formula for success. Begin building any rose's reblooming potential by planting it in an ideal site, such as a raised bed that gets full morning sun and partial afternoon shade. Then diligently improve the soil. Right now is a good time to deeply cultivate the place where you want to plant a new rose in spring. If you have clay soil, adding a 40-pound bag of good compost or humus to a 3-foot-wide planting hole is just about right.
Best Rebloomers
Having a planting hole prepared in advance makes choosing varieties more fun. If you love fragrant roses, 'Pink Promise' should be high on your rose wish list. If you like the way yellow and earth-toned flowers look in a vase, dig a second hole for 'Love and Peace', which bears yellow blossoms edged with pink. These are both hybrid teas, but many modern landscape roses are remontant, too. So, in addition to choosing roses by fragrance and color, consider their growth habits (bushy, upright, spreading) as part of the package.
Once a rose is in your garden, the key to prolonging flower power is to provide water and nutrients before they are badly needed. Also, keep some pruning shears handy for clipping off old blossoms or leaves that show evidence of disease. These are sure ways to help roses rise again and again, which is what remontance is all about.